Deep River: The Art of the Spiritual

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Deep River: The Art of the Spiritual
Kevin Deas, bass-baritone
Dana Kristina-Joi Morgan, pianist
Washington Performing Arts Men and Women of the Gospel Choir
The Heritage Signature Chorale
Stanley Thurston and Angel Gil-Ordóñez, conductors
Sat, Nov 7, 8pm
UDC Auditorium


Get ready for an inspiring evening of live singing, fascinating historic footage, and more as Washington Performing Arts and the D.C.-based PostClassical Ensemble team up to celebrate an important yet little-known chapter of American musical and cultural history.

This one-of-a-kind, one-night-only program will unite live performances—by renowned bass–baritone and supreme spirituals interpreter Kevin Deas and two powerful choirs—with on-stage narration and archival films and audio recordings of the likes of Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson. Through this multi-faceted approach, you’ll be immersed in the world of the spiritual, from the art form’s origins amid the hardship of slavery to its ongoing relevance in our time.

“Deep River” was the iconic American spiritual after World War I, a favorite of Robeson, Anderson, and countless others. But its fame was recent—and originated with hypnotic solo and choral versions created by Harry Burleigh. Once Antonin Dvorák’s African-American assistant, Burleigh played a decisive role in turning spirituals into art songs. This program, in tribute to Burleigh, explores how spirituals triumphed in the concert hall.

Peter Bogdanoff, video artist
Scripted and directed by Joseph Horowitz

Co-produced and co-presented with PostClassical Ensemble

This performance is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets:
(202) 785-9727 or WashingtonPerformingArts.org
http://www.washingtonperformingarts.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=3117