Palm Sunday Concert 2026
"Journey: from Slavery to Freedom" is the product of a yearlong sabbatical supported by the 2024 Wayne State University Murray E. Jackson Scholar in the Arts Award of which the composer was the recipient. Based on nine Spirituals, it depicts the pathos experienced by enslaved and displaced African people, their struggle to find the strength to survive the most deplorable conditions imaginable, and to hope for the human dignity which comes with freedom.
This musical journey begins with “Let My People Go” (“Go Down Moses”), in which the slaves are represented as the Israelites in exodus. Moses represents a plea for freedom. “Watch and Pray” is a lament in which enslaved children asks, “Is master going to sell us tomorrow.” We are reminded of a consequence of slavery: the destruction of the family unit. “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” is a lament, which additionally reminds us of the separation of children from their parents and from their homes in Africa. “Deep River” exemplifies the journey to freedom by “crossing over Jordan.” Despite the struggles of slavery, hope and faith remain, as expressed in the spiritual “My Soul is Anchored in the Lord”. “Changed My Name” connotes a willingness to reject one’s pass to embrace the uncertainties and differentness of freedom. “Slav’ry Chain” clearly expresses the joy of liberation. “I Am Seeking for a City” expresses the hope for a better tomorrow. Finally, “Great Day/O Freedom” is a celebration of freedom and a statement of resolve in which there is no going back: “and before I be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.”
Ultimately, this work is about human dignity. All human life must be valued, regardless of race, belief, nationality, or sexual orientation. I took songs from the darkest moments of our country’s history as reminders of a past we cannot forget, so that it may not be repeated anywhere in the world. “Society as a whole must respect, defend and promote the dignity of every person, at every moment, and in every condition of that person’s life.” (John Paul II)
- Norah Duncan IV