7 minute read
Feature: The Art of Protest
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 .
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 .
Q: What was the ‘lightbulb moment’ when you knew this project was something you needed to undertake? A: In Boston, at the Unite the Right march with the Proud Boys and neoNazi march, there was a counter protest attended by almost 40,000 people . I remember there were various moments when someone would start singing and the group would chime in . At some point someone started singing “We Shall Not Be Moved” and only a few people sang . I was puzzled - that song has been used in documentaries and shows . How do these people not know this song? Patrick had a similar experience in a concert - no one knew the words to “We Shall Overcome .” That was our spark . That caused us to say: We should put a project together to really focus on this social activism music and celebrate it – sharing it with the generations that are here now and for the future .
Q: What emotional response and change do you hope to affect with the performance of this powerful music? A: The hope is the audience will learn this music . They will take away the sense of the importance of the music of change and activism and unrest . I hope they realize the power of music as it affects the winds of change . These songs are about social change, pulling us together towards a better future, if not for us, then for our future generations .
Q: What is your vision for the performances? A: My vision is still being formed . We definitely want to present the concerts in the community . It’s a disservice if we talk about the protest songs and the struggle of the black community or the queer community or Hispanic community, and we are going to do it in the fanciest concert hall in the upscale part of town . Our audiences should come to the communities where these struggles exist and where the afflicted live . We need to hear their story, in their front yard, and be a guest in their experience . We will give voice to a panel that will represent a variety of cultures . We also want to include and emotionally impact the well-heeled, affluent community and subscribers to any arts organizations . We want to mix all of our communities and patrons together .
Q: What changes do you hope to ignite in the community groups that you bring together? A: There’s always that goal of making the audience more aware of the struggles that exist and how they impact an individual and a culture . I want to create a space where intersectionality can occur . Each group should recognize from stories and music that the struggles in various communities can be very similar: Black, Hispanic, Queer, Trans, Women, Asian, and so many others . We should be working together towards a common goal and a better future . The things that separate us are incredibly superficial . We want to use this space and time to break down walls and let people see other people .
Q: Will you offer any avenues to help the audience continue their learning? A: I would like to have a list of organizations affiliated with our communities where people can volunteer there or make another meaningful difference . I would like for us to partner with actual activist groups and set up a table at our event where attendees can have real conversations . We want to connect our audiences with people who are trying to make change .
Q: Do you see this performance being the beginning of a larger cultural offering from Seraphic Fire? A: I don’t want this to be a one-off or one-time series of performance—I hope that this becomes the opening salvo towards really digging into this—the beginning of a bigger conversation . It’s important to understand that there is another side to music and the arts; it’s not just entertainment, but also service . This is a very important distinction .
REGINALD MOBLEY
Reginald Mobley is the curator and host of “The Art of Protest .” Reginald is experienced in leading community conversations and engaging in social issues through music . In March 2020, he became the first-ever programming consultant for the Handel + Haydn Society and is a co-author of the Black Voices Matter pledge, advocating for anti-racism in choral practice . After starting his classical career as a member of Seraphic Fire, Reginald has since been sought after worldwide as a recognized expert in Baroque, classical, and modern music, although he is vocally adept in any genre – gospel, jazz, or musical theatre .
