Pre-concert lecture at 7:15PM

Kenneth Kiesler and Eugene Rogers, conductors

Acclaimed composer and U-M alumnus James Lee III was offered the inaugural commission of a ten-year commissioning project launched in 2020 by USO music director Kenneth Kiesler and SMTD aimed at diversifying the orchestral repertoire. Tethered Voices, a powerful and impactful piece for narrator and orchestra, is a setting of a striking poem by conductor and poet Kalena Bovell. While the USO recorded Tethered Voices during separate recording sessions with each orchestra section in September of 2020, this will be its first live-concert performance. Director of University Choirs Eugene Rogers leads the premiere of Damien Geter’s Justice Symphony for choir and orchestra, a work that centers on anthems of the civil rights era. It was commissioned by the University of Michigan and the Washington Chorus. The USO, joined by University Chamber Choir, University Choir, Orpheus Singers and vocal soloists, brings the 2021-2022 season to an exhilarating and affirmative conclusion with Mahler’s magnificent and inspiring Resurrection Symphony.

PROGRAM
Tethered Voices - James Lee III (World Premiere)
Justice Symphony - Damien Geter (World Premiere)
Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) - Gustav Mahler

attend in person or watch livestream at https://myumi.ch/HillWatch