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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