Recital No. 1: Mass at Vocal Arts DC

On JANUARY 21st, Vocal Arts DC presents Davóne Tines in virtual concert with pianist Adam Nielsen in a program titled, "Recital No. 1: Mass". The performance, which uses the Catholic mass to explore the diversity of the human experience, was filmed at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, and will feature world premiere new works by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Caroline Shaw along with Tyshawn Sorely.

Tines is native of Northern Virginia whose exceptional vocal talent led him to study at Harvard and Juilliard. He has been hailed as an, "immensely gifted bass-baritone [who] has won acclaim, and advanced the field of classical music, through frequent associations with living composers" (The New York Times). He has also become well known for work that engages with social issues, drawing upon his experiences to explore aspects of identity and justice in America. In OCTOBER, Tines was featured on CNN and in Vogue Magazine for his tribute to Breonna Taylor.

Additional highlights of Davóne's career include roles in the world premieres of John Adams' Girls of the Golden West at San Francisco Opera, Kaija Saariaho's Only the Sound Remains at the Dutch National Opera, Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up In My Bones at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and The Black Clown, a music theater experience co-created by Davóne, director Zack Winokur, and composer Michael Schachter and premiered at the American Repertory Theater to sold-out audiences. His opera highlights also include performances with the Paris Opera and at the Teatro Real in Madrid. This recital marks Davóne's debut with Vocal Arts DC.

Davóne's collaborator on the recital is Adam Nielsen, who is on faculty at The Juilliard School as pianist, coach, chorus master, and assistant conductor for the Marcus Institute of Vocal Arts and whose work has drawn regular praise from The New York Times.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the program, Davóne said:

"My musical life is composed of so many things: early music, folk song, Bach, gospel, spirituals, new music, and far beyond. When you put these seemingly disparate things together and acknowledge the connections between them, you have to acknowledge there's something deep that is shared among these musics; and thus there's something deep that is shared among all people."

The performance will include world premiere works by Pulitzer Prize winning vocalist, violinist composer, and producer Caroline Shaw, as well as the renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist, Tyshawn Sorey. In addition, "Recital No. 1: Mass" features works by three African-American composers, Margaret Bonds, Julius Eastman and Moses Hogan, along with J.S. Bach's, "Wie Jammern Mich, BWV 170." Both "Amazing Grace" and a chorale by Igee Dieudonné were arranged by Davóne Tines.

The concert will be available to stream from JAN21st to FEB1st, via Vocal Arts DC's website. For tickets and more information, please visit: https://vocalartsdc.org/davone-tines/

Discounted student tickets are available to K-12 and college students with a valid school ID. For more information, please email us at tickets@vocalartsdc.org

The works by Caroline Shaw and Tyshawn Sorey were commissioned by Vocal Arts DC to be performed by Davóne Tines, and are made possible in part by very generous contributions from Richard J. Price, Yung Chang, R.V. McKay and The Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.