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In her “operatorio” Sojourner, premiered in 1981, Capers encapsulates the dramatic essence of the life of Sojourner Truth, the freed slave, abolitionist, and women’s rights activist, in three episodes: Sojourner’s sale as a nine-year-old at auction; her religious conversion and name change to Sojourner Truth; and her statement of the challenges to be overcome by Blacks and women.
The concert will begin with the "Burial Sentences" by William Croft (as heard at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II) and Henry Purcell's poignant "Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts." The polychoral setting of Psalm 51, or Miserere mei by Gregorio Allegri will follow directly after. The juxtaposition of these Renaissance era religious songs acts as a prelude to the oratorio which at many points illustrates Sojourner's constant and devout faith.
Valerie Capers (b. 1935)
William Croft (b. 1678 - d. 1727)
Henry Purcell (b. 1659 - d. 1695)
Gregorio Allegri (b. 1582 - d. 1652)
PROGRAM
Sojourner
Burial Sentences
Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts
Psalm 51, Miserere mei
The Dessoff Choirs
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Lucia Bradford
Mezzo-soprano, Lucia Bradford is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. Ms. Bradford has performed a number of operatic roles including Carmen in Bizet’s La Tragedie de Carmen, Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, La Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, The Mother in Ravel’s L’Enfant des Sortileges, Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Gertrude in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Todd in Menotti’s Old Maid and the Thief, the Duchess of Plaza Toro in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Azelia Dessalines in William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, Douglas Tappin’s I dream as Grandma, Mary Watkins’ Emmett Till as Mamie Till, Maria in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Berta in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Her concert works include the St Matthew Passion with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and chorus, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Hadyn's Lord Nelson Mass, De Falla’s El amor Brujo, William Grant Still’s And they lynched him, Nathanial Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah with The National Philharmonic, the Mozart Requiem, Durufle Requiem, Bach’s B minor Mass and the St John Passion with the Voices of Ascension and Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of N.Y.
Ms. Bradford has had the privilege of singing at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, Merkin Hall and touring in Russia, Budapest, Spain, the Caribbean and throughout the United States. She also enjoys performing a variety of genres including contemporary opera, jazz, gospel and blues.
Martin Hargrove
Lyric Bass, Martin Hargrove, has performed in Opera, Musical Theater, Recitals and Concerts throughout the US, Europe, Canada and South America. His concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, The Faure Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, and Alice Parker’s Sermon on the Mountain. Martin’s operatic roles include Colline, in La bohème, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ramfis in Aida, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Angelotti in Tosca, Jake in Porgy and Bess, Sarastro and the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, Balthazar in Amal and the Night Visitors, Masetto and Il Comendatore in Don Giovanni, and Cinque M’tume in Robert Zuidam’s Freeze. On the Musical Thater stage, Martin has performed in “Aint’ Mis’Behavin’”, and sang the voice of Audrey 2 in “Little Shop of Horrors”. He was in the pre-Broadway workshop cast of the Tony award winning Musical “The Colour Purple”, and was featured in the Tony Award winning “Show Boat” by legendary director Hal Prince. Martin studied music education and voice at Westminster Choir College, and Trenton State College and was an apprentice at Florida Grand Opera, and Minnesota Opera.
Angela L. Owens
Internationally recognized for her “beauty and musicality” (The London Times), as well as her “attractively full-bodied, passionate soprano voice” (Opera News), Angela L. Owens has appeared in opera, theater, concert, television and film across the globe and throughout the U.S. Internationally, Angela’s credits include performances with the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Theater München, Koninklijk Theater Carré, West Australian Opera and Opéra Comique (Paris), as well as The Dallas Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Ebony, Encompass New Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Regional theater credits include Hattie in Kiss Me Kate, Mrs. Brown in Me and My Gal, Flo in Good News (Mac-Haydn Theater), Alice in I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road, Susannah in Tintypes, (Martin Theatre), Belladova in Phantom and Josephine Baker in the world premiere of Dodsworth (Casa Mañana Theater).
A frequent collaborator on new works, Angela has premiered pieces at the Composers Now Festival with Tania León, Trilogy: An Opera Company, Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit, National Sawdust at Rockefeller Center, and the live adaptation of WQXR’s Terrence McKnight's radio documentary, A Beautiful Symphony Of Brotherhood for New Jersey’s UPAC Auditorium. She is also a member of the world-renowned American Spiritual Ensemble (Everett McCorvey), Chorale Le Chateau (Damien Sneed) and the New York Philharmonic Chorus (Malcolm Merriweather).
As a clinician and educator, Angela has presented masterclasses and lecture series for Columbia University, Wagner College, Ithaca College, Spelman College and the Kaufman Center at Hill House among others.
In television, Angela’s credits include Investigation Discovery’s Shadow of Doubt and The Perfect Murder, CBS’s Bull, and Netflix’s Luke Cage. She is also featured on several recordings, including the cast album of Richard Thompson’s The Mask in the Mirror (Parma Records/Naxos), which was awarded Critic’s Choice by Opera News.
Angela is a board member of the North Georgia non-profit, Harris Arts Center, and is the Vice- President of the David I. Martin Music Guild New York chapter of NANM. She currently serves on the theater faculty at the University of Wisconsin (Parkside), Manhattan School of Music, and at Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is an alumna of Brevard College and Florida State University.
Justin E. Bell
Passionate about bringing the human experience to life through music, Tenor Justin E. Bell is an emerging artist on operatic and concert stages. Bell is invigorated by the collaborative process, and 2024 brings a number of exciting projects, notably Handel: Made in America at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sojourner with The Dessoff Choirs, and in recital at Manhattan School of Music. As a proud member of the Shared Voices Cohort within The Denyce Graves Foundation, Bell will be a featured artist in WQXR Radio’s Young Artist Showcase series and in concert at The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2023, Justin performed as an Emerging Artist at The Castleton Music Festival and a Studio Artist at Aspen Music Festival and School. He will be graduating from Manhattan School of Music with his Master’s of Music this spring.