New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Opera Mississippi presents their first performance for 2024 with "Lift Every Voice," as a commemoration for Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, featuring John
Christopher Adams, on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 7:00 PM at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, (380 South Lamar Street.)
Songs of tragedy and triumph have long been the soundtrack of the
Black experience in America, and history has shown that music is the best way to reach everyone within that culture. From slavery to Civil Rights and beyond, music has the ability to unite and encourage, pass along messages, spread words of hope, and harness the power and resilience of the human spirit. "Lift Every Voice" is a celebration of the heartache and hope of the Civil Rights Movement.
Operatic tenor John
Christopher Adams has enjoyed preparing for this meaningful concert, especially delving into his own family's history and connections to Civil Rights activism. John
Christopher has performed on stages around the world including Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Israel, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, and Seattle. A native of Fannin, Mississippi, he studied theatre and music with the late Mrs.
Karen Streit and Ms. Helen G. Morgan. He holds degrees in Vocal Performance and Opera from Mississippi College and the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. When he's not performing, he owns and operates the John C. Adams
State Farm Agency in Gadsden, Alabama. Adams is thrilled to be part of this event."Singing the songs of Civil Rights is probably one of the greatest ways I could pay respect to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and the causes he championed," he stated.
You will hear songs such as "Soon I Will be Done," "Ain't-A-Dat Good News," "Hush! Somebody's Callin' My Name," "I'm a Soldier," "Amazing Grace," "A Change Gon' Come," "We Shall Overcome," and many other soulful spirituals and Civil Rights songs.
Seating is General Admission and tickets are $38 each. For tickets and more information go to https://www.operams.org/lift or call 601-960-2300. "Lift Every Voice" is presented by Atmos Energy. This project is sponsored in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part from the
National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Opera Mississippi, founded in 1945, is the ninth oldest continuously operating opera company in the United States, and Mississippi's only professional opera company. Opera Mississippi's mission is to entertain, educate, and enlighten Mississippi audiences through opera, musical theatre, and popular music experiences; to enhance Mississippi's cultural and economic landscape by presenting accessible, high-quality performances; to identify and develop regional operatic and singing artists; and to promote the understanding and appreciation of opera through education, outreach, and audience development that reflects community awareness, connection, and culture.