Friday, March 7, 2025, 8:00 pm
First Baptist Church, Oakland
Arts and Advocacy Panel at 7:15 pm
Sunday, March 9, 2025, 4:00 pm
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church
What would it mean for us to “dwell together in unity”?
Dwell Together takes its name from Psalm 133, the final line of Leonard Bernstein’s deeply moving Chichester Psalms, “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” This concert spotlights poignant works for voices and orchestra that interpret ancient forms and timeless texts through a contemporary and decidedly American lens. Presented in a creative partnership with Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones, founder and director of the Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, these concerts feature lauded mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and rising talent Victory Brinker with the Resonance Chamber Orchestra and Reson8 Vocal Octet, joining forces with an expanded Festival Chorus.
Artists:
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Lucia Bradford
MEZZO-SOPRANO
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Victory Brinker
TREBLE SOLOIST
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Dr. Herbert V.R.P Jones
CONDUCTOR & CREATIVE PARTNER
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Maria Sensi Sellner
CONDUCTOR/PRODUCER
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Reson8 Vocal Octet
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Resonance Chamber Orchestra & Chorus
Program:
Julia Perry (arr. Norpoth) - Ye Who Seek the Truth
Rosephanye Powell - To Sit and Dream
Joel Thompson - Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
Julia Perry - Stabat Mater
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David Lang - make peace
Brittany J. Green - Speak world premiere
Patti Drennan - The Water is Wide
Leonard Bernstein - Chichester Psalms
Exploring Art and Advocacy Pre-Concert Panel
Dr. Zuly E. Inirio moderated a dynamic 30‐minute panel conversation exploring the role of art in confronting systemic injustice. Panelists Muhammad Ali Nasir (MAN-E) and Tanisha Long shared their on‐the-ground experiences in advocacy, policy, and community organizing. Framed by Joel Thompson’s stirring composition, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, this dialogue delves into the stories behind police violence and shines a light on the transformative role of music and storytelling in the pursuit of social change.
Dr. Zuly E. Inirio, LSW, is a Pittsburgh-based opera singer, social worker, and board member of Resonance Works. As the founder of the Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project, she combines artistic innovation with a deep commitment to social justice, using her diverse expertise to inspire transformative community dialogue.
Muhammad Ali Nasir (MAN-E) is the Advocacy, Policy, and Civic Engagement Coordinator for 1Hood Media Academy and Founder of Community Care & Resistance in Pittsburgh (CCRIP), drawing on his personal experience to lead impactful outreach.
Tanisha Long is the Allegheny County Community Organizer for the Abolitionist Law Center, with a background in English writing and legal studies from the University of Pittsburgh. A seasoned activist, she has led Black Lives Matter initiatives and founded RE Visions to promote equitable education and social justice.
Created in partnership with esteemed choral conductor and founder of The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones, celebrated mezzo-soprano and Resonance Works board member Demareus Cooper, Artistic and General Director Maria Sensi Sellner, and Associate Producer Robert Frankenberry, this major choral-orchestral concert program for our 2024-25 season features lauded mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, who performed Perry’s Stabat Mater in our 2020 digital season, our Resonance Chamber Orchestra, and a new chamber choir.
Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed is a powerful work that uses the liturgical format of The Seven Last Words of Christ, with each movement quoting the last words of an unarmed Black man before he was killed. We are placing this powerful recent work in conversation with two other pieces that also utilize ancient forms and timeless texts interpreted through a contemporary American lens - Julia Perry’s setting of the 13th century poem about the sorrowful mother of Christ, the Stabat Mater, and Leonard Bernstein’s implicit plea for peace in combining Christian and Hebrew choral traditions in his Chichester Psalms.
"The final line in Bernstein’s work (from Psalm 133) struck a particular chord in me - “How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” We continue to struggle to achieve this goal, in our communities, in our society, and in the world. But it is a powerful call to action, an ideal to continue to strive towards, and we can embody this ideal through music, creating space for empathy, understanding, and connection.” - Maria Sensi Sellner
Resonance Chamber Orchestra
Violin I
Jason Neukom - concertmaster
Rochelle Agnew
Katie Pierson Wickesberg
Patrick Forsyth
Violin II
Jorie Butler-Geyer
Andrew Giordano
Melissa Hernandez
Hector Marchant
Viola
Johann David Diaz Ramirez
Rachel McGuire
William Holtz
Cello
Ryan Ash
Alicia Storin
Will Teegarden
Bass
Jesica Sharp Crewe
Joe Hernandez
Trumpet
Justin Kohan
Christopher Wilson
Josh Carr
Trombone
Julia Nainiger
Taylor Jones
John Humphreys
Harp
Marissa Knaub Avon
Alyssa Hensley
Piano
Amaury Morales
Percussion
Abby Langhorst
Corey Denham
Camilo Jauregui
Nomi Marcus
Colin Pinto-Martin
Festival Chorus
Soprano
Michele Bankole
Charlene Canty +
Chelsea Cockburn
Amelia Baisley D’Arcy +
Victoria Fisher
Tricia Hixon
Kathryn Kane
Bethany Mingle
Janet Sarbaugh
Alto
Emma Berkowitz
Zanna Fredland +
Keri Hoffmann
April Jackowiak
Emily Leal-Santiesteban
Liāna Lloyd
Emily Marinan
Kelly McElhinny
Beth Michael
Timothi Williams +
Tenor
Andrew Bloomgarden +
Cody Burke-Sweet
Zhen Yu Ding
Aleç Donaldson
Kyle Duff
Robert Frankenberry +
Jim Heinrich
John Milnthorp
Donovan Smith +
Bass
Jake Churilla +
David Ieong
Franklin Mosely
Scott O’Neal
Ivan Plazačić +
Henry Podoll
Lucky Rattan
Rick Robinson
Dwell Together on the ResWorks Blog:
In the Press:
First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh
159 N Bellefield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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The most convenient accessible street parking is along Bayard, on the church (southeast) side of the street. Proceed along the back side of the church past the turnaround, and make a left just past the church building. Alternatively, the neighboring garage (see above) does include an elevator, which exits near the accessible entrance to the church. From the church's accessible door, you will proceed straight through the social hall, then to the right to a side entrance into the sanctuary -- we will have a greeter to direct you. All of the seating in the space is pews, and unfortunately there are no short rows, but there is sufficient room in the aisle for a wheelchair. There is one accessible bathroom on the same level as the sanctuary.
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church
384 Fox Chapel Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
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Entrance Option #1: There is a side entrance, just off Field Club Road before turning into the main parking lot, which will allow you to enter just outside the sanctuary. This is entirely flat, there are several accessible spots outside, and is the shortest route.
Entrance Option #2: If the spots above are taken, park in one of the accessible spots in the main parking lot (accessed from Field Club Road), enter through the doors facing the parking lot (we'll have a sandwich board outside), and proceed mostly straight, following the signs for the sanctuary. You'll pass through an atrium: the sanctuary entrance will be directly ahead of you. There are several inclines along the way.
Seating: If you'll be using a wheelchair, once in the venue you can either place it at the end of a pew in the center aisle, or there are four shorter pews about 2/3rds of the way up, where you can pull in next to the pew on the left or right of the space.
If you have questions about accessibility, please do not hesitate to contact Brennan Sellner at brennan@resworks.org or 412-501-3330 (please note that this is an office number, and cannot receive texts).