Sing Freedom! African-American Spirituals Conspirare & Craig Hella Johnson

• 1Motherless Child05:04
• 2A City Called Heaven04:02
• 3Soon Ah Will Be Done - I Wanna Die Easy05:53
• 4Soon Ah Will Be Done04:07
• 5Hard Trials06:03
• 6Hold On!02:58
• 7Been in de Storm - Wayfaring Stranger07:07
• 8Oh Graveyard (Lay This Body Down)03:16
• 9Ain'-a That Good News!01:57
• 10Steal Away03:20
• 11Walk Together, Children02:48
• 12I Got a Home in-a Dat Rock03:27
• 13Lily of the Valley03:51
• 14Plenty Good Room03:18
• 15My God is a Rock07:14
• 16Freedom Song03:38
• 17Swing Low, Sweet Chariot04:08
• Total Runtime01:12:11

Info for Sing Freedom! African-American Spirituals

One of the seminal American musical traditions, the spiritual is dramatic, powerful, and profoundly beautiful — the bedrock for much of American music that was to follow.

Craig Hella Johnson and his Conspirare choral ensemble are known for their unique and thoughtfully programmed concerts, and to that we should add, generously filled recordings. Here is 72 minutes of soul-stirring music, drawing from the vast repertoire of both classic and modern arrangements of African American spirituals, including several by Conspirare director Johnson and three premieres--by David Lang, Tarik O'Regan, and Robert Kyr - that are not spirituals, but are influenced and inspired by the genre.

Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare explore here the genre's wide range of expression and its eloquence in speaking to universal aspects of the human condition.

Conspirare
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor and piano
Tracy Jacob Shirk, tenor
David Farwig, bass
Charles Wesley Evans, bass
Matt Alber, tenor
Carr Hornbuckle, tenor
Matt Tresler, tenor
Keely Rhodes, mezzo-soprano
Melissa Givens, soprano
Nicole Greenidge, soprano
Wendy Bloom, sezzo-soprano
Nina Revering, soprano
Julie Keim, soprano
Abigail H. Lennox, soprano
Stefanie Moore, soprano
Sonja Tengblad, soprano
Gitanjali Mathur, soprano
Rick Gabrillo, percussion

Craig Hella Johnson
is the Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the Austin-based, internationally renowned, Grammy®-nominated choir Conspirare. Additionally, he serves as Music Director of Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble and Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival.

In 1998, Johnson was Artistic Director of San Franciscobased Chanticleer and from 2000-2005 was Music Director of Houston Masterworks Chorus. Known for crafting thoughtprovoking musical journeys that create deep connections between performers and listeners, Johnson is in frequent demand as a guest conductor of choral and orchestral works in the USA and abroad. Johnson was named Texas State Musician for 2013, received the Louis Botto Award from Chorus America in 2009 and was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2008. Johnson served as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas in Austin from 1990 to 2001 and was appointed Texas State University’s first Artist-in-Residence in Fall 2012.

Johnson’s compositions, arrangements, and edited scores are published by Alliance Music and as part of the Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series with G. Schirmer and Hal Leonard. He also performs as a pianist and singer in a variety of styles. Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, the University of Illinois, Yale University, and at the International Bach Academy with Helmuth Rilling as a National Arts Fellowship recipient.

Booklet for Sing Freedom! African-American Spirituals