Chicago’s revered Black chamber music collective D-Composed makes its Harris Theater debut in collaboration with acclaimed bass-baritone, Davóne Tines and his band THE TRUTH (bassist Khari Lucas and pianist John Bitoy) for a one-night-only Chicago Premiere of ROBESOИ. Created by Tines and director Zack Winokur, ROBESOИ is a daring music theater work that tells the story of influential singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson via his vast musical repertoire across gospel, classical, Broadway, and folk music. The Chicago-exclusive version of ROBESOИ will feature D-Composed performing alongside Tines and THE TRUTH in new arrangements by Chicago composer Ahmed Al Abaca. The performance is Tuesday, October 1 at 6:00 PM at The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205 E. Randolph St.), kicking off the return of Harris Theater’s popular “Mix at Six” series this Fall. Tickets are $20 at dcomposed.com.
The D-Composed ensemble, courtesy of D-Composed. Davóne Tines in a ROBESOИ promotion image. Photo by Noah Elliott Morrison.
Kori Coleman, Founder and Executive/Artistic Director of D-Composed, shares what it means to celebrate Paul Robeson, collaborate with Tines, and present D-Composed on the stage of Harris Theater: “We're celebrating Black artists coming together by giving our flowers to an iconic ancestor, Paul Robeson, who has paved the way for so many artists today. When Davóne shared with me that this would be his next show, I immediately wanted D-Composed to be part of the Chicago run of the production. For an organization that centers Black artists and storytelling, this collaboration was a no-brainer. Our Harris Theater debut is special not only because it will mark our largest venue to date, but also in that Harris’ commitment to amplifying boundary-pushing storytelling and increasing accessibility aligns with our values, as we work to reach audiences and remove barriers to experiencing the arts. We can't wait to welcome familiar and new faces to this stage for an unforgettable night.”
Moving from the stage of Carnegie Hall to Robeson’s House Un-American Activities Committee interrogation, and from the suicide attempt in a Moscow hotel room to shock treatments that followed, the work attempts to understand an icon, not through aspiring to his monumentality, but through connecting to his vulnerability. Born in 1898 in New Jersey, Paul Robeson was not only an internationally renowned bass-baritone but powerful advocate for the rights of Black and working-class Americans. An outspoken supporter of the Soviet Union and critic of American racism, he suffered during America’s Cold War anti-communist frenzy—his U.S. passport was revoked, and he was interrogated by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Blacklisted due to his political activism, for decades it became nearly impossible for Robeson’s work to be seen in the United States. While under censorship in the U.S., Robeson toured extensively across the world, though his exile took a toll on his health leading to a breakdown in a Moscow hotel room in 1961. He returned to the U.S. for the final decade of his life with his reputation somewhat recovered from the damage of McCarthyism. Robeson’s influence—both artistic and political—is profound and the effects of his legacy are still apparent to this day.
In this concert, the audience can expect to hear snippets of Robeson’s words woven together with songs associated with him, for instance, “Old Man River”— an anthem of resilience, “This Little Light of Mine” that will bring the crowd to its feet, “The House I Live In," a masterful blend of musicality and commentary on the enduring quest for a more just and inclusive society, as well as spirituals and hymns such as "I'll Fly Away" and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen."
Acclaimed contemporary bass-baritone Davóne Tines has often been compared to Robeson in both sound quality and in his refusal to stay within the confines of classical music. ROBESOИ is a unique and powerful piece of theater that is both homage to and an exploration of the complexities of the towering figure of Robeson. Premiered at New York’s Little Island this past summer, ROBESOИ will also be performed in Los Angeles and released as an album on Nonesuch Records before arriving in Chicago.
The Chicago version will be the only presentation of the work to include the collaboration of a string ensemble. Bringing the work to life will be D-Composed ensemble members Caitlin Edwards on violin, Khelsey Zarraga on violin, Wilfred Farquharson on viola, and Tahirah Whittington on cello.
This performance contains subject material that may be disturbing or upsetting to some, including themes of self-harm.
About D-Composed
Founded in 2017, D-Composed is a Black chamber music collective on a mission to uplift and empower society through the music of Black composers. The Chicago-based creative incubator acts as a bridge between the past and present to the future of representation, music-centered experiences, and the communal power of Black composers and their impact. African Americans make up only 2.4% of American orchestras, and two-thirds of orchestra repertoire still primarily features compositions from deceased white males. Meanwhile, D-Composed is 100% composed of Black musicians, and the repertoire exclusively features the works of Black composers.
At a D-Composed program, it’s no surprise to see worlds collide - to hear the sounds of Florence Price in the same program as Solange. Holding the door open to a historically excluded experience, D-Composed is caring for communities of color via culture and creativity giving access and exposure to Black creativity, Black culture, and Black life through thoughtful programming, events, and content. As the only all-Black ensemble and the only ensemble that focuses exclusively on the works of Black composers in Chicago, D-Composed partners with institutions with a proven commitment to communities of color. They made history as the first classical music ensemble for Today at Apple on Michigan Ave and have collaborated with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, CSO MusicNOW, The Obama Foundation, Sundance Institute x Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, Steppenwolf Theater Lookout series, The Rebuild Foundation, Arts & Public Life with the University of Chicago, and are extending their reach beyond Chicago with partnerships with The Kaufman Music Center and TUCCA in Brazil.
About Davóne Tines
Heralded as a “singer of immense power and fervor” and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times), the “immensely gifted American bass-baritone Davóne Tines has won acclaim, and advanced the field of classical music.” (New York Times). Tines recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut in John Adams’ oratorio El Niño, for which the New York Times praised his “singing with warm, auburn shades and a beguiling elasticity” and the Wall Street Journal noted he “supplied male ferocity [as] God in ‘Shake the Heavens’ ... and a raging, venomous Herod.” He was nominated for a Grammy Award for the 2022 recording of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, in which he sang the title role.