Imani Winds, Fisk Jubilee Singers, Frederic Rzewski
Sometimes
DUKE PERFORMANCES PREMIERE: THU, OCT 29, 2015
Imani Winds, a quintet lauded as “strikingly virtuosic and immaculately tight” by the Boston Music Intelligencer, came to Baldwin Auditorium as part of a University-wide celebration of historian John Hope Franklin’s centenary, John Hope Franklin @ 100. Dr. Franklin, a Duke professor and author of the authoritative African American history From Slavery to Freedom, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in his lifetime and chaired President Clinton’s Advisory Board for the Initiative on Race.
The program was anchored by American composer Frederic Rzweski’s Sometimes, a Duke Performances-commissioned world premiere based on the melodies of spirituals. The evening also had a special guest performance from GRAMMY Hall of Fame inductees the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a sixteen-voice a cappella ensemble in continuous operation since 1871 at Dr. Franklin’s alma mater, Fisk University. This unique musical celebration premiered on October 29, 2015 at Baldwin Auditorium, dedicated to the life and legacy of a brilliant scholar, activist, and pillar of the Duke community.
Sometimes is included in ‘BRUITS,’ Imani Winds’ 2021 album.
CREDITS
Made possible, in part, with an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; a grant from South Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment from the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council; the Office of the President of Duke University; and the John Hope Franklin Centenary Committee.