Lift Every Voice is the concert the Pittsburgh Symphony will play Saturday January 20 at 8pm at Heinz Hall featuring the world premiere of the August Wilson Symphony by Kathryn Bostic, the composer for the soundtrack of WQED’s American Masters portrait of August Wilson The Ground on Which I Stand. Phylicia Rashad will host the concert. Phylicia Rashad hosted WQED’s Project Literacy US program in 1988 on PBS. She is a Tony Award winning actress portraying Aunt Esther in August Wilson’s Columbia the Gem of the Ocean. She just finished production on the Fox series Empire and appeared in the Rocky film sequel Creed. She has received multiple doctorates for her work onstage and in film directing and acting and she just accepted an offer to direct a new production of Broadway. She holds a degree from CMU and Howard University her alma mater. Kathryn Bostic is a singer and pianist in addition to her film and theater writing. She has won multiple awards and has collaborated on Broadway with Rashad. Her soundtrack for the American Masters program brought Coldplay violinist Davide Rossi to the recordings studio. In the conversation they discuss their work with August Wilson. Phylicia reveals the three greatest roles for an actress and shares thoughts about her role as Clair Huxtable on the Cosby show. They discuss what they were doing on Martin Luther King Jr. day and run down events at the concert with a description of the August Wilson Symphony. Phylicia discusses her day at CMU and Kathryn her work with CAPA students.