The Emancipation Oratorio
Rochester Oratorio Society, Eric Townell Conducting, Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:30 PM, Hochstein Performance Hall
“The Emancipation Oratorio”, this new work combines texts and music styles from West Africa, Europe and the US.
The abolition of slavery by act of Congress 150 years ago is supremely worthy of celebration and commemoration. No region more than Western New York, and no city more than Rochester, claims connection to the personalities, the ideas and the energy that made Emancipation real for millions. Join us in a world-premiere by Geneseo composer and area favorite Glenn McClure entitled The Emancipation Oratorio, commissioned by the ROS as a way to re-write the slave -trade story, transforming a system of oppression into a world of opportunity, creativity and hope.
Folk music, texts and instruments from the U.K., from Ghana and from our own region inform McClure’s original music. The Kenyan-born soprano and Rochester favorite Jackline Madegwa pairs with baritone Lawrence Craig, international star of Broadway and concert stages, in the piece that will become a staple of the repertoire for choirs across the country.