Happy to join the Unsung Collective for it's second collaboration with Bethany Collins on in a series of performances of the Battle Hymn of the Republic— A Hymnal.

“Written by the abolitionist Julia Ward Howe in 1861, The Battle Hymn of the Republic is perhaps the most familiar early American contrafacta, a musical term referring to a song in which the melody remains constant while the lyrics are rewritten over time. Each re-writing in support of a passionately held cause—from revolution, suffrage, temperance and Indigenous sovereignty, to the Confederacy and abolition—articulates an often contradictory version of what it means to be American.”— BrynMawr.Edu

Voices " A Celebration of Music Through Voices'' is a two-night event. A celebration of music through the years

We celebrate the extraordinary power of communal music making to create connections in this concert featuring the world premiere of Raquel Acevedo Klein’s “Songs in Motion.”

The Concert Chorale (Courtney's Stars of Tomorrow) celebrates the holiday season with a joyful performance of G. F. Handel's timeless classic, Messiah. The special concert also marks the culmination of the events celebrating Jamaica's 60 years of independence as a nation. Tickets are available and can be purchased by clicking the link below. Part proceeds of ticket sales will go towards Zion Care international's project to establish a Burn Unit at the Kingston Public Hospital in Jamaica.

December 1st - 7:00PM

December 3rd - 7:00PM

Role: Treemonisha

Saturday marked the first official workshop of the newly re-imagined "Treemonisha."

Role: Hannah

While Hannah is not remembered for many things, the story of the birth of her son Samuel marks the beginning of a new era in the history of Israel - soon, there will be Kings reigning over the people. In this painful, powerful, yet poignant transitional moment, God chooses to use a woman -- unlikely, unloved and looked down upon -- as the vehicle to move a nation forward.

Soprano Soloist

Cover for Soprano Soloist

SATB chorus and orchestra

Art for Justice’s 2020 planning grant supported a musical collaboration between the Apollo Theater and the American Composers Orchestra for a contemporary production of Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed that speaks to policing killings of unarmed black men across the Unites States. In the face of Covid-19 closures, the grant also served as a stabilizing force for the project last year as the Apollo closed to the public in March 2020.

The new partnership will support the production of Seven Last Words of the Unarmed as part of a full performance called The Gathering: A Collective Sonic Ring Shout. Thompson’s work will be paired with Tania Léon’s Reflections and Carlos Simon’s Amen! plus new works by composers Toshi Reagon and duo Lelund Durond Thompson and Jason Michael Webb. The production will use art as a tool for community healing and reflection in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor last summer and the reenergized Black Lives Matter movement. The production will be performed in May 2022: twice on the Apollo’s main stage and once for local NYC schoolchildren.

Dessoff continues its mission to perform rarely heard choral masterpieces with the world premiere of Margaret Bonds’ Credo. Portions of the work were performed in 1972 just four weeks after the composer’s untimely death. In the mid-1960s, Bonds focused her attention on the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, another leader dedicated to African-American causes. Du Bois’ essay Credo (1913) so inspired Bonds that she immediately set out to compose the work. The seven movement piece was dedicated to the memories of poet Langston Hughes and singer-actress Abbie Mitchell. The text promotes unity and social equality and Bonds expertly portrays the sentiment with rich harmonies and exciting motifs.  Dessoff is proud to finally share the orchestral version with the world.

Simon Bore the Cross, an Easter cantata, is another rarely performed work of Bonds and Langston Hughes. Like Ballad of the Brown King, the Christmas cantata, the protagonist is a black man, whose life was a role model for helping lift the lives of others. By performing and recording both these overlooked works, we will shine a light on Bonds' neglected but significant contribution to the American music canon. 

PROGRAM:

I BELIEVE: CREDO (New York premiere) - Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Simon Bore the Cross - Margaret Bonds

I’m very excited about this short program present with 2021 NANM Competition Winner, Tabitha Johnson. It will a very relaxed afternoon full of great vibes as we ease our way back into life in the midst of a pandemic.

The evening will be a glorious celebration of Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble’s 41 years of musical excellence and they will honor the legacies of Founder Bettye F. Forbes and conductor/arranger Roland Carter.

World-renowned jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut will join Ebony for a special guest performance.

Experience an evening evoking a history of transcendence and ultimate triumph through the  music of the African-American religious experience.