REGINALD MOBLEY & SERAPHIC FIRE
EDUCATE AUDIENCES WITH SONGS OF PROTEST By Beth Braswell Funding Arts Network AWARE grant enables performances and discussion to support equity and broader cultural understanding
In Fall 2023, Seraphic Fire will present The Art of Protest featuring newly commissioned arrangements of protest songs from varied cultural traditions and movements including Black America, Cuban, Haitian, Chilean, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and others. This free concert and community discussion has been graciously funded by an AWARE grant (see sidebar) and will explore the right to free expression and portray how artists challenge the status quo through song. An intrinsic American value is voicing dissent through protest. Music has long been intertwined with protest, from the coded messages of songs like “Wade in the Water” that helped slaves escape to freedom to songs like “We Shall Not be Moved” that rallied crowds during protests in the U.S. union and civil rights movements. Other songs, like Chilean singer Victor Jara’s “Preguntas por Puerto Montt” or the recent Cuban anthem “Patria y Vida,” are powerful because of the directness with which they address a social issue. Music can succeed where other advocacy fails because it allows the audience to engage with difficult topics in a nonconfrontational environment. As part of the AWARE grant, Seraphic Fire will commission composers who represent the cultural background of each tradition or movement to create a new arrangement of a protest song. A post-concert community conversation will invite audience members to reflect on the music they heard, share their own experiences of protest songs, and discuss how protest songs are influential to social movements. This series of Seraphic Fire performances will be curated and hosted by Reginald Mobley, longtime Seraphic Fire artist and Programming Consultant for Boston’s Handel + Haydn Society. This free concert and community discussion will explore the right to free expression and how artists challenge the status quo through song. 16
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Reginald shares his vision for The Art of Protest and gives us a sneak peak into what the audience will experience:
Q: What was the inspiration behind creating a performance project that delves into and examines music used to voice and support social protest?
A: The inspiration comes from the world around us. The music world is inspired by nature and society. The rise of social activism in the US over the past 3-6 years has really impacted us. We are seeing how people desperately want change, and they see the need to raise their voice to make it happen. Whether you are watching in person, on the news or online, you always hear music or protest songs that galvanize and solidify this force; music gives energy to this focus. It dawned on Patrick and me that a lot of people aren’t really aware of the various protest songs that exist, now and throughout history. We talked about how these songs have strengthened protesters in their work. Practically speaking, there is a repertoire of songs from the past which provide inspiration and are still valid today. There should be a way to know the music our forefathers were using to speak out. In a way, it’s a little sad because it means those problems still exist. We remain ever hopeful.
