Soprano Nadine Benjamin leads a programme of songs and poems that celebrate the richness and joy of black and mixed-race experiences.
British soprano Nadine Benjamin brings together a wealth of stories told through song and spoken word, celebrating the lived experiences of black and mixed-race composers. British contributions include Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s haunting cycle Songs of Sun and Shade and his daughter Avril’s Sleeping and Waking, plus newer music by Errollyn Wallen and Hannah Kendall. There are vivid historic songs and works by living composers from across America, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sweden.
Woven between the songs, Michael Harper reads poetry by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Maya Angelou and many more. This is a project with collaboration at its heart – co-curated by Elizabeth de Brito of The Daffodil Perspective, Benjamin and Harper are joined by pianist Caroline Jaya-Ratnam to explore the joys of living, learning and moving through adversity.
