Featuring the Pittsburgh premiere of Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed alongside works by Julia Perry, Leonard Bernstein, Rosephanye Powell, and more.
Resonance Works announced two concert performances entitled Dwell Together on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Oakland, and Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. Dwell Together spotlights three poignant works for voices and orchestra that interpret ancient forms and timeless texts through a contemporary and decidedly American lens. The concerts feature lauded mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford‘s rising talent Victory Brinker (star of their recent production of The Little Prince) with the Resonance Chamber Orchestra and Reson8 Vocal Octet, joining forces with an expanded Festival Chorus. Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones, founder and director of the Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, shares the podium with Resonance Works Artistic & General Director Maria Sensi Sellner.
The concert takes its name from Psalm 133, “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” “It’s the final line of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms which struck a particular chord in me,” says Artistic and General Director Maria Sensi Sellner. “We continue to struggle to achieve this goal of dwelling together in unity – in our communities, in our society, and the world. But it is a powerful call to action, an ideal to continue to strive towards, and we can embody this ideal through music, creating space for empathy, understanding, and connection.”
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At the heart of Dwell Together is the Pittsburgh premiere of Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed (composed in 2015), a powerful and urgent work that sets the last words of seven unarmed African-American men — each killed by authority figures. The format mimics that of the Seven Last Words of Christ, which has inspired composers from all generations, some as early as the 16th century. Thompson is an award-winning composer and is currently Houston Grand Opera’s first-ever full-time composer in residence.
Seven Last Words of the Unarmed will be performed in conversation with Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, which also reframes a traditional text for modern eyes. The text dates back to the 13th century and meditates on the sorrow and suffering of Jesus’ mother, Mary, as she witnesses the crucifixion. Perry (1924 – 1979) broke barriers as a Black woman composer and earned widespread recognition for her work’s unique and innovative fusion of modernist and African-American spiritual influences.
These will be presented alongside several shorter works that add additional context and reflection to this impactful program, including Rosephanye Powell’s jazz-infused To Sit and Dream, with text by American poet Langston Hughes, and the world premiere of Speak by Brittany J. Green by the Reson8 Vocal Octet.
Sellner says, “Dwell Together reflects Resonance Works’ artistic and organizational values on multiple levels: deepening our commitment to collaboration within and across the communities of Pittsburgh, and continuing our series focused on what it means to ‘dwell together’ actively, with awareness, compassion, and intent.”
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Tickets and Details
Dwell Together has performances on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Oakland, and Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. Special rates are available for senior citizens, students, and children. For tickets and details, visit https://www.resonanceworks.org/dwell-together
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Categories: Arts and Ideas, Show Previews
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