Daybreak of Freedom
$25 ($20 seniors; $10 students; age 7-17 free)
Joseph Schwantner — New Morning for the World ("Daybreak of Freedom")
Clinton Smith, conductor
Vivian Phillips, narrator
Kimberly Giordano, soprano
Sarah Larsen, mezzo-soprano
Eric Neuville, tenor
Charles Robert Stephens, baritone
Joseph Schwantner – New Morning for the World ("Daybreak of Freedom")
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
With the help of a narrator, Joseph Schwantner draws from Martin Luther King’s most influential speeches about racial inequality and the fight for justice and freedom for all. New Morning for the World is a powerful reminder that the battles King fought are far from over, and its massive orchestral journey illustrates that human progress involves many painful confrontations and resolutions, rather than a single, momentous victory.
With the German Embassy and the German Consulate, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of another daybreak of freedom, the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony stands as a testament to equality, brotherhood and universal joy for all, continuing to inspire and remind us 190 years later that freedom is beautiful—something we can never take for granted.
This performance to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany.