Lenox — For its annual Martin Luther King concert on January 14 at Trinity Church, Cantilena Chamber choir is collaborating with one of Boston’s most in-demand choral conductors, Anthony Trecek-King, on a program that will include his own arrangements of selected spirituals along with Margaret Bonds’ setting of W.E.B. Du Bois’ “Credo.” Joining Cantilena on the 14th will be Dr. Tracek-King’s Unitus Ensemble.
In 1933, Margaret Bonds became the first Black person to perform as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A year later, with the same orchestra, she gave one of the earliest performances of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in D Minor. Bonds’ musical setting of W.E.B. Du Bois’ nine-part manifesto “Credo” (1904) is scored for soloists, chorus, and piano or orchestra. Dealing with themes of racial justice, equality, and Black Americans’ struggle for civil rights, the work begins with:
I believe in God, who made of one blood all nations that on earth do dwell. I believe that all men, black and brown and white, are brothers, varying through time and opportunity, in form and gift and feature, but differing in no essential particular, and alike in soul and the possibility of infinite development.
Later in the piece, Du Bois speaks in terms that are known to have inspired Martin Luther King Jr. Their cadence and tone are hauntingly familiar:
I believe in Liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.
You may remember Dr. Trecek-King from his appearance last May with Berkshire Choral International at Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall. Or from the Emmy-nominated WGBH television series “Sing That Thing.” Or from one of his talks at TEDx Boston. Trecek-King has conducted at venues from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall. He is associate professor of choral music and director of choral activities at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, and from 2007 to 2020 served as artistic director of the Boston Children’s Chorus. Ensembles under Trecek-King’s direction have won a Pulitzer (for “Madam White Snake”) and a GRAMMY (for “Fantastic Mr. Fox”). His work with Boston Children’s Chorus earned the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the Presidential Committee on the Arts.
Now in its 20th season under the direction of Dr. Andrea Goodman, the Cantilena Chamber Choir comprises 24 highly experienced singers of professional caliber. Goodman has held professorships at the Cincinnati Conservatory, New York University, and Skidmore College and has performed with choirs and music festivals worldwide, including St. Petersburg, Paris, Rome, and Vienna.
Hear Cantilena Chamber Choir with Unitas Vocal Ensemble perform Margaret Bonds’ “Credo” conducted by Anthony Trecek-King on Sunday, January 14, 3 p.m., at Trinity Church in Lenox.
