The season concluded on a major scale on May 17th, with the choir joining forces with BlueWater Chamber Orchestra for I Believe! Margaret Bonds’ Credo sets the text of W.E.B. DuBois, the pioneering sociologist, civil rights activist, and co-founder of the NAACP. Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor captivates with its timeless elegance and intricate arrangements.

Influenced by themes from Credo, and following our collaboration from December, the Choir partnered with the music program at Cleveland School of the Arts.

The program featured soprano Katherine Jolly in both works, an accomplished singer who has appeared on opera stages throughout the country and is the winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals. Bass Jelani Watkins joined Jolly for Bonds’ Credo, in an evocative set of solos, as well as on Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. Soprano Abigail Hakel-Garcia thrilled with Mozart’s sparkling Laudamus te. And frequent soloist tenor Peter Wright’s elegant singing rounded out the Mozart quartet.