Harmony for Hope and Resilience - Choral Art Society of the South Shore

Join us at “Harmony for Hope and Resilience” Music of Vaughan Williams, Brahms, and Florence Price Choral Art Society of the South Shore Cape Cod Chorale Orchestra www.choralartsociety.org, a 501c3 non-profit based in Scituate since 1958 ________________________________________Harmony for Hope and Resilience Choral Art Society of the South Shore & Cape Cod Chorale With full orchestra and soloists Morgan Beckford, soprano, and Dana Whiteside, baritone Sunday, May 4, 2025 | 4:00 PM Scituate Center for the Performing Arts 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy, Scituate, MA Join us for an unforgettable concert of beauty, spirit, and strength, featuring music by Florence Price, Johannes Brahms, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. This South Shore performance offers Boston-quality artistry in a local venue, with a powerful program that uplifts and inspires. Led by Danica A. Buckley, now in her 20th season as Artistic Director of Choral Art Society, the concert includes over 100 voices and a 28-piece professional orchestra, 60% of whom are women musicians—exceptional in today’s classical field. Program Highlights: • Florence Price – Song of Hope (South Shore & Cape Cod premiere): A spiritual, deeply moving work by the first Black woman to have her music performed by a major U.S. orchestra—only recently rediscovered, and rarely performed. • Johannes Brahms – Nänie: A lush and poignant reflection on beauty, death, and myth. • Ralph Vaughan Williams – Dona Nobis Pacem: A thrilling and urgent six-movement plea for peace, drawing on Walt Whitman, the Bible, and more. Buckley shares: “This program stirs the soul—Price’s resilience, Brahms’ beauty, and Vaughan Williams’ power. We want audiences to feel lifted, connected, and renewed.” South Shore premiere of Florence Price Work Led by Woman Conductor in "Harmony of Hope and Resilience" This concert is not just a performance; it’s a story of inclusion, excellence, and artistic vision. It features the South Shore premiere of Florence Price’s Song of Hope, a work by a pivotal yet long-overlooked Black American composer with Boston ties. The performance is led by Danica Buckley, one of the region’s few long-standing women conductors, known for bold programming and musical sensitivity. This is a powerful local story: • Women are centered—on the podium, in the orchestra, and in the repertoire. • The concert bridges past and present, injustice and inspiration, through Price’s voice and a diverse, poetic program. • The music connects deeply with today’s need for resilience, peace, and shared hope. Soloists: Morgan Beckford (soprano) brings a wide-ranging career across opera, jazz, and sacred music, with special focus on works by Black composers. Dana Whiteside (baritone) is a Boston favorite, praised for his “noble and resonant” voice, with major performances at the Kennedy Center and with Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, and more. .