When given the charge to plan a program that would celebrate music by and about African Americans, it was our desire to highlight the multifarious nature of this music. It was also important to us that our audience gain appreciation for the inherent universality of this music: that they understand that this music is
truly about every one of us, from every culture and economic background. and from every nation; that this music is essentially an expression of the human experience. With this in mind. we determined to select a common theme around which to organize this concert. In thIs turbulent time in our country and throughout the world, perhaps the most meaningful and worthwhile topic to explore is love.
The collection of songs included on this program explore love in its many forms specifically the love of one' s God. 1ove of one's country, self-love, romantic love, maternal and parental love, divine love, and love of humanity. The many writers and composers whose songs we will perform take various perspectives on this subject; some of the songs express a sense of optimism. some seem hopelessly to a more cynical point of view. while in others, the miters and composers seem to have been inspired by a belief in the unlimited potential of mankind. For this purpose. we have included works by Dr. Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, William Grant Still, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Margaret Bonds, Undine Moore, Roland Carter, Adolphus Hailstork, and Oakland's own, Jacqueline Hairston.
Of course, there have been others who have been inspired by the African-American experience, and their works have been included here as well: George and Ira Gershwin. Andre Previn, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
Therefore, we have conceived of these songs as a meditation on a theme, the complex concept of love. We are pleased that you have joined us to share in this experience, and we hope you come away from it remembering to acknowledge daily those in your lives who embody love for you in all its various forms.
