SUMMIT, N.J. — The Discovery Orchestra (TDO), the Emmy Award-nominated and Telly Award-winning orchestra, which has introduced millions around the world to the rewards of classical music listening through its Discovery Concerts™, will present a special Black History Month performance this February. The program, Discover Angelitos Negros (Little Black Angels), will feature the vocal prowess of soprano Cheryl Warfield with prize-winning pianist and composer Patricio Molina. A dramatic exploration of folk music, opera and spirituals showcasing the musical traditions of Black and Latino cultures, the event will feature an interactive exploration by TDO Founder and Artistic Director George Marriner Maull. The free concert, which takes place at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday, February 23, at 3 p.m., will be followed by a reception.
A soprano who has performed lead roles in New York and Europe and appeared on Broadway in Hal Prince’s Tony Award-winning revival of Show Boat, Warfield is the founder of the Manhattan Opera Repertory Ensemble (MORE Opera), a New York City-based nonprofit opera company. Also performing will be Molina — an acclaimed Yamaha Artist — serving as music director and collaborator for the special concert, as well as MORE Opera soloists and musicians from the community.
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TDO is known for its teaching Discovery Concerts™ — musical performances featuring an interactive exploration segment that helps participants focus on specific details of the work — on stage and on the small screen. The Orchestra also presents community engagement programs in collaboration with its educational partners for underserved audiences in six New Jersey counties.
Angelitos Negros is a concert series launched in 2021 by MORE Opera to collectively serve Black and Latino communities severely impacted by the pandemic. The program was based on a poignant moment in the 1948 Mexican film of the same name in which a young child asks why there are no paintings by the great masters of Black angels. An acclaimed second iteration of Angelitos Negros was presented in December 2023, with composer-pianist Patricio Molina as musical director. The upcoming concert will feature a rousing rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson song known today as the Black National Anthem, in honor of its 125th anniversary; and a Discovery Concert exploration of “Hay una Antilla en Medio del Mar Caribe,” the traditional Dominican poem set to music, arranged by Molina.
“We are very happy to present and participate in this collaboration with MORE Opera, Cheryl, and Patricio,” said Maull. “There is so much music written by Black and Latino composers that is largely unknown to most classical music listeners. We hope to introduce just a tiny portion of this repertoire to our audience and, as usual, help them to listen more perceptively to some of the aspects of one of the compositions featured in the program.”
Sponsored by Sandra Braddy-Hall, Dyan Bryson, and Robert & Sandra Brown Sherman, Discover Angelitos Negros is free with registration at https://discoveryorchestra.org/angelitos-negros/. Groups wishing to attend should contact TDO Executive Director Rick Kaller at [email protected].
The concert show date is Sunday, March 2 (at 3 p.m.). Grace Episcopal Church is located at 950 Broad Street in Newark.
