16th November

Concert will begin at 18:00 hours GMT

'Jubilee' with Townsend, Moore, Cooper, Ojikutu et al from Seattle

'Jubilee' is an opera created and directed by Tazewell Thompson, with vocal arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell and orchestrated by Michael Ellis Ingram. Not long after Emancipation and the end of the Civil War, the historic Fisk Jubilee Singers came together and changed music forever. Telling the story of the ensemble's early members, this opera—which includes over 40 African American spirituals—follows them on their first tours, raising funds for the fledgling Fisk University and spreading their music around the world. From threats of violence to a pivotal performance for Queen Victoria, the singers share their personal histories through powerful vignettes full of humor, heartbreak, and hope.

Performers: Tiffany Townsend: America Robinson. Aundi Marie Moore: Maggie Porter. Sarah Joyce Cooper: Minnie Tate. Ibidunni Ojikutu: Mabel Lewis. Hannah Jones: Jennie Jackson. Natalie Lewis: Georgia Gordon. Lisa Arrindell: Ella Sheppard. Tyrone Chambers II: Isaac Dickerson. Martin Luther Clark: Frederick Loudin. Martin Bakari: Greene Evans. Darren Drone: Edmund Watkins. Greg Watkins: Benjamin Holmes. Aubrey Allicock: Thomas Rutling.

Seattle Opera Choir and Orchestra. Conductor: Kellen Gray.

Recorded in October.