{"id":19245,"date":"2026-07-27T22:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19245"},"modified":"2026-07-27T22:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:05:25","slug":"the-string-queens-are-rewriting-classical-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19245","title":{"rendered":"The String Queens Are Rewriting Classical Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"0\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"450\" width=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?w=372&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Three women in white dresses holding violins and cellos performing on a white stage with draped curtains.\" class=\"wp-image-1682532\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 5208w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=126%2C153&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 126w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=342%2C414&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 342w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=768%2C929&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=372%2C450&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 372w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=1270%2C1536&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1270w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=1693%2C2048&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1693w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=180%2C218&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=83%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 83w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=165%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 165w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=41%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 41w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=397%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 397w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=496%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 496w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=744%2C900&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 744w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=207%2C250&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 207w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=122%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 122w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=245%2C296&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=71%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 71w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17847312161242.jpg?resize=144%2C174&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Unknown \/ Courtesy of The String Queens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This mid-summer stretch has always been a time of dual consciousness. We simultaneously celebrate the hard-won victories of our freedom while navigating the glaring, systemic, and often turbulent realities of our present. It is a season that begs us to look inward and ask a fundamental question: What does liberty actually mean when the ground beneath us still feels so fundamentally unstable? If you are looking for an instrumental soundtrack to help untangle that very question, look no further than the Washington, D.C.-based string trio, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thestringqueens.com\/\">The String Queens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comprised of violinist <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kendallisadore\/\">Kendall Isadore<\/a>, violist <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dawn_thestringqueens\/\">Dawn Johnson<\/a>, and cellist <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elisesharp19\/\">\u00c9lise Sharp<\/a>, this dynamic force of Black womanhood has spent nearly a decade captivating audiences nationwide. They have built an esteemed reputation for bridging the gaps between classical virtuosity, jazz, gospel, blues, and contemporary R&amp;B. On Juneteenth 2026, the trio stepped boldly into a brand-new chapter of their legacy. They unveiled their first-ever original composition, \u201cTroubled Liberty,\u201d the powerful lead single from their highly anticipated album, <em>What We Carry<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the trio recently spoke with <em>MadameNoire<\/em>, their warmth, intellect, and collective brilliance were immediately palpable. They are women who wear many hats\u2014 touring musicians, wives, mothers, and dedicated educators. Yet, when they pick up their instruments, they become musical storytellers. In \u201cTroubled Liberty,\u201d they have created a gorgeous, haunting, and ultimately triumphant dialogue about what it means to be Black, free, and watchful in America today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1443362\/sherie-rnb-softness-violin-black-music-month\/\">Black Music Month: Meet Sherie, The Singing Violinist Blending R&amp;B, Healing And Heartbreak [Exclusive]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"1\">\n<h3 id=\"h-the-push-to-create\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Push to Create<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nine years, The String Queens built a stellar reputation as masters of arrangement and fusion. They could take an Earth, Wind &amp; Fire anthem, a classical concerto, or a contemporary pop hit and make it feel as though it was always meant for a violin, viola, and cello. Despite their talent and bond, the transition into writing and releasing original music was a threshold they hesitated to cross.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven before this particular year, there was something that was forming in us individually and collectively that said we needed to release some original music,\u201d Kendall Isadore recalls. \u201cWe thought about it, we\u2019d been a group for nine years, but we were kind of on the edge of, like, \u2018we should release it, we should write something,\u2019 but we wouldn\u2019t just teeter over that edge.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"440\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Three women in white dresses playing string instruments in a lush, green outdoor setting.\" class=\"wp-image-1681794\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1500w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=153%2C102&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=378%2C252&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=768%2C512&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=660%2C440&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=180%2C120&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=150%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 150w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=300%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 300w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=75%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 75w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=720%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=900%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=1200%2C800&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1200w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=450%2C300&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=600%2C400&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=250%2C167&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=221%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 221w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=245%2C163&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=129%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 129w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=144%2C96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843190751571.webp?resize=50%2C33&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of The String Queens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The catalyst they needed arrived in the form of a gentle but firm push from the legendary jazz violinist and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arts.gov\/\">National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)<\/a> Jazz Master, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/regina_carter_violin\/\">Regina Carter<\/a>. Carter, who has long pioneered the path of genre-defying string artistry, gave them the ultimate green light.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe just said, \u2018just do it,&#8217;\u201d Isadore says. \u201cLike, something so simple as just try it, just jump out there. You all have everything that it takes to make an original piece of music. Anything you release is going to be powerful, because you all are intentional and thoughtful in your message. She was pushing us\u2026 She said, \u2018you already booked the studio time. When you go in and the engineer hits record, yeah, do what you plan to do, and then just do whatever comes to mind in the moment.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Armed with Carter\u2019s blessing, the trio went to work in the most intimate of spaces: Dawn\u2019s basement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe said, \u2018okay, we\u2019re gonna do it now. Like, what does this feel like? What do we want it to sound like?&#8217;\u201d Isadore explains. Around the time of the song\u2019s conception, the film <em>Sinners<\/em> had recently captured the cultural imagination. The raw, ancestral weight of that project\u2019s imagery, storyline, and music resonated deeply with the trio. \u201cWe as musicians are also storytellers. And so, the past and the ancestry of it all, we knew we wanted to create something that paid homage to our ancestors, paid homage to our family, our parents, something that also the young people could relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-anatomy-of-a-masterpiece\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anatomy of a Masterpiece<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"349\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Three musicians performing on a stage, playing violin, cello, and drums, wearing long black dresses.\" class=\"wp-image-1681788\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8912059632620464;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?strip=all&amp;quality=80 2014w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=153%2C81&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=378%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=768%2C406&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=660%2C349&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=1536%2C813&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1536w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=180%2C95&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=189%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 189w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=94%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 94w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=720%2C381&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=900%2C476&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=1200%2C635&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1200w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=450%2C238&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=600%2C318&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=250%2C132&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=278%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 278w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=245%2C130&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=162%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 162w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=144%2C76&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843150980749.png?resize=50%2C26&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of The String Queens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTroubled Liberty\u201d demands your full emotional presence. The composition opens with a striking, 13-second audio clip from the late, incomparable poet, author, and activist Nikki Giovanni. In the recording, Giovanni likens The String Queens to the<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/from-hidden-to-modern-figures\/\"> groundbreaking Black women of NASA<\/a>\u2014Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson\u2014whose brilliance and mathematical calculations made America\u2019s early space missions possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI found that comparison to be very powerful, not just me, our entire group did,\u201d says Dawn Johnson. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why we decided collectively to include that to the opening of the album, because it really set the precedent and made a statement. This is the launch pad for the artistry that we want to reflect, the sound that we want to reflect in who we are as string players and as Black women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once Giovanni\u2019s voice fades, the musical storytelling begins, constructed with deliberate, technical brilliance. Cellist \u00c9lise Sharp describes the song\u2019s foundation, which starts with a drone that anchors the entire piece.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt started with just a drone,\u201d Sharp explains. \u201cThere\u2019s something about a drone. A drone is like a dirge. It kind of centers your piece. It centers your emotion. It started with just a double-stop drone, and then Dawn and Kendall come in with these beautiful lyrics\u2014lyrical playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over that somber drone, Isadore introduces a haunting rendition of \u201cMy Country, \u2018Tis of Thee,\u201d completely recontextualized in a minor key. Before the listener can fully process the melancholy of that patriotic melody, Dawn Johnson weaves in the historic Negro spiritual \u201cWade in the Water\u201d. The result is an intentional juxtaposition of American idealism and the heavy, ancestral survival strategies of enslaved Black Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The song, however, does not wallow in despair. Suddenly, the tempo shifts dramatically, accelerating into a relentless, driving pace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe listener feels themselves being called to something,\u201d Isadore describes. \u201cAnd then we come in and change the tempo completely and now you hear almost a running pace. You hear like a relentless, \u2018I\u2019m running.\u2019 It\u2019s like, are you running from something? Are you running to something? It kind of begs the listener to examine everything about it, but I think there\u2019s this middle section, which I\u2019ll call a bridge, that is really the hope of it all. You know, you have this sad and despairing cry of \u2018Wade in the Water,\u2019 and this \u2018My Country, \u2018Tis of Thee\u2019 that doesn\u2019t really sound very joyful. But it\u2019s this hope of, you know what, the world is what it is right now, but it won\u2019t always be this way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"2\">\n<h3 id=\"h-the-reality-of-troubled-liberty\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Reality of \u201cTroubled Liberty\u201d<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Living, working, and raising families in Washington, D.C., places The String Queens directly in the political and cultural nucleus of the United States. It is an environment of immense history and power, but also immense daily tension.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Dawn Johnson, the title \u201cTroubled Liberty\u201d is a direct reflection of what it means to exist as a Black woman, a mother, and a citizen in this specific geographic and historical moment. She references the infamous criticism of NBA superstar LeBron James, who was once told by a commentator to \u201cshut up and dribble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSomebody could tell us like, \u2018just shut up and play. Just go play in the orchestra. Just go play the wedding,&#8217;\u201d Johnson says candidly. \u201cBut we, as artists, feel compelled to use our artistry and to use the gifts that we have been blessed with to make a statement. And the statement that is pouring through our veins right now as three Black women, as mothers, as daughters, as wives, is, yeah, we\u2019re free, right? Like, there is liberty, but it\u2019s also very troubled.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson speaks openly about the daily anxiety and vigilance that comes with navigating present life, even within their own communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t feel safe when I go to downtown Washington, D.C. I have to worry about my daughter when she\u2019s in school in downtown Washington, D.C.,\u201d Johnson shares. \u201cAnd so, yes, while we\u2019re free to move around and do the things that we\u2019re put on this earth to do, there\u2019s also a troubled sense to that in that we can\u2019t do it without having in the back of our minds some sort of precaution that has us moving very cautiously throughout the world. That\u2019s the troubled piece that we think of when we think about how we move in this space in the country, in our communities, and around the world as Black women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By blending 19th-century classical traditions with Black American musical idioms, the trio is dismantling Eurocentric musical hierarchies. They are proving that classical music does not have to exist in a sterile, academic vacuum. It can and should reflect the lived experiences of the people playing it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was taught predominantly one way, the Eurocentric classical way,\u201d Johnson shares, reflecting on her training at Juilliard. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I met my sisters, Kendall and \u00c9lise, and we came together as The String Queens\u2026 they showed me like, \u2018hey, it\u2019s okay for you to have all of this wonderful classical training, but also dabble around in improvisation, and also dabble around in American Black jazz music, where all of this is coming from, and gospel music.\u2019 You can play all of these different genres on your instrument, and you can even intertwine them all into one composition to show how many faces we carry. And it\u2019s not just sort of a sadness or weight or heaviness that we carry. We carry joy, we carry fun, we carry hope, we carry optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1309539\/strings-by-heart-ezinma\/\">SUNDAY \u2018NOIRE: Classical Bae Is Quenching NYC\u2019s Thirst For Music Programs With Strings By Heart<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"3\">\n<h3 id=\"h-the-teacher-artist-balance\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Teacher-Artist Balance<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What makes the technical virtuosity of The String Queens even more notable is their dedication to the community extends far beyond grand stages. All three women are full-time educators. In an exciting, newly minted development for this school year, all three women will actually be teaching under the very same roof, walking the same hallways, and sharing the same classrooms with their students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are full-time educators by choice,\u201d Isadore notes. \u201cWe are touring musicians, but we also are role models in the world every day in our school. This is a new development\u2026 this year we\u2019ll be walking the same halls, sharing the same classrooms and stages with these students. And we have a responsibility to let them know, \u2018hey, here\u2019s the reality of what\u2019s going on in the world. It\u2019s dark, it\u2019s dreary, and it\u2019s not always sunshine, but here\u2019s how you can use your voice to shape the world around you, and here\u2019s how you can leave this world better than you found it.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00c9lise Sharp echoes this sentiment, hoping that their incredibly demanding dual lives serve as a blueprint of possibility for their students and their audiences alike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen they leave, I also want them to be inspired to do whatever they think is difficult to do, because we can get stuck as human beings,\u201d Sharp says. \u201cJust, everything is too much, \u2018I just want to go into a shell and not do anything.\u2019 But I want them to feel inspired that they, too, can do whatever. I\u2019m not saying everybody get on the stage and perform, but whatever it is you think is holding you back, you can put one step in front of the other. And yes, it seems hard as heck, the thought of it, but the actual action is doable. You can achieve it, and just, I hope that they can also, once the show is over, once the night is over, maybe the next day have a renewed sense of, \u2018you know, I can get up and move forward.\u2019 This seemed hard, but I just saw Kendall, Dawn, and \u00c9lise up there, and they\u2019re actually going back home this morning, getting on a plane, and getting into the classroom. Like, it seems crazy, but we\u2019re here with you. The impossible really isn\u2019t impossible. It\u2019s the mindset we just have to shift to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"4\">\n<h3 id=\"h-what-we-carry\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What We Carry<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the summer of 2026 progresses, the anticipation for their full-length album, <em>What We Carry<\/em>, continues to build. The project promises to be a genre-defying trip through sound, memory, and identity, honoring the legacy of Black women musicians while embracing the fullness of the human experience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"450\" width=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?w=450&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Three women in white dresses playing string instruments, with the text &quot;Troubled Liberty&quot; and &quot;The String Queens&quot; displayed.\" class=\"wp-image-1681789\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=153%2C153&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, 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https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 100w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 300w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=80%2C80&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 80w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=120%2C120&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 120w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=240%2C240&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 240w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=50%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=480%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 480w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=900%2C900&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=250%2C250&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=147%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 147w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=245%2C245&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=86%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 86w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151098811.png?resize=144%2C144&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Courtesy of The String Queens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, The String Queens view their music as a vessel for deep, spiritual healing\u2014a safe haven where listeners can completely release the heavy weights of the world, if only for 90 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI love when listeners are able to just sit in one of our shows for 75 to 90 minutes\u2026 and completely forget about every care in the world, completely forget about everything that\u2019s going on in their lives outside the walls of this space that we\u2019re in, because this space becomes more than brick and mortar,\u201d Dawn Johnson reflects softly. \u201cIt becomes a spiritual connection between every single person in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She recalls the emotional interactions they often have during their post-show meet-and-greets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have had interactions with audience members who have literally been to our shows, and that has been the first time that they have left their house in months, some over a year, due to the loss of a spouse, of a child, of someone very close to them,\u201d Johnson shares. \u201cAnd it was the lost loved one who had told them about The String Queens. And so, when we\u2019re able to be and share in that space with people like that, and for just that hour and a half they can forget about every care in the world, and they can reconnect spiritually with their loved one, reconnect with the music\u2026 That\u2019s what I love about our shows. We want to take this little spark that we have and the gifts that God has blessed us with and pass them on to someone else who can pass it on to someone else. And that\u2019s how we want our sound and our mission and our love and our message to spread across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As \u201cTroubled Liberty\u201d makes its way into the world, it reminds us that we do not have to choose between acknowledging our pain and holding onto our hope. Through strings and infinite soul, The String Queens are showing us how to carry both.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1676285\/black-music-month-love-letter\/\">Dear Black Music Month: A Love Letter To The Healing Power Of Songs<\/a><br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Unknown \/ Courtesy of The String Queens This mid-summer stretch has always been a time of dual consciousness. We simultaneously celebrate the hard-won victories of our freedom while navigating the glaring, systemic, and often turbulent realities of our present. It is a season that begs us to look inward and ask a fundamental question:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17843151196619.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=522&crop=0,0,100,640px","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}