Opera Exposures Presents LET'S CELEBRATE UNCLE TOM At St. Mark's in the Bowery

The concert, originally presented in April at Opera America, will be at 3 p.m., Sunday, October 9, at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, 131 E Street, New York, NY 10003.

Like Uncle Tom's Cabin, this production is inspired by the real life of Josiah Henson. A fierce abolitionist, Henson actually helped many enslaved Africans escape to freedom and established a settlement for them in Canada.

"This program brings the odyssey of Josiah Henson out of the shadows," says Edna Greenwich, founder and director of Opera Exposures. "His life is often misunderstood and misrepresented. There is so much more to the story."

Spanning three centuries, the performance will feature classical compositions, folk selections and popular tunes that evoke joy and pain, bondage and liberation, fear and courage.

The featured soprano is Nia Drummond, who earned a B.A. in voice and opera from SUNY at Fredonia. Drummond has performed the roles of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rosalinda in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, and Edith in Gilbert and Sullivans' Pirates of Penzance. Grammy award winner David Morgans Sanchez, has played Pledge in Terrence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up In My Bones. Next, he reprised his role as Prayer in The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, sang concert work in the Metropolitan Opera performances of Verdi's Requiem and Mahler's Symphony No. 2.

Accompanying the artists is Jonathan Kelly, an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. Kelly, a former lecturer at Yale University and the Manhattan School of Music, has worked with such artists as Ramon Vargus, Joshua Bell and Sting.

Renowned artist and teacher Anthony Turner will moderate the program. A post-show panel will examine the characterization of Uncle Tom. Dr. Rita Reynolds, associate professor and chair of history and American Studies at Wagner College, will co-host the panel. Reynolds will be joined by historian Cynthia Copeland, president of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.

Opera Exposures launched in 2004 to present seasoned professionals and young artists in accessible venues at affordable prices to reach a broader audience. "Everyone loves opera," Greenwich says. "They just don't know it yet."

Tickets for this performance are available now online at Eventbrite or will be available at the door on the day of the performance.