The Washington Chorus
Eugene Rogers, Artistic Director
Presents
“Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow”
Trailer for “Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow”
Film by Bob Berg
Music by Damien Geter
The Washington Chorus
Featuring Aundi Marie Moore, soprano and Seth Parker Woods, cello
“An innovative, engaging, and impactful piece of art.”
“This new work was one of my favorite performances of 2020!”
ABOUT CANTATA FOR A MORE HOPEFUL TOMORROW
“Nothing is ever really lost / or can be lost.”
Following the story of an African-American couple struggling with COVID-19 and their journey from despair to hope, “Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow” is a short music film that beautifully, powerfully weaves together a new choral work by acclaimed American composer Damien Geter with an emotionally evocative and poignant film created by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Bob Berg.
Produced and recorded by two-time Grammy award-winning music ensemble, The Washington Chorus, this moving 23 minute short music film takes you on a journey from hurt and despair to hope, resilience, and love.
Featuring:
The Washington Chorus; Eugene Rogers, Artistic Director
Aundi Marie Moore, soprano
Seth Parker Woods, cello
Actors Kyle Greenlaw and Kim McKissack as Martin and Michelle Rogers
Produced by The Washington Chorus: Eugene Rogers and Stephen Beaudoin, Executive Producers
“Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow” is musically scored for chorus, cello, and soprano soloist, and has five sections:
I. Fear (text by Salomo Franck and Megan Levad)
II. The Prayer (Traditional text, setting of “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me”)
III. Breathe (text by Aminata Sei)
IV. The Resolve (Traditional text, setting of “There Is a Balm in Gilead”)
V. Hope (text by Walt Whitman)
A note from composer Damien Geter about “Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow”
It is a fact that the pandemic has touched the Black community in a much more aggressive manner than other communities. To highlight this atrocity, I chose to pay homage to the ancestors and Black Americans by incorporating spirituals in this Cantata. There are five movements. The piece begins in a deep state of despair and moves emotionally upward towards a state of hope. The movements are as follows: Fear, The Prayer (I Want Jesus to Walk With Me), Breathe, The Resolve (There's a Balm in Gilead), and Hope (Poem by Walt Whitman "Continuity").
2020 has been a tough year: not only because of the pandemic but because of the various other traumas that have been continuously inflicted on the Black community and our world at large. The recent events that have taken place will give our nation renewed hope and direction. Even though things may seem tough in the present moment, there is a light that shines toward the future.
–Damien Geter, November 2020
Educational and Engagement Resources
Here are some additional resources that we recommend you to consider when screening/showing “Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow” to your stakeholders.
On COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact on Black Americans:
From WBFO Radio: “The Toll: COVID-19 Through the Eyes of one Black Family of Survivors,” https://news.wbfo.org/post/toll-covid-19-through-eyes-one-black-family-survivors
From the Commonwealth Fund: “Beyond the Case Count: The Wide-Ranging Disparities of COVID-19 in the United States,” https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/sep/beyond-case-count-disparities-covid-19-united-states
From the CDC: “Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups,” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html
On COVID-19, singing, and making music creatively during a global health pandemic:
From the Washington Post: “As the novelty of Zoom wears off, classical music reluctantly embraces its new virtual reality,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/classical-music-covid-video-performances/2020/10/29/4fd2bb9a-153f-11eb-ba42-ec6a580836ed_story.html
From Chorus Connection: “Advocating for Choral Singing and Artistic Growth During COVID-19,” https://blog.chorusconnection.com/advocating-for-choral-singing-and-artistic-growth-during-covid-19
From Chorus America: “Choruses and COVID-19 Resources,” https://www.chorusamerica.org/resource/top-resource/choruses-covid-19-coronavirus
On COVID-19, mental health, and resources for coping with tragedy and loss:
From the CDC: “Daily Coping Strategies,” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health,” https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/
From the US Department of Health and Human Services: “Mental Health and Coping during the Coronavirus Pandemic,” https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/mental-health-and-coping/index.html