In honor of this year’s International Women’s Day, WomenSing presents Andrea Ramsey’s Suffrage Cantata, the story of the Suffrage Movement told through song and images. Ramsey’s work examines important moments in the long fight for women’s suffrage and celebrates the accomplishments of a wide range of women. Directed by guest conductor Dr. Rebecca Seeman, this concert will feature soprano Candace Johnson, narrator La Nell Martin, an all-women ensemble of strings, percussion, and piano, and a stunning visual presentation of images from the suffragist story.
When composer Andrea Ramsey began her research and planning in May of 2019 to create the Suffrage Cantata, it was less than a year prior to the arrival of a global pandemic. This became a point where many turned inward in isolation, but it was also a time of sustained protests and racial upheaval. Through her research, Ramsey found that the 19th Amendment represented seventy-two years of struggle by American women heroes who were not only white suffragists, but also suffragists of color. Vox Femina of Los Angeles premiered this work on Nov. 1, 2020.
WomenSing’s collaboration will bring together notable leaders of music and singing from throughout the Bay Area. Soprano, Candace Johnson, is a versatile artist who has been on the voice faculty at UC Berkeley since 2009. A student of the late Shirley Verrett, Johnson is a master at creating performances that integrate vocal performance, history, and poetry, and she is also known for her opera, musical theater and jazz performances. Our narrator, La Nell Martin, is the Artistic Director of the Oakland Youth Chorus, Youth Programs for the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir, and Director of Choirs at Crowden School of Music in Berkeley. She has been a valued and active conductor in Oakland and Berkeley for over 25 years. Our Guest Conductor, Dr. Rebecca Seeman, is a faculty member in the Performing Arts and Social Justice Department at the University of San Francisco and she is the Artistic and Executive Director of Sacred and Profane Chamber Chorus. Join us for this all-women performance of the Suffrage Cantata. One performance only. Reception to follow.