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A Soul Stirring Evening of Slave Songs and Spirituals
A Soul Stirring Evening of Slave Songs and Spirituals
Sung by Michal Dawson Connor, the acclaimed bass-baritone
Friday, February 9, 2024
730pm
Saint Andrew Catholic Church
311 North Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91103
(located in Old Town Pasadena)
Arrangements by Michal Dawson Connor
Accompanied by cello and William Schmidt on piano
Special Guests: Julia Hwang & Xin-Xin Sun
With Choir
Tickets:
$35 adults
$20 students and kids (16 and under)
FREE 10 and under
TICKETS AND DETAILS: bit.ly/SlaveSongsSpirtuals
In celebration of Black History Month, Bass-Baritone, Michal Dawson Connor will be performing his own arrangements of Spirituals, at Saint Andrews Catholic Church, 311 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena. These Sorrow Songs, or Slave Songs are a living testament to the grit and determination of the African people – laboring under the yoke of bondage in America. In these musical footprints that they passed-down to us, the Slaves sang into existence a new heaven and earth... with their ecstatic, rapturous and mournful prayers for freedom. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen, Steal Away To Jesus, Deep River, and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, are just a few of the timeless melodies being performed by Mr. Connor.
Others Slave Songs to be performed:
- Go Down, Moses
- Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child
- Steal Away to Jesus
- Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray
- This Little Light of Mine
- Hold On!
- There is a Balm in Gilead
About Michal Dawson Connor, bio:
Michal Dawson Connor is an accomplished performer and composer of choral, chamber, and solo vocal works, with a particular emphasis on Slave songs created before the Civil War. He was born in Jamestown, New York and is a proud alumnus of Carnegie-Mellon University, and L’Ecole Hindemith in Vevey, Switzerland - where he studied voice with Blake Stern and Helen Boatwright. Championing American composers has always been a high priority for him, and Mr. Connor has concertized extensively throughout North America and Europe, specializing in the rich vocal repertoire of Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and many others.
Mr. Connor’s Broadway credits include featured performances in the Tony-Award winning productions of “RAGTIME” and “SHOWBOAT”, as well as starring roles in productions of “THE MOST HAPPY FELLA”, “BIG RIVER”, and “PORGY AND BESS”. In addition to soloing on multiple occasions for President Ronald Reagan, he’s immensely proud of performing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Reverend Billy Graham, and Elizabeth Dole. Mr. Connor is a published author of “THE SLAVE LETTERS” currently available on Amazon.com. On network television, he was a guest star on “FRIENDS”, as well as several appearances on the Emmy-Award winning show “EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION” and “THE SURPRISE GARDENER”.
The Slave Letters (book) - https://www.amazon.com/Slave-Letters-Michal-Connor/dp/1919901124
About Saint Andrew Catholic Church:
St. Andrew Church, an architectural masterpiece built in 1927. The Romanesque church tower and facade are replicated from Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a church dedicated in 1123 and situated in Rome on the left bank of the Tiber River. The interior of the church is a replica of the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill, dating to the early days of Christianity in Rome.
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2196171-0
