Black History Month might have ended this year, but the lasting impact of Black artists is a year-round celebration. Houston Chamber Choir will perform Ancestors’ Dream this weekend featuring seldom-heard works by Nathaniel Dett, Harry Burleigh, Undine Smith Moore and others who believe that Black composers should embrace the spiritual but never be limited by it. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at South Main Baptist Church.
“This concert is about cultural understanding and appreciation as well as a sense of adventure that gives me a great joy,” said Robert Simpson, Houston Chamber Choir’s artistic director. “This music speaks of the universal humanity that is born out of very special and anguishing experiences. The expressions of this music speak to each and every one of us. I’m very passionate about the need for us to connect on a level that does not have boundaries or borders. This concert does that perfectly.”
Song selections will include music from composers of the last century. Audiences will hear R. Nathaniel Dett ‘s “Don’t be Weary, Traveler,” Stacey V Gibbs’ “Wade in the Water,” Moses Hogan’s “Done Made My Vow to the Lord,” Undine Smith Moore’s “Bound for Canaan’s Land,” Marques Garrett’s “My Heart Be Brave,” and Adolphus Hailstork’s “Go Down Moses,” among other selections.
To help give shape and understanding of the importance of each piece, Simpson welcomed Anthony Trecek-King as the guest conductor. Over the past 20 years, Trecek-King has cultivated an international reputation as a choral conductor, scholar, pedagogue and media personality. He cultivates artistically excellent ensembles that explore socially relevant issues through emotionally immersive programs, challenging both artists and audiences to feel and think.
He has recently been appointed as both an associate professor of choral music and director of choral activities at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, and he is a resident conductor with the Handel and Haydn Society.
“Each year, I try to bring in a conductor who is going to bring a special expertise to the choir. I thought it was very important that we bring in someone who could help us understand American music at a deeper level, particularly the music of the African American experience,” Simpson said. “I invited Anthony to join and give us his perspective, as an African American choral musician and artist, the role that the spiritual and the work song have played in the development of American music, and particularly the way it’s been expressed by African American composers throughout the last century, many of whom have not received the recognition that they deserve.”
Letting someone take control over the choir must be somewhat of a nerve-racking job, but Simpson knows the organization is only going to benefit from Trecek-King’s direction for Ancestors’ Dream.
“The people I invite are extraordinarily talented and experts in their field. One of the things that makes me choose who to bring, I look for someone who I want to learn from…someone who can come to the choir, take our gifts, and make them even greater thanks to their special expertise,” Simpson said. “In this particular case, I have done spirituals my entire professional career, and I love spirituals. But there is something special that comes to a piece when a person has a specific background and experience that will bring a deeper meaning, and that’s certainly the case in this concert.”
Houston Chamber Choir’s Ancestors’ Dream begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11 at South Main Baptist Church, 4100 Main. For tickets or information, call 713-224-5566 or visit houstonchamberchoir.org. $10 – $40.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
