HAMPTON ROADS, VA (January 23, 2018) – The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will present the final concert in the 2017-2018 #VSOatRoper series, Songs of Freedom, on Friday, February 2 at TCC Roper Performing Arts Center in downtown Norfolk.
With Benjamin Rous leading the orchestra, Songs of Freedom explores how communities along the Underground Railroad used spirituals to communicate and inspire hope in the pursuit of freedom. Though primarily expressions of faith, these spirituals may have served as disguised protests. A source of comfort and strength, these songs imagined a life of freedom and created a sense of unity and broader community among slaves.
The program will feature songs like “Go Down Moses,” “Wade in the Water,” and movements from William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony. This program will also draw on the work of Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee and Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, of Hampton University and Norfolk State University, respectively. Both will lend their insights as part of the evening.
Through an educational partnership with TCC, the #VSOatRoper series seeks to provide an engaging, educational concert experience that offers deeper insights into the music and furthers conversation about topics of importance to our community. The audience will be encouraged to use their smartphones throughout the evening to engage in the conversation via social media.
Tickets start at $9 and can be purchased by calling 757.892.6366, visiting www.virginiasymphony.org or visiting the Virginia Symphony Box Office at 150 Boush Street, Suite 201, Norfolk, VA 23510 from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. For group sales of 10 or more, call 757.213.1436.
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Under the leadership of GRAMMY-winning music director JoAnn Falletta, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra is Virginia’s preeminent professional symphony orchestra with a mission of inspiring, educating and connecting audiences of all ages.
Founded in 1921, it is ranked in the top ten percent of professional orchestras nationwide and serves the entire Southeastern Virginia region with Classics, Pops and Family concert series in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg as well as performances in outlying Virginia and North Carolina communities, reaching nearly 150,000 concert-goers every year. Additionally, the orchestra annually reaches 45,000 children, students and lifelong learners with its education and community programs. The Virginia Symphony has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and is the cornerstone of the performing arts in Hampton Roads.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2018
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