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Okoye - When the Caged Bird Sings | Naxos - American Classics 8559953

Okoye - When the Caged Bird Sings

£11.91

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Label: Naxos - American Classics

Cat No: 8559953

Barcode: 0636943995327

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Vocal/Choral

Release Date: 27th March 2026

Contents

Works

Okoye, Nkeiru

When the Caged Bird Sings

Artists

Rita Coburn (narrator)
Angela Brown (soprano)
Christie Dashiell (mezzo-soprano)
Issachah Savage (tenor)
Jubilant Sykes (baritone)
Cyrus Chestnut (piano)
EXIGENCE
University of Michigan Choirs
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Kenneth Kiesler

Works

Okoye, Nkeiru

When the Caged Bird Sings

Artists

Rita Coburn (narrator)
Angela Brown (soprano)
Christie Dashiell (mezzo-soprano)
Issachah Savage (tenor)
Jubilant Sykes (baritone)
Cyrus Chestnut (piano)
EXIGENCE
University of Michigan Choirs
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra

Conductor

Kenneth Kiesler

About

Nkeiru Okoye’s When the Caged Bird Sings is a large-scale contemporary concert work that follows the journey of Cerise, whose story weaves together personal and collective aspects of Black experience. Through movements such as The Beatitudes and Sometimes Life Gets Ugly, the piece explores adversity, resilience, and transformation with a musical language rooted in classical and operatic traditions and enriched with African American folk-music influences and minimalist processes. Scored for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra, the work blends elements of oratorio, opera, and communal expression to create an expansive, emotionally resonant narrative inspired in part by themes found in the life and writings of Maya Angelou.

Award-winning director Rita Coburn produced Maya Angelou’s Oprah Radio programme and co-directed the acclaimed Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (2016), which won a Peabody Award.

When soprano Angela Brown made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Aida she earned international acclaim, with The New York Times declaring, ‘At last an Aida’. Christie Dashiell’s debut solo album, Time All Mine (2016), charted on Billboard’s Jazz and Contemporary Jazz Albums, as well as Jazz Times’ Top 50 Writer’s Ballots, Critics’ Poll. Tenor Issachah Savage has sung roles in Tannhäuser, Otello, Aida, Rienzi, and others with top opera companies, including The Metropolitan Opera.

Kenneth Kiesler, Grammy Award nominee and winner of the 2024 American Prize National Arts Award, has led over 100 orchestras across six continents. He was acclaimed for Britten’s Peter Grimes and Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Bright Sheng’s The Silver River in Singapore. As music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra (1980–2000), he appeared at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and was named Conductor Laureate for life. Kiesler has given dozens of premieres, and founded MORE (Michigan Orchestra Repertoire for Equity). His discography includes Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle (866034951), which was nominated for a Grammy Award, and Johnson’s De Organizer and The Dreamy Kid (8669041), which was included in The New York Times Best Classical Music Albums of 2023.

Cast:
- Celebrant: Rita Coburn (narrator)
- Mother: Angela Brown (soprano)
- Cerise: Christie Dashiell (mezzo-soprano)
- Guidance Counselor: Issachah Savage (tenor)
- Father: Jubilant Sykes (baritone)
- Minister of Music: Cyrus Chestnut (piano)

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