A Child of Our Time and Te Deum

Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time (1941) is a unique oratorio, structured in three parts to emulate Handel’s Messiah and using traditional African-American spirituals in a form similar to Bach’s use of the chorale in his Passions, all with a decidedly twentieth-century musical language. The text of this stirring work reflects Tippett’s pacifism and belief that people contain both “shadow and light.” Soprano Nicole Cabell has performed this work to great critical acclaim and has made it a signature piece. She will be joined by Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano, Russell Thomas, tenor, and John Relyea, bass-baritone. Paired with this riveting work will be the powerful Te Deum by Anton Bruckner. Conducted by James Bagwell.