Our hearts are full.
On May 7th — after five years of collaborating, planning, rehearsing, and a two-year postponement — the world premiere of An African American Requiem was presented to a full house at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
After the final notes of the choir and orchestra resounded, we all stood together and applauded the stunning performances of Brandie Sutton, Karmesha Peake, Bernard Holcomb, Kenneth Overton, poet S. Renee Mitchell, the incredible singers from Resonance Ensemble, Kingdom Sound Gospel choir, and other regional choirs. We are so grateful to composer Damien Geter for entrusting this visionary work to Resonance, the Oregon Symphony, and All Classical Portland.
Although the road to get here has been long and winding, our artists and listeners have shared how they feel changed by what they experienced.
The Resonance Team takes a moment to share our gratitude to everyone who helped us launch the premiere of Damien Geter’s revolutionary work:
Thank you to our incredible collaborators.
To the singers, the creative team, the Requiem Advisory Council, and our partners at Portland Public Schools, the Oregon Symphony, and All Classical Portland: This premiere happened because each of you believed in it from the first rehearsal in 2020, through the building anticipation during the pandemic and the months of rehearsals and meetings in the past season - all the way to concert night this past Saturday. Your time, tenacity, dedication, and passion have been an inspiration to us all to do better each day. We are forever grateful for this beautiful collaboration.
Thank you to the curriculum committee.
Resonance was proud to collaborate also with Dr. S. Renee Mitchell, Judy A. Rose, Oh! Creative, and Portland Public Schools to develop a thoughtful, trauma-informed curriculum to prepare students for performance of the Requiem. The beautiful Curriculum Guide - supplemented by thoughtful and engaging videos produced by Oh! Creative - allowed students in Portland to learn more about the symphony orchestra, the Requiem tradition, and the history of racial violence in our community and beyond. The guide is already being adapted for use by programs across the country, and we are so grateful for the thoughtful preparation of these materials to educate, challenge, and engage youth everywhere.
Thank you to our donors and supporters
To all of our donors and supporters for this project: We thank you for your vision and generosity. This support allowed us not only to present the work faithfully, but to expand the conversations this Requiem inspires well beyond the concert hall. Video interviews, the thoughtfully-detailed curriculum for students, providing vital accessibility tools for community members–all made possible through your generous support.
Thank you to local and national journalists.
We were deeply moved by the thoughtful articles written about An African American Requiem. You can read all of them here – one that particularly touched us was a piece from Oregon ArtsWatch: Damien Geter: Composing with Resonance.
Last, but certainly not least, thank YOU.
Thank you to all who joined us in person or tuned in to the All Classical Portland radio broadcast on Saturday. Thank you for supporting this important new work and for offering such thoughtful feedback. Thank you for opening your hearts to the beautiful, challenging, and poignant music of Damien Geter, and for the moving standing ovation to cheer the artists who brought you An African American Requiem.
As we anticipate the announcement of our 2022-23 season, we promise to continue to offer purposeful programming, exceptional artistry, with music that provides tangible connection. We look forward to continuing this journey with you by our sides. Here's to more of that.
With love,
The Resonance Team
STAY CONNECTED TO AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REQUIEM
CLICK HERE FOR ON-DEMAND LISTENING
All Classical Portland presented a live, bi-coastal broadcast of the world premiere of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem in collaboration with WQXR in New York. The live broadcast will be available for on-demand listening in All Classical Portland’s Audio Archive through May 21, 2022.
CLICK HERE FOR AAR PHOTO ALBUM
Enjoy photos both from photographer Rachel Hadiashar and candids from artists and audience members!
CLICK HERE FOR AAR RESOURCE PAGE
A curated list of resources to learn more about An African American Requiem and how you can stay engaged in your own communities.