shall not be denied
100 years of music by American women
Our spring concert features stirring and innovative choral music from a powerful roster of contemporary composers including Rosephanye Powell, Reena Esmail, Undine Smith Moore, and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw.
Join us for a performance that honors those who fought for women’s right to vote, even as the struggle continues to ensure this right for all American women.
Program notes, texts, and translations (streaming repertoire and program order)*
Saturday, March 5, 2022 - 7:30 pm, Seattle First Baptist Church
Sunday, March 6, 2022 - 3pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood
Sunday, March 20, 2022 - 3pm or 7:30pm
Streaming Events and On-Demand Broadcast*
*Online events (streaming or on-demand) will not include Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal or Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord within the broadcasts, due to licensing restrictions; however, these performances will be made available via our YouTube channel for free following the concerts and links will be sent directly to all ticketholders.
“Even singing with special masks, the chorus — performing in its various subgroups and in the larger, full-strength ensemble — filled the space with Seattle Pro Musica’s signature clarity, fullness of color, and meaningful expression. ”
Listen to select excerpts from the program:
Her beacon hand beckons
by Caroline Shaw
Based on Emma Lazarus’ sonnet The New Colossus, famous for its engraving at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The poem’s lines “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” and its reference to the statue’s “beacon-hand” present the image of a hand that is open, beckoning, and strong.
Tuttarana
by Reena Esmail
Based on a Hindustani (North Indian) musical form, whose closest Western counterpart is the ‘scat’ in jazz. Made up of rhythmic syllables, a tarana is the singer’s chance to display agility and dexterity.
The composer writes: “ Three years after I wrote this piece, the #metoo movement, created by Tarana Burke broke on social media. It occurred to me that the title of this piece, if read a different way, literally means “We are all Tarana.” I couldn’t believe the incredible coincidence that this work, a powerful 3-minute tidal wave of sound, written for an all-female ensemble from the oldest women’s college in the country, bore this name. I’m so grateful for what this movement has done to move the discussion forward about the horrors we face as women, and how we can begin to change and heal our society.”
Choral de Bêtes
by Christina Whitten Thomas
This collection of poems is a series of prayers offered by the animals of God’s Kingdom. As each animal contemplates the trials and joys they face in life, they reveal strengths and weaknesses to which we, as human beings, can discover a surprising connection.
Accessibility at our venues:
Seattle First Baptist Church is accessible for those with mobility issues - they may enter via the glass doors on Harvard (between Seneca and Spring) to use the elevator; there is also a passenger drop-off zone located just outside these doors.
Trinity Lutheran Church is accessible for those with mobility issues - the church is on the same level as the large parking lot, and there is a passenger drop-off zone with a ramp located just outside the main doors.