📆 Saturday, October 12th – Saturday, October 26th
⏰ 7:30 pm on Saturdays and Wednesdays; 2:00 pm on Sundays
🎟️ Tickets starting at $35
đź“Ť McCaw Hall: 321 Mercer St, Seattle
Jubilee is part of an ongoing renaissance in American opera that gives voice to underheard communities. The journey of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who appear as the collective protagonist of Jubilee, is the story of the rise of the African American spiritual. This audacious ensemble of student musicians was formed in 1871 and changed the course of American music forever.
“Spirituals are the very foundation, the root of all the great music that we know and love today,” says Tazewell Thompson, the writer and creator of Jubilee. This heartfelt tribute to the young, “outrageously courageous” students who went on a mission to save their school by performing spirituals around the US and in Europe will have you on your feet cheering and dancing. Or, at least clapping and tapping your toes. There are over 40 spirituals in this performance, but some familiar ones to expect include “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” “Deep River,” and many more.
Thompson became obsessed with the Fisk Jubilee Singers after seeing a documentary about the group. For years, he collected old vinyl, sheet music, books, variations in lyrics—whatever he could get his hands on relating to spirituals. All of this informed Jubilee.
Thompson’s vision: You’ll walk out of the theater with a better understanding and respect for the kingdom of spirituals and these ground-breaking young people who introduced and gave these songs to the world.
Seattle Opera serves the people of the Pacific Northwest through music, storytelling, and programs for people of all ages.
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