Woven Stories: American Stories of Hope

Antoine T. Clark, conductor

Ucelli: The Columbus Cello Quartet

Mark Lomax II, composer

Mary Madison, fiber artist

Program:

Jessie Montgomery: Soul Force

Mark Lomax II: New Work (world premiere)

William Grant Still: Darker America

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite

American Stories of Hope highlights themes surrounding the African American experience and the enduring power of hope that all Americans rely on when overcoming oppression and challenges. Underrepresented in the classical music canon, Black composers often articulate themes of struggle, hope, triumph over racism, and the fight for civil rights. Florence Price, William Dawson, and William Grant Still wrote symphonies during the 1930s that wove African American musical styles and culture into the symphonic form. At the center of those monumental symphonies was an underlying theme of hope. Worthington’s historical connection to the African American experience and openness to Blacks in the 1800s is a source of inspiration for this program. Despite Ohio’s Black Laws discouraging Black people from settling in the early 1800s, Worthington still embraced Blacks in its community.