Lift Ev’ry Voice: Virtual Event 2020

ONLINE VIRTUAL EVENT
Lift Ev’ry Voice: Black Voices in Classical Music
Friday, June 12, 2020
7:30 – 8:45 p.m. EDT via ZOOM and simulcast on Facebook

The Smith College Alumnae Chorus in partnership with Maestro Jonathan Hirsh and Smith College is proud to host a virtual panel discussion Lift Ev’ry Voice: Black Voices in Classical Music to explore the history and issues faced by singers of color. The event will be moderated by Daphne LaMothe, Professor of Africana Studies, and will feature Oratorio soloists, Karen Slack, Rodrick Dixon, and Timothy Jerome Jones, as well as George Shirley, the first African American tenor to sing in a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera.

Hirsh says, “There are significant issues to grapple with in opera: cultural appropriation, racism and sexism, continued use of outmoded vernacular speech, to name some. We want to confront these issues and hear from successful singers in the field about their personal experiences.”

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Missed the live event? Catch the recording on the Smith College Facebook Page:

– Watch the 2020 Iva Dee Hiatt Memorial Oratorio on YouTube (running time 1 hour 55 min.). PDF program for A Night At the Opera.

– Read Jonathan Hirsh’s commentary on the oratorio and the virtual event.

– Read the bios.

– Watch the replay on the Smith College Facebook page.