Dec. 12, 2024: History sings

We’re joining in song and heralding ourselves, sorta.

A big project is coming to NEPM TV on Dec. 12th, a new three-part documentary project to examine aspects of the Black experience and history within the four counties of western Massachusetts. “Legacies: Stories of Black History in the 413” premieres this evening, and we talk with the creative team behind the short films, Erika Slocomb, host and project manager, and filmmakers Joe Aidonidis and Evan Goodchild, about the subjects of the project and the importance of highlighting local afro-diasporic life.

And, we get you involved in song when we chat with conductors Tian Hui Ng and Anthony Ferreira, along with Youth Orchestra Director Hannah Smeltz about Pioneer Valley Symphony’s Holiday Pops concert where you can sing favorites of the season with the ensemble. We find out more about the organization’s origins, the appeal of this festive offering, and how you can lend your own joyful noises to the occasion.

Plus, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern weighs in on the 1500 acts of clemency and pardons issued by President Joe Biden, shifts in the democratic caucus, and problems arising with a major city’s police department in his district, and some of your questions, of course.