Pre-Concert Lecture: Nkeiru Okoye’s “When the Caged Bird Sings” World Première

This lecture takes place at 6:30 pm, ahead of the 7:30pm performance featuring a world première by American composer NKEIRU OKOYE.

Presented in collaboration between UMS and the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, When the Caged Bird Sings fuses elements of oratorio, theater, and opera in a multi-movement musical ceremony of sorts, which Okoye describes as “a gathering” that invokes the ritual of the concert experience as a ritual of community.

Drawing inspiration from the Black church, it celebrates the spirit of rising above expectations and transforming adversity into triumph. Partly in tribute to the activist and poet laureate Maya Angelou, the work celebrates the transformative ability of Black women, commemorating those who have paved a path for future generations in many fields of human endeavor.

Commissioned by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance as part of the Michigan Orchestra Repertoire for Equity initiative.

Tickets are required to attend the concert at 7:30pm; purchase here:
https://tickets.ums.org/5863/5864?