Musician Steven Banks Launches Community Engagement Initiative

Over the 2025–26 performance season, saxophonist, composer, and educator Steven Banks will bring his new initiative, Come As You Are, to communities across the U.S. and abroad. The concert series will host free and discounted performances in community settings, schools, and churches in collaboration with local partners, inviting greater community engagement with classical music through a localized approach. The concerts, envisioned to reach Black and marginalized communities, will highlight the Black experience in America through Banks’ performance of Billy Childs’ “Diaspora.” Banks is partnering with symphonies in the U.S., Canada, and Germany, with more locations to be announced.