Troy Anthony’s The Fire Ensemble Releasing Debut Album

The Fire Ensemble has announced the release of their highly anticipated debut album, ”The Revival: It Is Our Duty”, set to launch in the Summer of 2025. This project marks a significant milestone for the company as they build a body of work that reflects the company’s evolution during their residency at The Shed which concludes at the end of 2024. In addition to the album, The Fire Ensemble is launching a special fundraising campaign to support the completion of the project. 

“With this album, I am trying to prove that prioritizing community and civically engaged art can be made at the highest levels of artistry. Creating an intentional space that centers belonging only makes the work better. This album is especially for people who haven’t felt welcomed to the gospel music party. The only required belief is to understand that you have the ability to change and the only salvation I’m offering comes with dedicating yourself to your own liberation which includes the liberation of everyone around you,” said Troy Anthony.

The Revival: It Is Our Duty features 13 songs that blend elements of gospel, R&B, jazz, poetry, and musical theater to create a sacred service offering salvation through collective liberation. The album invites an opportunity to heal and regain hope through the power of music with original music and lyrics written by Anthony alongside additional songs by Sam Appiah and celebrated gospel artist Johnathan Johnson.

The Fire Ensemble recorded the album at the legendary PowerStation Studios with 13 professional vocalists and a 100-person intergenerational choir community in June 2024. The creative team for the album includes producers Troy Anthony, Sam Appiah, and Will Stone alongside mixing and mastering engineer Tom Gardner. Featured vocalists on the album include Kayla Coleman, Genesis Adelia Collado, Alysha Deslorieux, Kyron Elcock, Treston Henderson, Nio Levon, Cal Mitchell, Nat Louis-Charles, STONES, Benjamin Moore, Dominique Smith, Nikisha Williams.

The album is based on the production ‘The Revival: It Is Our Duty' which had two sold-out runs at The Shed in NYC. The Revival: It Is Our Duty is a theatrical concert inspired by traditions found inside of Black-American church revivals. Led by six core singers and a five-piece gospel band, this fit-to-scale production features a 30-100 person choir composed of local singing communities. Composed and officiated by celebrated creative director Troy Anthony, The Revival is meant to lift people out of their sorrow using songs and rituals that center collective liberation.

The fundraising campaign will run from October 26th, 2024 to June 2025, with all donations directly supporting the completion of the album. The Fire Ensemble will host a benefit performance uptown on December 10th, 2024 in partnership with First Corinthian Baptist Church in NYC featuring the Fire Ensemble Choir and special guests. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the Album. 

ABOUT The Fire Ensemble 

Fire Ensemble Inc. is a community-centered production company that creates revolutionary new work rooted in music, ritual, and revelation by gathering through choirs that foster collective liberation. At the center of the company is The Fire Ensemble–an intergenerational pop-up choir community that centers BIPOC and queer folx. As part of a multiyear residency at The Shed, we invite a range of community members to rehearse, workshop, and perform in transformative large-scale music theater works and rituals rooted in predominantly Black musical styles including gospel, R&B, and musical theater.

Although performances are  moments of culmination and expand the circle of sharing, the emphasis of our projects are on the process, and the space of community that is built through gathering. Additionally, The Fire Ensemble works with many other artistic institutions to produce a number of workshops and commissioned projects by Troy Anthony. Generous support for Fire Ensemble Inc is provided by The Darnell-Moser Charitable Fund, The Mellon Foundation, and The Shed. The Fire Ensemble is a fiscally sponsored project of Producer Hub. 

ABOUT Troy Anthony

Troy Anthony is a Kentucky-born composer/lyricist, director, and theater-maker based in NYC rigorously practicing Black queer joy. He has received commissions from 5th Avenue Theater, The Civilians, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater, St. Louis Rep, and The Shed and has enjoyed residencies with Chelsea Factory, Musical Theater Factory (MTF), The O’Neill Theater Center, The Shed and Village Theater. Additionally, he’s presented work at 54 Below,  JACK, Joe’s Pub, the National Alliance of Musical Theater Conference, Prospect Theater Company, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Troy recently received the Vivace Award from the Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation as well as the KY Governor’s School for the Arts Marlene M. Helm Award.

He has over 15 years of experience in youth and community development work with organizations such as the Kentucky Center's Governor's School for the Arts, the Vermont Governor's Institute on the Arts and The Public Theater. He recently served as the first Director of Legacy and Internship Programs at the DreamYard Project in The Bronx where he focused on the importance of emerging leadership, mentorship, and examining work culture through a nationally recognized arts and social justice curriculum.

Troy’s work lives at the intersection between art, social justice and community practice. In this spirit, he recently founded Fire Ensemble Inc, a community-centered production company creating revolutionary new work rooted in music, ritual, and revelation by gathering through choirs that foster collective liberation and intergenerational healing as a home to develop his work. The Fire Ensemble is currently in its last year of incubation at The Shed and is generously supported by the Mellon Foundation and the Darnell-Moser Charitable Fund.