Jonnet Soloman Gives Talk on National Negro Opera House for Humanities Fest (Wed., 4/7/21)

With capacity restrictions still in place, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is being extra cautious about keeping its patrons safe. And again this year The Pittsburgh Humanities Festival will be an online series of virtual talks with selected cornerstone speakers. It’s billed as, “Smart talk about stuff that matters.” The live-streamed series of interviews, will occur over a period of several weeks in April. The Festival will feature artists, academics, and intellectual innovators covering a variety of topics. The events can be viewed on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trusts’ Facebook and YouTube Channel on their specific dates of April 7, 14, 21, and 28. All events begin at 7 p.m. and are free to watch. The Festival is co-produced by the Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

Jonnet Soloman’s mission is to educate people about the history of the National Negro Opera House and the need to restore it. (photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust)

Kicking off the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival @ Home on April 7 will be Jonnet Soloman, who will discuss the fascinating history of, and her efforts to restore, The National Negro Opera House. Many top performers, including Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Roberto Clemente, Count Basie, Ahmad Jamal, and Sarah Vaughan, played the Opera House. Located in Homewood, it was recently named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of 11 Most Endangered Places. Soloman will be interviewed by Graham Fandrei.

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