Prof. Lisa Edwards-Burrs is Soloist in "The Ordering of Moses" by R. Nathaniel Dett, Performed at Virginia State University 4 PM Nov. 11

Lisa Edwards-Burrs associate professor of music at VSU, soprano, is a soloist in 'The Ordering of Moses.'

More than 100 singers and a full orchestra will present two performances of 'Exodus ... Out of Bondage.' The first performance is Nov. 11 at Virginia State University in Ettrick.

Progress-Index.com

Concerts commemorate Civil War, Emancipation

Published: October 23, 2012

RICHMOND - In a musical commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and Emancipation, One Voice Chorus will present two performances of "Exodus ... Out of Bondage," a concert featuring two important choral works that resonate with the two great themes that collided in mid-19th century America - war and freedom.

More than 100 singers with full orchestra will be led by One Voice artistic director Glen McCune and assistant director Tom Baynham. Professional soloists include Lisa Edwards-Burrs, Raymond Elmore, Kevin McMillan, Anne O'Byrne, Larry Thomas and Sylvia Twine.

The concerts will be presented in Virginia Hall on the campus of Virginia State University in Ettrick at 4 p.m. Nov. 11 and at Grace Baptist Church, 4200 Dover Road, at 7 p.m. Nov. 17. The audience is invited to a pre-concert conversation one hour before each performance.

Featured works include "The Ordering of Moses" by R. Nathaniel Dett and "Dona Nobis Pacem" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

One of the earliest full-scale oratorios by an African-American composer, "The Ordering of Moses" uses musical themes from traditional spirituals to underscore the parallel between the Biblical story of Moses and our own history of slavery and emancipation.

"Dona Nobis Pacem" is a plea for peace written by English composer Vaughan Williams on the eve of World War II.

[R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a complete Works list by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.]