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Art Throb
Inquisitive conversations between Art Throb host Kate Savage and artists, writers, performers, producers and artistic entrepreneurs about their work and all things arts related. Get to know who’s doing the work, who’s making the arts happen and who's keeping them exciting and accessible. Gain an insider’s view through these exchanges and a glimpse into the wonder-filled world of creative individuals.
Art Throb
No. 30: Shawn Okpebholo - Composer in Residence, Lexington Philharmonic
Shawn Okpebholo was born in Lexington, Kentucky and a graduate of Tates Creek High School. He earned his doctoral degree in composition from the University of Cincinnati's Celloge-Conservatory of Music. Currently he serves as the Jonathan Blanchard Distinguished Professor of Composition at Wheaton College-Conservatory of Music and the Saykaly-Garbulinska Composer-in-Residence with the Lexington Philharmonic.
Two Black Churches is a song set in two movements for baritone soloist and orchestra. Originally composed for voice and piano, featuring baritone Will Liverman and pianist Paul Sanche, this orchestration was co-commissioned by the Lexington Philharmonic during Shawn E. Okpebholo's tenure as the Saykaly-Garbulnska Composer-in-Residence.
Two Black Churches serves as a musical reflection of two significant and tragic events perpetrated at the hands of white supremacists in two Black churches, decades apart;
- The 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing Birmingham, Alabama which took the lives of four girls.
- The 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, taking the lives of nine parishioners.
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