Words like Freedom: Gweneth Ann Rand and Allyson Devenish

Join us for a compendium of Black Art Song focused on the female voice, devised by leading soprano Gweneth Ann Rand and pianist Allyson Devenish. This sequence includes Shawn Okpebholo’s settings of Langston Hughes, exploring themes of racial injustice, hope and humanity, and Jamaican composer Mikhail Johnson’s Praise to the Jamaican Mother of Art, which presents the First Mother as an enslaved African, whose art came out of unspeakable circumstances, unsigned, unknown, and expands this to comment on the exploitation of artists today. Storytelling is a major element of Afrodiasporic heritage. As Allyson Devenish writes: ‘The title of the festival – Always, Already There – is the perfect jumping off point for our offering. We have been here, forever. We have always been telling stories, reflecting on our history, heritage, culture and being'. The works included in this programme were chosen with the intention of telling a story of the Black female voice – its strength, presence, struggle, power and the recognition of these qualities. Always, Already There is the first UK edition of George Lewis’s Afrodiasporic Incubator project. Curated by vocalist and composer Elaine Mitchener, in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama. It explores the radical, varied and richly experimental work of Afrodiasporic composers, past and present. Programme Nkeiru Okoye My Name is Araminta Songs of Harriet Tubman Clement Ishmael Spiritual Anthony Green 3 Andrika Songs Mikhail Johnson Praise to the Jamaican Mother Romance Dorothy Rudd Moore Some things are very dear to me Shawn E Okpebholo From Words Like Freedom: Today, Spirituals Bittney Elizabeth Boykin Maya Angelou Songs Hannah Kendall Incident Shawn E Okpebholo From Works Like Freedom Nailah Nombeko Nobody Knows Performers Gweneth Ann Rand soprano Allyson Devenish piano