The 2018 SF International Arts Festival and the Asian American Orchestra are delighted to present the world premiere of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King composed by Dr. Anthony Brown with original spoken word by Dr. Angela Davis performed by the Asian American Orchestra and vocal ensemble Voices Of A Dream. The evening length concert begins with a presentation of Anthony Brown's seminal work GO FOR BROKE!, a salute to Nisei Veterans that commemorates the 75th anniversary of the February 19, 1942 signing of Executive Order 9066, which forced over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry into desolate internment camps during WWII with spoken word by Janice Mirikitani, co-founder of Glide Memorial Church.
On April 4, 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his most controversial speech, "Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence" at the Riverside Church in New York City. King declared a strong antiwar stance questioning the nation's military role and morality in Vietnam. This was deemed unpatriotic; he was vilified in the media and mainstream America. Even fellow civil rights leaders turned against him. One year later to the day, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
Brown and Davis honor King's words from this speech, "A time comes when silence is betrayal," with this vocal, multi-movement jazz work. DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE inspires Americans to take a look at some of the issues Dr. King confronted that are still manifest within today's society.
The public presentations of GO FOR BROKE! and DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE aim to provide the public contemporary artistic interpretations of major historic events that have shaped and continue to inform our society. Following this will be the world premiere of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King was funded in part by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts.
The 2018 SF International Arts Festival and the Asian American Orchestra are delighted to present the world premiere of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King composed by Dr. Anthony Brown with original spoken word by Dr. Angela Davis performed by the Asian American Orchestra and vocal ensemble Voices Of A Dream. The evening length concert begins with a presentation of Anthony Brown's seminal work GO FOR BROKE!, a salute to Nisei Veterans that commemorates the 75th anniversary of the February 19, 1942 signing of Executive Order 9066, which forced over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry into desolate internment camps during WWII with spoken word by Janice Mirikitani, co-founder of Glide Memorial Church.
On April 4, 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his most controversial speech, "Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence" at the Riverside Church in New York City. King declared a strong antiwar stance questioning the nation's military role and morality in Vietnam. This was deemed unpatriotic; he was vilified in the media and mainstream America. Even fellow civil rights leaders turned against him. One year later to the day, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
Brown and Davis honor King's words from this speech, "A time comes when silence is betrayal," with this vocal, multi-movement jazz work. DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE inspires Americans to take a look at some of the issues Dr. King confronted that are still manifest within today's society.
The public presentations of GO FOR BROKE! and DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE aim to provide the public contemporary artistic interpretations of major historic events that have shaped and continue to inform our society. Following this will be the world premiere of DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King was funded in part by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts.
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