When Joseph Wilson’s younger sister accidentally came out to him during a visit, he will admit, his reaction was less than perfect. One conversation threw a normally close sibling relationship into a rocky period as both Joseph and his sister struggled to resolve this divide. What Joseph could never have predicted is that their shared love for music would be the one thing that could bring these siblings back together and closer than ever. In this emotionally-charged TEDx talk, Joseph lays bare the flaws in his initial reaction to his sister’s confession as well as how he was inspired by his love of music to grow and mend the hurt he caused. Joseph Wilson is "a composer who happens to be incarcerated at Sing Sing,” according to acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce Didonato. Joseph utilizes music to examine and expose the effects of socialization of poverty, violence, and xenophobia on him and society as a whole. Wilson is in the process of writing The Libretto and composing an opera titled Tabula Rasa. His works were featured on NBC Today and in Carnegie Hall’s Sing Sing Musical Connection Program’s “The Somewhere Project” and “A Time Like This: Music for Change.” This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
