Dreams of a New Day

On Sunday, June 20, as part of WCLV's observation of Juneteenth, we are presenting a special based on baritone Will Liverman's new album  Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers. 

His new album, with pianist Paul Sánchez, highlights Black composers across generations, from early 20th-century pioneers Henry Burleigh, Margaret Bonds, and Thomas Kerr to Robert Owens, Leslie Adams, and contemporary composers Damien Sneed and Shawn E. Okpebholo.

Liverman commissioned Okpebholo’s  Two Black Churches, which he recently performed to great acclaim at his Kennedy Center recital in conjunction with his winning the 2020 Marian Anderson Vocal Award. The  Washington Post review called the set “absolutely devastating, and one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard all year.” This is its world-premiere recording.

Tune in Sunday, June 20th at 8:00 PM for  Dreams of a New Day.

How to Listen

Listen Now

Program

Will Liverman, baritone and piano
Paul Sánchez, piano

Damien Sneed: I Dream a World

Henry Burleigh: Five Songs of Laurence Hope

1. Worth While
2. The Jungle Flower
3. Kashmiri Song
4. Among the Fuchsias
5. Till I Wake

Leslie Adams: Amazing Grace
Margaret Bonds: Three Dream Portraits

1. Minstrel Man
2. Dream Variation
3. I, Too

Shawn E. Okpebholo: Two Black Churches

1. Ballad of Birmingham
2. The Rain

Richard Fariña (arr. Liverman): Birmingham Sunday
     Will Liverman, piano