Members of the Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra will partner with the chamber strings of Iowa State University to honor the victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre through the voices of Black American composers and historic Black civil rights activists at Symphony of Diversity: A Thousand Thunderbolts.
A special musical and spoken-word performance, A Thousand Thunderbolts will be held Wednesday, April 20, from 3 to 3:50 p.m. at the Dr. Thomas D. Pappert Center for Performance and Innovation in the Mary Pappert School of Music. Free and open to the public, seating is limited at the event.
Led by Dr. Jonathan Govias, director of orchestras at Iowa State University, Symphony of Diversity: A Thousand Thunderbolts aims to commemorate, testify and engage. It is described as a remembrance, a demand for justice and a call to action to audiences around the world to stand up for human rights.
"Music can be a powerful and impactful expression of social justice," said Associate Music Professor and Musicianship Chair Dr. Benjamin Binder, who also chairs the music school's Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access. "We hope that this concert will not only be a moving and thought-provoking experience for our community, but also an inspiring model for our students who might wish to engage similar issues in their work as musicians at Duquesne and beyond."
As part of the performance, powerful, pertinent speeches by luminaries like Ida B. Wells, Frances Ellen Watkins and W.E.B. Du Bois are brought to life by current Black civil rights leaders active in Tulsa and the Midwest. Through pre-recorded video segments, their words are passionately delivered by those who know firsthand the tragedy of racism or who preach in its shadow.
The spoken word segments are prefaced and followed by the music of Black American composers both living and historic, such as Dorothy Rudd Moore, Oscar Peterson, Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, George Walker and Adolphus Hailstork.
A Thousand Thunderbolts is a non-partisan presentation that tells the story of Tulsa-and the unfinished story of systemic racism-from the perspective of those who lived it or are still living it. The production brings these issues-their history, their ongoing legacy-to audiences in an unusual, immersive way that invites engagement and reflection.
Email binderb@duq.edu for more information.
Duquesne University
Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities
for its award-winning faculty and horizon-expanding education. A campus of nearly
8,000 graduate and undergraduate students, Duquesne prepares students by having them
work alongside faculty to discover and reach their goals. The University's academic
programs, community service and commitment to equity and opportunity in the Pittsburgh
region have earned national acclaim.
It's time for bigger goals. Follow Duquesne University on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.
www.duq.edu