Freedom Song: When Gospel Came to the Empire
The Rochester Oratorio Society and RIT School of Performing Arts presents, Freedom Song: When Gospel Came to the Empire.
In 1871, a remarkable group of singers from Nashville, Tennessee, embarked on a groundbreaking journey that would forever change the landscape of music and history. Known as the Fisk University Singers, these students, born into slavery, carried with them a music that had never before been heard in public. Through soloists, a narrator, gospel choruses, and a jazz combo, audiences will be transported back in time to witness the indomitable spirit of these freed slaves as they paved the way for future generations.
Music by Harvey Brough. Words by Justin Butcher.
This event is free and open to all, but registration is required.
Personnel and Background
Rochester Oratorio Society Resonanz Ensemble and Friends
Eric Townell, Artistic Director, Conductor
Melissa Wimbish, Soprano
Alicia Esmeralda Barry, Mezzo-soprano
Zabriel Rivers, Tenor
Fredrick Redd, Baritone
Jay Stetzer, Narrator
Thomas Warfield, Narrator
Kevin Nitsch, Keyboards
James Spadafore, Woodwinds
Django Klumpp, Guitar
Kristen Shiner McGuire, Percussion
Humberto Colon, Bass
U.S. Premiere: April 27, 2024, by the Rochester Oratorio Society
"Freedom Song," written in response to the US Sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation by UK composer, Harvey Brough, recounts the historic first tour of the Fisk University Singers, who by the power of their performance and their presence changed the course of musical and cultural history while saving their nascent university. The Fisk Singers, as the first generation out of bondage, found success in their tour through New York, the Northeast, and eventually the UK and the Continent when they began to perform Spirituals from their experience. "Jubilee Singers" choirs sprung up everywhere in their wake. "Freedom Song" re-enacts the transfer of American Negro musical influence into Western music as its message broadens from Abolition to freedom from corporate and social exploitation of all kinds. For this video recording before a live audience, the Rochester Oratorio Society's Resonanz Ensemble is joined by nationally-renowned soloists and narrators.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
| Cost | FREE |
Interpreter Requested?
No