June 4th 7:00pm (reception to follow)
African Meeting House at the Museum of African American History
46 Joy Street, Boston, MA 02114

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"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."

~Maya Angelou

A fervent believer in Maya Angelou’s poignant words, COOS aims to create a new work rooted in history, inspired by reality and charged with a social mission.

Oh, Freedom! brings a modernized reworking of abolitionist and civil rights proclamations to a 2015 audience. This collaborative project joins original poems written by the dynamic spoken word artist and 2010 national slam poetry star Amber Rose Johnson with original music composed by COOS Composer-in-Residence and Co-Artistic Director Anthony Green. Both narrative and music use the words, actions and very declamations of activists in an effort to show their ever-relevant existence in today’s American culture. With the urgent effort to inspire change and a call to action once more, Oh, Freedom! seeks to bring the cries for freedom center stage.

Personnel:

Fred C. VanNess Jr., tenor
Adam Eccleston III, flute
Ashleigh Gordon, viola
Javier Caballero, cello
Amber Rose Johnson, poet and spoken word artist

Full Program:
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Hold On! for cello and male voice by William (Bill) C. Banfield  
Eyes on Prize, original poem by Amber Rose Johnson
Song of the Coffle Gang words by the slaves 
The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America: Something Like a Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley, poem by June Jordan, performed by Amber Rose Johnson
Oh, Freedom! by Anthony Green 

Admission:

Adults: $5
Youth (13 - 17) & Seniors (62+): $3
MAAH members & children
12yrs and under: Free


RSVP HERE

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Support "Oh, Freedom!"
with your tax-deductible
donation

​DONATE HERE
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This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administrated by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.