Baltimore Symphony: To Awaken The Sleeper
In person: $25-$80 | Stream: $9.99
- James Conlon, guest conductor
- Rodrick Dixon, narrator
Alvin Singleton — 56 Blows
Joel Thompson — To Awaken the Sleeper
Dmitri Shostakovich — Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra revisits Adolphus Hailstork's reverent memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. (a work it premiered in 1980), and it touches the visceral hurt in Alvin Singleton's 1994 reaction to police brutality. Joel Thompson, a young composer who is revolutionizing concert music with his deeply moving stands on race and justice, adds a gripping meditation on the words of James Baldwin. Artistic Advisor James Conlon concludes with a fresh look at the self-reflective symphony Shostakovich wrote in the aftermath of Stalin's reign of terror.
This program will receive 2 performances: Saturday, June 17 at the Music Center at Strathmore; and Sunday, June 18 at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The June 18 concert will also be livestreamed, and available for later access online.