The Choir School of Delaware’s concert season continues with its annual Black History Month show later this month.
The Choir School’s ‘Where Did We Come From? Where Are We Going?’ explores Black history through song and poetry.
Musical highlights include “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem; folksongs from across the African continent; and protest songs from the Civil Rights Movement.
Communications and Audience Development Manager Hannah Grasso-McClain says the ensemble is multigenerational, and that provides extraordinary opportunity for its younger singers.
"So the choir school, when we perform, we have adults singing side by side with children. And some adults are volunteers who just love what they do and love youth development. Some adults are paid professional singers. So children have an opportunity to learn from experts in the field."
The school’s Director of Operations and Music Brittney Stanton says the songs and poems selected are strong reflections on the American Black experience, including Langston Hughes' poem, "Let America Be America Again"...
”...which is a very bold statement of a poem that we still have work to do. That there is still a lot of injustice in this world and inequities and we have the power to facilitate some of that change moving forward and it's our responsibility to do so."
The free concert is at the New Life Christian Center International in Wilmington Saturday, February 17th at 7:30pm
Advance registration is recommended and the school suggests a $25 donation to help make its programs connecting Wilmington youth to professional music training, academic support, mentoring, and social services accessible regardless of income.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
