Area Duo Injects Symphonic Soul in Classical Music to Open New World to Students
By Mary Clarkin, The Community Voice • Oct 22, 2020 Updated Mar 14, 2021
These two young Kansas musicians don’t knock Bach but they want to stretch classical music to include hip-hop and R&B influences.
“Symphonic soul,” said Justin Noel Hall, his reference to the form of classical music the duo wants to share with the world.
Hall, with a master’s degree from Wichita State University, and Da’Kneisha Nikoyle Beard, Kansas City, Kansas, are spearheading a project to bring original compositions and voices of diversity to the classical music stage. With her voice and his skills at piano, as a duo they’ve named Nikoyle Noel, the two are pursuing a vision that goes beyond the stage. They’re looking to make classical music more relatable to Black audiences, foster a desire to study music among young Black students and provide scholarships to those young students to help them pursue their goal.