Lipscomb-commissioned work to debut during King tribute
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"Out of Many, One" was composed for the occasion by Michael Slayton, a 1994 Lipscomb University music education graduate who is now assistant professor of music theory and composition at Vanderbilt University, said Valery Prill, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Lipscomb.
"Dr. King envisioned a world where all peoples would be valued equally, and would be free to unite in all human endeavor," Prill said. "The text of our piece is in English and in Swahili, and it is a celebration of this vision: 'From every nation, we sing as one; from every people, one voice, one song... . We lift our voices...to sing in harmony.' Each performer contributes his or her individual part, but the combined effect of the piece is one of vibrant unity."
Funded by Lipscomb and a matching grant from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Slayton's composition is written for children's chorus and is designed for accompaniment by cello, folk harp, oboe, piano, and percussion, Prill said.
During its premiere performance, the children's chorus will be anchored by the MET Singers, a diverse choral group of honors singers in grades 4-8 from public, private and home-school settings. The group is directed by Margaret Campbelle-Holman, a teacher at the W.O. Smith Nashville Community School and director of the Celebration Youth Chorus.
Instrumentalists will feature Lipscomb University students, renowned pianist and Lipscomb music Professor Jerome Reed, and Kwame Ahima and the Ashante Talking Drummers, Prill said.
Lipscomb students will include Molly Cronin, Wheeling, W.Va., Sarah Jane Koperda, Buford, Ga., and Jennifer Mente, Kettering, Ohio, cello; Carla Patton, Rock Island, Tenn., oboe; and Erika Campbell, Antioch, Tenn., harp.
The project resulted from a "brainstorming session among Campbelle-Holman, Hughes, and Prill.
"Margaret expressed concern over the lack of quality musical pieces appropriate for children's voices, especially in large groups," Prill said. "I asked what it would cost to commission a piece and whom we might find to compose it. Michael Slayton's name was at the top of a short list. We approached him, and he happily agreed."
"Let Freedom Sing" is the symphony's eleventh annual celebration of the life and influence of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For full information about the event itself, visit http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/2003concerts/concert_king.html.
The academic director for the project is Marcia Hughes, chair of the Department of Music at Lipscomb.