To conclude their inaugural season this Friday, Music Director Kedrick Armstrong and the Oakland Symphony and Chorus perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the Ninth Symphony.
The Ninth is paired with Errollyn Wallen’s ode to freedom, Mighty River. She explains: “The river should rush headlong to the sea. That is the concept behind Mighty River. Slavery claimed the lives of countless people, but somehow my ancestors found the grit and determination to persist in spite of the conditions in
which they found themselves. I dedicate Mighty River to my great-great-great- great-great-great grandmother. Though I never knew her, I am driven on by her courage in the face of dreadful odds and am inspired by her example not merely to survive, but to thrive." The Belize-born British composer was appointed Master of the King’s Music in 2024 by King Charles. She received the honor of CBE in 2020 for her services to British music.
For the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth, Kedrick Armstrong has assembled an acclaimed quartet. “Transcendent singing,” raved San Francisco Classical Voice of Hope Briggs. “Voluptuous,” is how Opera News described Zoie Reams. “A voice of winning purity,” declared Opera News of Ashley Faatoalia. And
OperaWire praised the “resonant beauty” of Adam Lau. Armstrong/Oakland has proven to be a potent partnership, winning immediate acclaim. Reviewing last month’s concert, Joshua Kosman, on his website “On a Pacific Aisle,” wrote, “Kedrick Armstrong brought a degree of lightness and
transparency that many conductors don’t even try to match.” This Friday’s performance Wallen’s Mighty River and Beethoven’s Ninth is the capstone of their inaugural season – and the concert event of the spring.
THIS FRIDAY (June 13) at 8:00pm, the Oakland Symphony Beethoven’s Ninth /Errollyn Wallen’s Mighty River. The performance is at The Paramount (2025 Broadway, Oakland).
Tickets priced for all. Slipped Disc readers can enjoy a 15% discount on all other priced tickets with this promotional code: DISC061325
OAKLAND SYMPHONY
Kedrick Armstrong, conductor
Hope Briggs, soprano
Zoie Reams, mezzo-soprano
Ashley Faatoalia, tenor
Adam Lau, bass
Oakland Symphony Chorus
ERROLLYN WALLEN: Mighty River
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9, “Ode to Joy”
https://www.oaklandsymphony.org/event/kedrick-armstrong-beethovens-ninth/
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