The journey to Justice
Narrated by Brian Dennehy
Monday, March 12, 2012 – 7:30 p.m.
Symphony Center
Performances include the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Old St. Patrick’s Concert Choir, Irish Instrumentalists, Trinity Irish Dancers, Soul Children of Chicago and vocalists Alfreda Burke, Rodrick Dixon, Catherine O’Connell, plus many more!
Lead Vocalist from Riverdance to Perform at Siamsa
Michael Londra is from the opera capital of Ireland, a small town on the South East coast called Wexford. He decided to follow his heart and started singing professionally. His leap of faith was rewarded when he soon became a leading man in musical theater in Dublin playing many roles. U.S. director and choreographer, Larry Fuller, asked Michael to play Bobby Kennedy in the world premier of JFK where the producers of Riverdance noticed him.
Michael was offered the role of lead singer in the U.S. National Tour that included performances at Radio City Music Hall and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In March 2000, he again was offered the position of lead singer in the new production of Riverdance on Broadway.
Michael’s first album Celt was produced by acclaimed producer Steve Skinner. Steve has worked as an arranger/co-producer for Bette Midler and Celine Dion and has collaborated many times with Arif Mardin; producer of Norah Jones’ acclaimed CD. The album was released in 15 countries.
His recording of Danny Boy was described by The Irish Emigrant in New York as “One of the best recordings of Danny Boy in history.” CapitalCeltic.com names Michael as “one of the greatest Irish singers of our time.”
The Journey to Justice: An American Slave and an Irish Patriot follows closely on the heels of last year’s sold-out success: Make Them Hear You. In song, story and dance, we board the freedom train traveling back in history to 19th century America and Ireland. We encounter two extraordinary heroes whose paths crossed as they became inspirational “drum majors for justice.” Frederick Douglass, American Slave, and Statesman Daniel O’Connell, the Liberator of Ireland. From haunting, heart-wrenching melodies to rousing Gospel Call and Response, from familiar Irish tunes, to the transformative songs of our youth, the program builds to newly-commissioned works that stir the soul and set the heart on fire.
This extraordinary evening will include performances by a special guest narrator, the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Old St. Patrick’s Concert Choir, Celtic instrumentalists, vocal soloists, Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, and Catherine O’Connell, Trinity Irish Dancers, Soul Children of Chicago Choir, plus many more.
Monday, March 12, 2012 marks Old St. Pat’s sixteenth annual Siamsa na nGael celebration of the Celtic Arts at Symphony Center under the direction of our own Bill Fraher. This evening of song and story has become one of the hottest tickets in the city. Call your friends and tell them to put the date on their calendars.
You may even want to see the production from the stage as a singer! Keep reading for more information about auditions and rehearsals.
This year’s concert features the stories of two extraordinary heroes separated by times and tides yet joined by their determination and drive to secure the “blessings of liberty” for their long-suffering people. Irishman Daniel O’Connell, born in the late 1700’s, came to be known by his countrymen as “The Liberator” for his single-minded and uncompromising efforts to restore to the Catholic poor rights that had been denied for nearly a century and a half. The “Black O’Connell,” former American slave Frederick Douglass, risked life and limb time and again after escaping from his master by going to Ireland to meet O’Connell and speak out on the injustices of slavery in the United States. Both men traveled the
back roads and city streets of Ireland exposing this blot on our banner of freedom and challenging every institution that limited rights to the few. Come and hear their stories in their own words!
Date: March 12, 2012
Time: 7 P.M.
Place: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Cost: $22 – $55
Tickets: Once the date has been announced, tickets may be purchased through Symphony Center Box Office, 312.294.3000, or www.cso.org.
Proceeds benefit Old St. Patrick’s Church.
