Panel Discussion: "Who Should Sing Ol' Man River? Portraying Race in Musical Theatre"

Panel Discussion: Who Should Sing Ol\’ Man River? Portraying Race in Musical Theatre and on the Concert Stage in 2019
July 23, 2019 at 6pm
WBUR CitySpace: Lavine Broadcast Center, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
Tickets: Free, Registration required; limited seating available

Jerome Kern’s iconic 1927 musical Show Boat has both a storied past and a controversial history. Unlike most Broadway musicals of its time, Show Boat put black and white performers side-by-side. Bringing black and white onto the same stage revealed the mixed-race roots of American popular music and Show Boat stimulated creative artists and performers to renegotiate the color line as expressed in the American musical.

But the musical and its various movie adaptations were not without controversy. Black characters were sometimes portrayed as little more than comic caricatures, and there was a tradition of casting many of the African American roles with white actors in blackface. The original lyrics and dialogue freely use language that is considered unacceptable today. But noted performers such as Paul Robeson made changes to the text—sometimes subtle but significant—which have now become part of the performing tradition.

With Show Boat and the Robeson repertoire—especially the spirituals—as a starting point, the panel will consider a period of history that begins before the Civil War and continues up until the present day. In a wide-ranging discussion, panelists will explore questions of identity, race, and cultural appropriation, sharing personal experiences of this music and related repertoire.

Panelists will include:

Emmett G. Price III, Emmett G. Price III, Dean and Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

Todd Decker, Chair of Music Professor of Musicology, American Culture Studies; Washington University in St. Louis; author of Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical (Oxford University Press, 2013) and Who Should Sing “Ol’ Man River”?: The Lives of an American Song (Oxford University Press, 2015)

David F. Coleman, Director of Choral Music at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley and director of the 225-voice Tufts University Third Day Gospel Choir.

Alvy Powell, bass-baritone; American bass-baritone opera singer and a former member of the U.S. Army Chorus. He is known for his performances at presidential events and for performing the role of Porgy in the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess; Powell appeared at Carnegie Hall in 2008, singing the part of Joe in Show Boat.

Ashleigh Gordon, violist and Artistic and Executive Director of Castle
of Our Skins.

David Hodgkins, Music Director of Coro Allegro

Christopher Wilkins, Music Director, Boston Landmarks Orchestra

*****

Concert Performance: Deep River
July 31, 2019 at 7pm
DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade

Boston Landmarks Orchestra | Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Coro Allegro, David Hodgkins, Artistic Director
David F. Coleman, Choirmaster
One City Choir
Members of New England Spiritual Ensemble

Vocal Soloists to include:
Sirgourney Cook, soprano
Jennifer Ellis, soprano
Jonas Budris, tenor
Matthew DiBattista, tenor
Davron S. Monroe, tenor
Tai Oney, countertenor
Alvy Powell, bass-baritone

William Grant Still Festive Overture
George Walker Lyric for Strings
Traditional, arr. Bonds Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
Traditional, arr. Bonds He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand
Traditional, arr. Michael Tippett Deep River (from A Child of our Time)
Fred Onovwerosuoke We Need to Talk
Jerome Kern Show Boat in Concert

African American spirituals—revered today as essential anthems of the American experience—sing of oppression while glorifying freedom. Boston Landmarks Orchestra performs a selection of songs and spirituals by African American composers. We Need to Talk by Fred Onovwerosuoke shines light on race relations through the prism of music and poetry. The songs will be followed by a concert suite of excerpts and narration from Jerome Kern’s 1927 musical Show Boat. The musical introduced racial themes in forward-looking ways on the Broadway stage. Today it remains a beloved classic of American musical theater, while provoking both admiration and controversy.

The program features the One City Choir, a large symphonic choir comprising committed and passionate singers from all of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods and surrounding communities. The choir takes its name from the words of Boston civic leader Hubie Jones, who has advocated that “Boston can be one city through arts and culture.”

The concert is the culmination of a series of discussions and outreach events focusing on the history of race relations on the Broadway stage, and the role that African American music has played in shaping American culture.

Rain Date: Thursday, August 1, 2019. If it rains on August 1 as well, the concert will be held at First Church in Cambridge 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138.

American Sign Language (ASL)

An ASL interpreter will be present at the performance on July 31.