MASTERED FOR
Nkeiru Okoye Courtesy of the composer
8.559953
Playing time: 78:46 Release date: 27 Mar 2026
Click to listen to Part I: Gather Together in My Name: Who am I supposed to be? LISTEN
6 36943 99532 7
Nkeiru OKOYE (b. 1972) When the Caged Bird Sings Rita Coburn, Narrator • Angela Brown, Soprano Christie Dashiell, Mezzo-soprano • Issachah Savage, Tenor Jubilant Sykes, Baritone • Cyrus Chestnut, Piano
Tracklist 1 – 4 Part I: Gather Together in My Name 5 – 8 Part II: Now Sheba Sings the Song 9 – 0 Part III: And Still I Rise ! – @ Part IV: I Shall Not Be Moved # – & Part V: A Song Flung up to Heaven
EXIGENCE • University of Michigan Choirs University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Kiesler
Nkeiru Okoye’s When the Caged Bird Sings is a ‘musical celebration’ whose compositional voice, though rooted in the African American church, also embraces minimalism and improvisational elements. Delivering a message of adversity turned to triumph, it celebrates the transformative ability of African American women, partly evoking the experiences of the author and activist Maya Angelou. The work functions as a communal ritual that, like oratorio, opera and theatre, brings together vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, in an experience that both commemorates and celebrates hope and possibility. Key features: • Award-winning director Rita Coburn produced Maya Angelou’s Oprah Radio
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Choirs
programme and co-directed the acclaimed Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (2016), which won a Peabody Award. Angela Brown made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Aida she earned international acclaim, with The New York Times declaring, ‘At last an Aida’. Christie Dashiell ’s When soprano
EXIGENCE
Rita Coburn
Angela Brown
•
Christie Dashiell
Issachah Savage
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra
debut solo album, Time All Mine (2016), charted on Billboard’s Jazz and Contemporary Jazz Albums, as well as Jazz Times’ Top 50 Writer’s Ballots, Critics’ Poll. Tenor Issachah Savage has sung roles in Tannhäuser , Otello , Aida , Rienzi , and others with top opera companies, including The Metropolitan Opera.
2
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker