Resonance Presents: Amendment - Righting Our Wrongs
featuring trailblazing composers, poets, and activists.
PORTLAND, OR — Resonance Ensemble announces “Amendment: Righting Our Wrongs,” a concert showcasing dynamic new works that look to the past to inspire a better future. Featuring the Oregon Remembrance Project and the world premiere of From the Book of Sankofa by acclaimed Oregon jazz composer Darrell Grant and poet A. Mimi Sei, this concert will take place on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at 2:00 PM at the Alberta Rose Theatre.
“Amendment marries music and narrative that advocates for human rights and social justice.” says Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “The pieces we’ve chosen all express the idea that a deeper understanding of the past is essential for navigating the complexities of the present and forging toward a more hopeful future.”
Composer Darrell Grant. Photo by Rachel Hadiashar.
Audiences will be the first to hear From the Book of Sankofa, a new work commissioned by Resonance Ensemble. This world premiere is composed by critically-acclaimed jazz pianist Darrell Grant (who ‘Gramophone’ calls “a composer of substance”) with poetry by activist and award-winning writer, A. Mimi Sei.
“Darrell and I were inspired by the idea of Sankofa, a Twi word from the Akan tribe in Ghana. The word literally means, ‘Go back and get it.’ I thought about the necessity of learning from memories of the past and rising, with resilience and perseverance, into the future,” Sei describes.
The spirit of Sankofa resonates throughout the concert. Conducted by Resonance Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and Associate Conductor Shohei Kobayashi, the evening also includes:
Works by Joel Thompson, known for his powerful choral work Seven Last Words for the Unarmed and his opera The Snowy Day (being performed by Portland Opera this March).
Melissa Dunphy’s Amendment: Righting Our Wrongs, a piece that juxtaposes voices of the founding fathers with those of minoritized women fighting for universal voting rights, including Ida B. Wells and Stacy Abrams.
Guest performer Nancy Ives will play cello, both on the Grant world premiere and in the Dunphy.
Oregon Remembrance Project’s Taylor Stewart at a recent TEDxPortland.
Taylor Stewart, the visionary founder of the Oregon Remembrance Project, who will share impactful stories throughout the performance, including those of Alonzo Tucker, Oregon’s most widely documented African American victim of lynching. Stewart, known for his thought-provoking TEDx Talk, "How do you reconcile a lynching?," will also highlight the Oregon Remembrance Project's groundbreaking work, aiming to reconcile Oregon's history of racial injustice and pave the way for meaningful social change.
“We look forward to being at this concert,” says Stewart. “This partnership with Resonance Ensemble is a natural alignment of our values, as we are both committed to promoting meaningful social change through our respective contributions to activism.”
“I have been blown away for years by Resonance Ensemble,” says Grant. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to write for this magnificent group and to use this platform to harness the power of music to create change.”
Tickets for Amendment: Righting Our Wrongs are available now.
Composer Joel Thompson.
Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon and cellist Nancy Ives
Note to Journalists: Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and composer Darrell Grant are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@resonancechoral.org or by calling (503) 427-8701.
About Oregon Remembrance Project | About Resonance Ensemble
About Darrell Grant | About A. Mimi Sei | About Nancy Ives
About Katherine FitzGibbon | About Shohei Kobayashi
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