Join Convergence Ensemble at the historic First Baptist Church in Dorchester for an afternoon with singer and actor Davron Monroe and pianist and Artistic Director Rachel Goodwin performing African American Art Songs and Spirituals juxtaposed with poetry and prose by literary performer and poet Regie Gibson.
The program features the works of Margaret Bonds, who along with Florence Price, were both composers from the Chicago Renaissance. Also heard will be songs by John W Work III, Noel Da Costa and Spirituals realized by Margaret Bonds and by contemporary artists Lawrence Brownlee and Damian Sneed. Poetry by Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Maria Howard Weedon and our very own Regie Gibson.
Program
Convergence Ensemble’s American Voice in Poetry and Song (AVPS) series explores music through an historic lens and discusses societal issues surrounding social justice and representation in the world of classical music. It seeks out underrepresented American composers and features musical and spoken word performances to shed light on the innumerable facets of the diverse American experience.
Performers
Davron Monroe - Davron S. Monroe is an award winning singer and actor. He was the 2019 recipient of The Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical performance as Roland Hayes, one of the first recorded African American concert artists in history. Davron is joining us off the back of an incredible year where he featured in Lyric Stage Company of Boston’s “Sister Act.”, captivated as Sebastian the Crab in “The Little Mermaid” at the Waltham-based Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston and starred as the titular character in the Moonbox Productions staging of “Sweeney Todd.”
“Three musicals, three very different roles, one versatile actor.”
— Boston Globe.
Rachel Goodwin - A pioneer in the chamber music landscape, pianist and artistic director Rachel Goodwin founded Convergence Ensemble in 2015. Previously, Goodwin had founded and served as artistic director and a pianist of Ashmont Hill Chamber Music, an urban and grassroots supported chamber music series based in Dorchester, MA, for nearly three decades. Together with a core group of musicians with connections to some of Boston’s finest musical institutions she has designed, implemented and performed in concerts hailed by the press for their “gutsy, risk-taking programming” (Patriot Ledger). Rachel’s work as a performer and artistic director has been recognized by three awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and nearly continuous funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Regie Gibson - Literary Performer, poet, and educator, Regie Gibson, has lectured & performed in the United States, Cuba, and Europe. Representing the U.S. in Italy, Regie competed for and received both the Absolute Poetry Award in Monfalcone and The Europa in Versi Award in LaGuardia di Como. Himself and his work appear in love jones, a film based on events in his life. He is a National Poetry Slam Champion, has featured on HBO, several TED X events, and various NPR programs including On Point and Radio Boston. He’s served as consultant for both the National Endowment for the Arts “How Art Works” initiative and “The Mere Distinction of Color”: an exhibit at James Madison’s Montpelier, examining the legacy of slavery. Regie has performed with and composed texts for The Boston City Singers, The Mystic Chorale, and the Handel+Haydn Society.
Transit & Parking - See Map Below
The historic First Baptist Church is located on the corner of Adams and Ashmont Streets, a 10 minute walk from the Ashmont MBTA Red Line stop.
The 202 Bus stops on the corner of Ashmont St and Adams St, right next to the church.
Free street parking is available for this event on all roads highlighted green on the map below.
Free parking available at All Saints Church, a block away from the Ashmont MBTA Red Line Stop. 209 Ashmont St. Dorchester, MA 02124
Transport Map for First Baptist Church Dorchester
Tickets
Tickets are available at the top of this webpage and on the door. Where possible, a donation of $15.00 per ticket would be graciously accepted.