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Oregon Symphony and Resonance Ensemble join forces to present the World premiere of An African American Requiem, Portland composer Damien Geter’s bold, thought-provoking musical response to violence against African Americans in the United States. Combining traditional Latin Requiem texts with civil rights declarations, poetry, and the famous last words of Eric Garner, “I can’t breathe,” this performance will honor past and present victims of racial violence and spur reflection on how to build a more hopeful future.
Damien Geter: An African American Requiem (World premiere)
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William Eddins, Conductor
The African American Requiem Choir, featuring Resonance Ensemble, Kingdom Sound Gospel Ensemble, and members of regional choirs
Katherine FitzGibbon, Chorusmaster
Brandie Sutton, Soprano
Karmesha Peake, Mezzo-Soprano
Bernard Holcomb, Tenor
Kenneth Overton, Baritone
S. Renee Mitchell, Poet and Narrator
Oregon Symphony
See the world premiere of An African American Requiem May 7, and share your Requiem Story. Following the performance, partner organizations serving the Black community will be in the lobby to offer information, resources, and ways to take action. Stations will be available for quiet reflection, conversation, sketching, writing, or simply to share in being together.
We hope you will join us for this moving performance, and in the lobby following, until 9pm.
Presented in partnership with:
All Classical Portland will broadcast this world premiere live on 89.9FM and allclassical.org, and syndicate a live simulcast on WQXR in New York City.
Tickets start at $20
Experience a rich blend of classical and folk music with Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and William L. Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony.
Beethoven’s profound musical statements about freedom, equality, and humanity resonate even more powerfully today than when his Ninth Symphony premiered almost 200 years ago.
