About this Event
A musical tribute to celebrate Elizabeth Jennings Graham
ELIZABETH JENNINGS GRAHAM
On Sunday, July 16, 1854, Jennings went to the First Colored Congregational Church, where she was an organist. As she was running late, she boarded a streetcar of the Third Avenue Railroad Company at the corner of Pearl Street and Chatham Street. The conductor ordered her to get o. When she refused, the conductor tried to remove her by force. Eventually, with the aid of a police ocer, Jennings was ejected from the streetcar.
The incident sparked an organized movement among black New Yorkers to end racial discrimination on streetcars, led by notables such as Jennings's father, Rev. James W.C. Pennington, and Rev. Henry Highland Garnet. Her story was publicized by Frederick Douglass in his newspaper, and it received national attention. J She was represented by the law firm of Culver, Parker, and Arthur. Her case was handled by the firm's 24-year-old junior partner Chester A. Arthur, future president of the United States.
In 1855, the court ruled in her favor. In his charge to the jury, Brooklyn Circuit Court Judge William Rockwell declared: "Colored persons if sober, well-behaved and free from disease, had the same rights as others and could neither be excluded by any rules of the company, nor by force or violence."
The jury awarded Jennings damages in the amount of $250 (equivalent to $7,900 in 2022) as well as $22.50 in costs. The next day, the Third Avenue Railroad Company ordered its cars desegregated.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Jonathan C. Kelly, musical director/accompanist
Jonathan C. Kelly is an assistant conductor at The Metropolitan Opera. He has worked in similar capacities at the San Francisco Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Theater of Lucca, and the Chautauqua Institution.
Frequently seen in concert, he has appeared with many of today’s leading performers, including Elina Garanča, Susan Graham, Hei-Kyung Hong, Anna Netrebko, Ramon Vargas, Rolando Villazon, Joshua Bell, and Sting. Formerly a lecturer at Yale University, he is a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Mr. Kelly spent his formative years in Kentucky. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Warren Jones
Nia Drummond, soprano
Described as a “moving and electrifying performer” by the Wall Street Journal, Nia Drummond is a performer who is known for combining her jazz roots, extensive operatic training, early gospel influence, and R&B stylings. This creates a unique, “genre fluid” sound that embodies the African- American experience. She is one of the premier vocal practitioners of Black vernacular music, from spirituals to the music of the present – a powerful voice that resonates throughout any space.
Ms. Drummond has been featured at the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the New World Center, the Kennedy Center, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to name a few. She has appeared with The Buffalo Philharmonic, New York Pops, St. Petersburg Opera. Ms. Drummond has collaborated with artist such as Bill T. Jones, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Valerie Simpson, and Barbara Cook.
Her opera credits include Mother Superior in Benton Hess’ Felice, the title role in Tobias Picker’s Therese Raquin, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Rosalinda in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.
A champion of African - American stories through Black lenses, Ms. Drummond premiered the role of Delia in Darryl Glenn Nettles’ The Fall of Stag Lee, based upon an African- American folk song, Stagger Lee, with Buffalo Opera Unilimited. In 2021, she appeared in the premiere of No Cowards in Our Band, created by Wayne Saunders and Anthony Knight, a performance piece based on the life and work of Frederick Douglass. She is a company member of Samora Pinderhughes’ Healing Project, an interdisciplinary project exploring the realities of incarceration and violence in the United States.
Edward Washington II, tenor
American tenor Edward Washington II was born in England raised in Saudi Arabia and lives in New York City. He studied voice at Stetson University and then attended Morgan State University for his Master’s degree. He performed with Orlando Opera, Central Florida Lyric Opera, Opera Orlando, International Festival of the Voice, Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha, Oddessy Opera, New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Washington’s roles include “Edwin” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, “Ralph” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, “Robbins” in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, “Parpigol” in Puccini’s La Boheme, “Gherardo” in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, “Spoletta” in Puccini’s Tosca, “Pang” and “Pong” in Puccini’s Turandot, “Tamino” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and “Mr. Scratch” in Moore’s Devil and Daniel Webster’s among others. He has premiered a number of new songs by American composer/arrangers including Timothy Amukele, Robert Troeger and Mark Butler. Edward soloed in concert with the United States Air Force Band, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, Morgan State University Choir, and the American Spiritual Ensemble. He was a featured vocalist twice a Carnegie Hall in New York City. He is also a proud brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Anthony Turner, narrator
Mr. Turner has performed with conductors Jesus Lopéz-Cobos, David Stern, Giovanni Reggioli, Leslie Dunner, Robert Moody, Steven Osgood, Lt. Col. Craig Jessup, and Ted Hearne. Distinguished artists: Laurie Anderson in Songs and Stories from Moby Dick, Jessye Norman in the PBS special GREAT PERFORMANCES series Aïda’s Brothers and Sisters: Black Voices in Opera, Kathleen Battle in Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey, as soloist with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Four Season’s Arts, Inc., and the United States Army Band.\
Orchestra appearances: Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Lincoln Chamber Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Phoenix Symphony.
Operatic/musical theatre roles: Tony Esposito (The Most Happy Fella), Clarence Thomas (Clarence and Anita), Harry Easter (Street Scene), Little Augie (St. Louis Woman), Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana), Dappertutto (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and Guglielmo (Così fan tutte). He has sung with Cincinnati and Cleveland Opera companies, Opera Ebony, Opera Exposures, Underworld Productions, and American Opera Projects.
He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Voice at Wagner College on Staten Island.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 30.00
