Title: Roots and Branches ~ Celebrating Our Ongoing Musical Tradition
Date: April 26, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Temple Theatre
Artists: W. B. Wicker Elementary School Choir, Bluegrass Experience, Brooklyn Art Song Society with musicians from PhiloSonia, Roderick Brower & Together-N-Unity
Presented by: The City of Sanford and The Arts Council of Moore County
Description: “Roots and Branches,” a celebration of our ongoing musical tradition, will be presented April 26, 2022, as part of the City of Sanford’s Public Arts Program. The performance pays homage traditional music from our region and features the W. B. Wicker Elementary Choir, Keith Thomas & the Bluegrass Experience, Roderick Brower & Together-N-Unity Choir, and the Brooklyn Art Song Society with musicians from PhiloSonia performing “Songs from the Bleeding Pines” by composer David Ludwig with words by Ray Owen.
“Songs from the Bleeding Pines” is an oratorio for singers and chamber ensemble. The oratorio tells the story of conservationist Helen Boyd Dull, who in 1904, saved an ancient stand of longleaf pines after encountering workers bleeding the trees of their resin for the turpentine industry. Once among the greatest forests, 90 million acres of longleaf were lost to logging and turpentining by the early 1900s. The trees that Helen preserved are now the world’s oldest longleaf pines, surviving because of her faith and commitment – a traveler who fell in love with the woods and fervently protected the land.
The City of Sanford Public Arts Program is a compelling reason to visit Sanford and Lee County, a bragging point when talking about the place we live. “Roots and Branches” will be a teaching moment, an important reminder of our rich musical heritage.
Artists:
W. B. Wicker Elementary School Choir is a STEAM school located in a W. B. Wicker Elementary School.
The Bluegrass Experience is one of the Southeast’s most respected traditional groups, celebrating 50 years of continuous music and traveling. The Chatham County-based band is known for its lively renditions of original bluegrass and covers of rock, folk or country songs in a bluegrass fashion.
Roderick Brower & Together-N-Unity Choir are based at Fletcher Chapel United Methodist Church in Hoffman, NC. TNU includes members of various denominations from Cumberland, Moore and Richmond counties, led by choir director Roderick Brower. Their music is contemporary gospel with jazz undertones, influenced by religious and secular artists.
David Ludwig, composer of “Songs from the Bleeding Pines,” is Dean and Director of the Juilliard School music division. NPR Music named him in the world’s “Top 100 Composers Under Forty,” and he holds positions and residencies with nearly two dozen orchestras and music festivals in the US and abroad.
Ray Owen, librettist for “Songs from the Bleeding Pines,” is a writer from Southern Pines, NC. His work has been featured in Northern Ireland and in the US by the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Symphony Tacoma, and the UNC School of the Arts.
The Brooklyn Art Song Society is one of the preeminent organizations dedicated to the vast repertoire of poetry set to music. Its mission is to preserve art song’s direct expressiveness and emotional honesty for today’s audience and future generations.