TICKETS
Our season opens with a powerful evening of music born from struggle and resilience, culminating in Margaret Bonds' extraordinary Montgomery Variations—a seven-movement masterpiece that transforms the spiritual "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me" into a profound journey through the civil rights movement, from the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott to the tragic 1963 Birmingham church bombing.
The program opens with Sibelius' triumphant Karelia Overture, composed in defiance of Russian oppression as a tribute to Finnish cultural independence, followed by Chris Pilsner's luminous Light in the Ocean, a commissioned work celebrating the beauty of underwater life in memory of Melanie Valente. Soprano Gwendolyn Alfred brings her artistry to Montsalvatge's haunting Cinco canciones negras, where the Catalan composer gives voice to the silenced victims of Spanish colonial brutality. Together, these works create an unforgettable testament to the transformative power of music in the face of adversity—proving that through art and solidarity, WE OVERCOME.
GUEST ARTISTS
GWENDOLYN ALFRED SOPRANO
Praised for her “bright and passionate tone” (Houston Chronicle), soprano Gwendolyn Alfred made her Houston Grand Opera debut in a newly-commissioned work which landed her in the prestigious Texas Monthly magazine. Additionally, Alfred recently made her off-Broadway debut as a soprano soloist in the original dramatic work The Women Have Something to Say.
Dr. Alfred is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Texas Christian University. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston, Master of Music from Lamar University, and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston. Her mission is to influence and build well-rounded musicians from diverse backgrounds with her love for a wide array of genres, and her eclectic experience with various musical styles.
PROGRAM
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During Sibelius' lifetime, the province of Karelia served as a locus of Finnish language, art, and culture, particularly in opposition to the Russian political machine. Sibelius became enthralled with the grassroots Finnish-language movement and wrote the Karelia Suite and Overture as odes to the ethos of Finnish folk music.
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From the composer: "A Light in the Ocean is a pure reflection of the wonders of life across our planet. As I composed the music, I consistently envisioned the beauty and spectacle of stepping into nature and seeing the flourish of life around me. And this is no more exemplified than in the underwater expanse of the ocean. A Light in the Ocean was commissioned by Wes Kenney and the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra in memory of Melanie Valente in 2019."
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with Gwendolyn Alfred, soprano
In this evocative song cycle, 20th century Catalan composer Xavier Montsalvatge shines a light on the mistreatment of Black men and women in Spanish colonies and the disintegration of Cuban culture after the Spanish-American War. By illuminating this gross dehumanization, Montsalvatge and the poets with whom he collaborated sought to give voice to the oppressed and unheard colonial minorities.
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On September 15, 1963, four young black girls were killed in Sunday school when the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed. Following her visit to Montgomery, Alabama, Margaret Bonds wrote a set of freestyle variations based on the Negro Spiritual "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me." Over the course of seven movements, Bonds takes us on a journey that begins with the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-6), climaxes with the Birmingham church bombing eight years later, and then looks ahead to the future. From the editor: "The Montgomery Variations [are] a retrospective musical reflection on the events of the civil-rights movement over the previous decade, their divine mandate, and the moral imperative they imposed for continued work in the struggle for freedom."
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