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About: Join the Opera Guild of Charlotte for our next Enrichment event of the season, "Behind the Music," introducing audiences to some of the composers whose works will be performed at Opera Carolina's upcoming concert, "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" honors the rich legacy and transformative contributions of Black artists and composers to the world of opera and classical music.
Professor Justin Smith, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Queens University of Charlotte, will share insights into some of the pioneering Black composers whose works will be performed at the Opera Carolina concert, including Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Florence Price, H.T. Burleigh, J. Rosamond Johnson, Undine Smith Moore, and others.
Artists from Opera Carolina will perform musical highlights to give audiences a "teaser" of what they can expect to hear at Opera Carolina's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" concert. From soul-stirring spirituals to powerful operatic works, this uplifting concert will shine a spotlight on the voices and stories that have made an indelible impact on the classical art form.
We hope you will join the Opera Guild to learn more about the lives, careers, and artistry of these groundbreaking Black composers. Even today, many of their works remain historically underrepresented on concert stages and opera theaters around the world.
Opera Carolina's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" concert is a unique and poignant opportunity for Charlotte audiences to enjoy, celebrate, and honor the important musical legacy of Black composers during Black History Month.
Refreshments will be provided by the Opera Guild of Charlotte's Hospitality Committee.
Where does the title "Lift Every Voice and Sing" come from?
Often referred to as "The Black National Anthem," Lift Every Voice and Sing was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), composed the music for the lyrics. A choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal, first performed the song in public in Jacksonville, Florida to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
At the turn of the 20th century, Johnson's lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans. Set against the religious invocation of God and the promise of freedom, the song was later adopted by NAACP and prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Source: NAACP