The Poetry of Music: The Poiesis Quartet + Poet Junious Ward

Weaving the ethereal music of both new and old works for string quartet with the rich poetry of Junious Ward, the poet Laureate of Charlotte, this program will transport you into a realm between sound and space, exploring how light, sound, word, and melody combine and deconstruct over and over, finding new ways to discover the beauty of nature through music. 

The Poieses Quartet is one of the hottest young chamber ensembles in the US, recently winning the pinnacle of chamber music competitions, the Fischoff Competition. Constantly commissioning, performing, touring, and recording, these young musicians bring pure energy and vitality to the stage.

Known for his honest, conversational, and raw style exploring identity, place, history, and more, Junious "Jay" Ward is the 2022 Poet Laureate of Charlotte and an in-demand speaker and educator across the US. His spoken word performances have garnered awards and recognition by many organizations. He is a National Slam champion (2018), an Individual World Poetry Slam champion (2019), author of Sing Me A Lesser Wound (Bull City Press 2020) and Composition (Button Poetry 2023). Jay currently serves as Charlotte's inaugural Poet Laureate and is a 2023 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Ward has attended Breadloaf Writers Conference, Callaloo, The Watering Hole and Tin House Winter Workshop. His work can be found in Columbia Journal, Four Way Review, DIAGRAM, Diode Poetry Journal and elsewhere.

Host or Publisher 7th Street Concerts