Thursday, September 5, 2019

Groundbreaking opera premiere at Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall


Experience a one-time-only performance on one of the world's greatest stages!
Friday, October 11 at 7pm

For the first time ever, three Sphinx Medals of Excellence recipients will join the Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall for an electrifying world premiere!

Damien Sneed

J'Nai Bridges

Will Liverman

Damien Sneed (composer & piano), J'Nai Bridges (mezzo-soprano), Will Liverman (baritone), Chorale Le Chateau (chorus) and the Sphinx Virtuosi will bring to life a special arrangement from Damien Sneed's groundbreaking opera.

Our Journey: 400 Years from Africa to Jamestown,” is from the opening of the opera WE SHALL OVERCOME composed by Damien Sneed with librettist Karen Chilton. The piece showcases musical styles from the African American diaspora from African rhythms to spirituals to gospel to jazz all interwoven in the classical music genre. It highlights the plight of Africans forced into slavery and transported during the arduous Middle Passage to the coasts of America; faced with the dilemma of surviving under oppression and inhumane conditions. The piece quotes an excerpt of the 137th Psalm, "We hung our harps on the willows; for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy."

This exclusive performance, only at the Carnegie Hall concert, will fully immerse audience members in the 2019/20 Sphinx Virtuosi National Tour theme of For Justice and Peace.

Sphinx Organization

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