Resistance and Triumph - Spring 2025 Concert

Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Time: 7:00PM
Venue: Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope (729 Carroll St, Brooklyn)

Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025
Time: 3:00PM
Venue: Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights (254 Hicks St, Brooklyn)

Program Details
Grace Chorale of Brooklyn's spring 2025 concert, RESISTANCE AND TRIUMPH, features the Brooklyn premiere of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, now seen as a seminal 20th-century American choral/orchestral work. The concert will also include a performance of Roll, Jordon Roll, a traditional African American Spiritual, arranged by Courtney Carey.

The concert features GCB’s 135 voices, a diverse orchestra of local musicians, and local soloists. It fulfills GCB's goals of featuring underrepresented composers and bringing large-scale performances to accessible spaces for concertgoers.

GCB looks forward to sharing the piece’s story and introducing this work to our Brooklyn audiences.

Composer Backgrounds
Robert Nathaniel Dett, a Black Canadian-American composer, completed The Ordering of Moses in 1932, crafting a piece reflecting African American musical identity while remaining universally “classical.” The oratorio narrates the Exodus story, symbolizing a transformation: triumph over adversity. The premiere, a national broadcast on NBC radio, was likely the first network broadcast of a major choral work by an African American. Three-quarters of the way through, the network stopped the broadcast, citing “previous commitments.” Some have suggested this was a concession to callers’ objections because the network was playing music by a Black composer.

A native of Memphis TN, baritone Courtney Carey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Morehouse College, Master of Music degree in Conducting from Eastman School of Music, and the Professional Studies Diploma in Voice from Mannes College of Music. Carey is the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Arleen Auger Memorial Scholarship and a Classical Studies grant from the Hester Fund for Classical Music Studies. In addition to his vocal endeavors, Carey is a published composer/arranger with choral arrangements published by both GIA Publications, Inc. and Roger Dean Music Publishing Company. Carey is the Founder/Artistic Director of Courtney’s Stars of Tomorrow, a New York-based performing arts organization committed to presenting high-quality classical music performances.

Soloists
Soprano: Michelle Trovato
Mezzo-Soprano: Patrice Eaton
Tenor: Noah Stewart
Baritone: Kenneth Overton

Ticket purchase information to come.