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Image for Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
UNC Health Summerfest
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration

Sat, June 18, 2022 | 8pm
BOOTH AMPHITHEATRE, CARY

Click here to download a printable version of this program


Summerfest Presenting Sponsor UNC Health.

Program

North Carolina Symphony
Evan Feldman, conductor
Earl Ijames, speaker
Staceé Lyles, soprano
Micaela Bundy, mezzo-soprano
Craig Brown, tenor
Markel Williams, baritone


J. Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) / James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) / Arr. Bruce Healey 
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”

Staceé Lyles, soprano
Micaela Bundy, mezzo-soprano
Craig Brown, tenor
Markel Williams, baritone

William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Festive Overture

Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949) /
Arr. Jeff Tyzik
Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Anthony Kelley (b. 1965)
Spirituals of Liberation 
(World Premiere; NCS commission)
    I. Work Song (for a Post-Terrestrial Railroad)
    II. Elegy (for the New Blues People)
    III. Never Forget

Scott Joplin (1868-1917) /
Arr. Gunther Schuller
Maple Leaf Rag

George Walker (1922-2018)
Lyric for Strings

Florence Price (1887-1953)
Juba for String Orchestra

Various composers / Arr. Ted Ricketts
Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) / Arr. Calvin Custer 
Duke Ellington!

WRAL-FM MIX 101.5 is the Media Partner for Summerfest.

Welcome!

    Tonight’s program celebrates the many facets of American musical culture that have been created and influenced by African Americans. It begins with the uplifting hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” includes pieces by classical composers William Grant Still and Florence Price, and culminates with the work of jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
    As the centerpiece of tonight’s concert, we premiere a new work by NCS’s Composer-in-Residence Anthony Kelley titled Spirituals of Liberation. Kelley’s three movement work uses rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic elements to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederacy by capturing the journey from the past and imagining a new and better future for all.
    We thank you for joining us in this freedom celebration!


The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges the support of Concert Sponsor Triangle Community Foundation.

The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges the support of Series Sponsor First Citizens Bank.

The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges Picnic of the Week Partner Wegmans.

The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges host Town of Cary.