Sunstar Festival: Women & Music festival to focus on black female singers

Although the coronavirus is suspending and shutting down events all over the country, the Pittsburgh Sunstar Festival: Women & Music festival at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater appears to still be a go. The two-day event starts on Friday with a classical music concert called Classically Intimate curated by Pittsburgh vocalist Anqwenique.

On Saturday afternoon, the festival will feature a brunch and conversation called Sisters Are Doin’ It by Girls Running Sh** hosts Markeea “Keea” Hart, Janita Kilgore and Mia Marshall. In the podcast, they’ll discuss the struggles faced by Pittsburgh female black music artists. Per the festival page, the primary goal of their portion of the event is to “spread the word on self-love and self-worth to improve mental health – all while uplifting and providing a platform for women to shine!”

Lastly, on Saturday night, during the Mic Check portion of the event at 8 p.m., R&B/soul/hip-hop artists will perform. Black female Pittsburgh singers Brittney Chantele, Clara Kent, INEZ and Rhyme are expected to attend. According to Kent in a recent interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, black female artists often leave the region because of discrimination against the full spectrum of hip-hop music and women. She notes that it’s hard for artists in the area to grow creatively in the current music environment. She believes that female artists of color showing a unified front in the community is the only way to move forward.