PostClassical Ensemble Presents AMAZING GRACE: MUSIC FOR THE SPIRIT At The Kennedy Center

PostClassical Ensemble (PCE) rings in 2023 with a new stirring program for chorus and orchestra that celebrates the universal expression of the human spirit through music. "Amazing Grace," perhaps the most universal of folk hymns, has inspired people all around the world for centuries.

Attendees will hear versions of the song woven throughout the program and even be encouraged to join along in singing with the whole ensemble at the end of the evening. The program will feature African-American spirituals, along with works by William Grant Still, and J. S. Bach. In addition, PCE will also perform works by one of the most celebrated living American composers, Dr. Adolphus Hailstork. As a special tribute, PCE's Music Director and Conductor Angel Gil-Ordóñez will be joined on stage by Dr. Hailstork who will receive PCE's first American Roots Artist Award.

Amazing Grace: Music for the Spirit will take place on Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30pm at The Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater (2700 F Street, NW).

This concert is part of PCE's American Root Initiative, a commitment to telling stories that provide a deeper understanding of the rich diversity of American music and culture. Since its inception in 2008, this series has been dedicated to exploring little-known and forgotten chapters in the history of American music, especially the contributions of Black and Indigenous musicians and composers.

Beyond Dr. Hailstork, this performance will feature a multitude of talented musicians, composers and conductors. Assuming the role of Special Guest Curator is Stanley J. Thurston, a well-known pianist, composer, arranger and conductor who is the founder and artistic director of The Heritage Signature Chorale and artistic director emeritus of Washington Performing Arts Choir. PCE will be using Evelyn Simpson Curenton's arrangement of "Amazing Grace" during the performance. Cureton, who recently had many of her hymns published in the "African American Heritage Hymnal," a landmark document of interdenominational sacred songs from pre-Civil War to contemporary, will join PCE onstage to play piano for the evening's finale. Singers for the concert include Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), a DC-based organization dedicated to fostering African Americans in classical music, as well as three highly acclaimed soloists, Angeli Ferrette, Wayne Jennings and Justin Harrison.

"We hope this concert becomes a tradition of sorts for us," says Gil-Ordóñez. "I feel strongly that African American spirituals and religious music is brilliant, moving and belongs in the canon right alongside classical European music."

Prior to the concert, on December 28 at 6:30pm, PCE will host Prelude: Setting the stage for Amazing Grace: Music for the Spirit over Zoom. This event will be a free 50 minute pre-concert discussion that enriches the concert experience with insights into the music, the composers, and the artists. Guests will include Dr. Adolphus Hailstork, Evelyn Simpson Curenton, Guest Curator Stanley J. Thurston, PCE Music Director Ángel Gil-Ordóñez, and will be hosted by Murray Horwitz, host of WAMU's The Big Broadcast. Attendees can register in advance here.

PCE will also host an additional educational component, partnering with Lincoln Multicultural Middle School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Their student orchestra will rehearse "Amazing Grace" with Gil-Ordóñez, learn about the historical importance of spirituals, get to attend the dress rehearsal of PCE's concert, and play the song at their own holiday concert at Lincoln.

Tickets to Amazing Grace are available online through the PCE website. Tickets start at $45. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Kennedy Center Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

*This performance is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.

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