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Projects
An almanac to orbiting lovers: Kennedy Center Office Hours experience
Office Hours is a curated developmental residency program hosted at the Kennedy Center’s REACH. Provided with access to studio space in the REACH, artists have the sole task of creation. Office Hours seeks artists with an interest on site-specific work and supports the ideas of playful exploration and spatial intervention.
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Following the success of Almanac's initial production at Tufts University in 2021, Harrison Clark and Ben Mizrach continued to develop their musical despite being based on opposite coasts. While individually building their early careers, they remained committed to the project that had resonated deeply with audiences.
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In December 2023, they reunited for a significant creative milestone—the Office Hours Residency. This week-long intensive workshop brought together a team of ten exceptional artists from across the country to reimagine the musical's sonic landscape.
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The ensemble included self-taught guitarist and singer-songwriter Jenna Leonard, vocalist Parisalexa, bassist Will Mabuza, pianist Jonathan Paik, drummer Kabir Adhiya-Kumar, and trumpeter Miles Keingstein. Together, they crafted three distinct sonic worlds for each main character, with Leonard and Parisalexa bringing their lyrical and melodic brilliance alongside original compositions from both Clark and Mizrach.
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The residency culminated in a unique performance where the musicians arranged themselves in a circle with the audience surrounding them. This innovative staging allowed for 60 minutes of continuous, seamless music flowing between the characters' distinct musical landscapes. The entire experience was captured through professional recording and filming by engineer Mark and videographer Justin Monte.
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By 2025, this reimagined version had evolved further, ultimately being renamed in homage to composer T.J. Anderson's 1984 work Thomas Jefferson's Orbiting Minstrels and Contraband—one of the original inspirations for Almanac. This transformation reflects Clark and Mizrach's ongoing artistic growth and their commitment to honoring the Black musical traditions that informed their groundbreaking project.
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Orbiting Lovers
Orbiting Lovers
Orbiting Lovers & Contraband (Live at the Kennedy Center)
sacrificial african (please don't wake him) - Orbiting Lovers & Contraband | Live at Kennedy Center
my patience (eyes closed) - Orbiting Lovers & Contraband | Live at the Kennedy Center
Almanac
Almanac is an original musical created by Harrison Clark during his senior year at Tufts University in 2021, in collaboration with fellow student Ben Mizrach. Produced by the Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, this groundbreaking production featured an all-Black-identifying cast of 15 students and became a defining project in Clark's early career.
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The musical explores profound questions about Black art, cultural identity, and creative agency within predominantly white institutions. Drawing inspiration from the work of composer TJ Anderson and scholars like Langston Hughes, Almanac represented a fusion of Clark's personal experiences as a jazz musician with deep research into Black artistic traditions.
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The score spans multiple genres including hip-hop, soul, R&B, big band, and folk, creating a rich tapestry that celebrates Black musical heritage. One of the central songs features characters debating "What does it mean to create? What is Black art? Who can create it and why do we do it?"
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The title "Almanac" symbolizes a guide for Black artists navigating PWIs, standing on the shoulders of giants like Gerald Gill and Jester Hairston whose legacies informed this work. Through extensive archival research and personal reflection, the production became what Clark describes as "a beautiful, ancestral ritual" meant to pass on cultural traditions.
Since its debut in 2021 as the first student-created work fully produced by Tufts University, Almanac has continued to evolve. Following its successful initial run at Cohen Auditorium, Clark has developed the work through various workshops and staged readings, furthering his vision of creating spaces for Black artistry and storytelling that resonate beyond institutional boundaries.
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PRESS:
‘I’m Going to Write a Musical’: With ‘Almanac,’ Tufts Seniors Explore Black Art
Student-written musical 'Almanac' to be produced by theater department
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