SCAD’s annual Black History Month concert, “BAM! — Black Artists in Music,” is back. This year’s concert centers on Black love, pairing student performers with guest artists, including Grammy-nominated Avery Wilson and Tony-nominated Amber Iman, for a show designed to land as both performance and collective release.
Students and Broadway pros on the same stage
For SCAD students, BAM! isn’t just a showcase. It’s also a rare chance to work in real time with professionals who are actively building careers in the industry. Bee Sharps student performer Allen McBirde said sharing the stage with artists like Wilson and Iman offers “a taste of what the industry in the real world really is.”
When asked what listeners can expect to see, feel and leave with, McBirde put it plainly: “Expect to be taken to church.” He added that BAM! can hold “all types of emotions,” where “you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll praise the Lord — you’ll do all of the above.”
Candice Glover, a SCAD music director, agreed, adding that the “church” feeling isn’t only about the songs themselves. “The energy in the room every year we do BAM is otherworldly,” she said, adding that audiences can expect “to be wowed” and “to leave feeling inspired and empowered.”
Beyond the set list
Glover said BAM! also builds its atmosphere through elements beyond singing: “lots of spoken word” and “sound clips from iconic Black artists,” offering insight into what it’s like to create and be themselves.
