Suffrage Cantata Reflections

BY MARY READ

Br and liv reward

Vox Fe so tha sticks which and hop y g women voice, and through music to affirm the worth and dignity of every person’ despite a global pandemic, and the sheer inspiration that the Women’s suffrage movement both demonstrates and provides

The richness of the historical record, previously all but unknown to most of us, is woven artfully throughout the score by Dr Andrea Ramsey Her many-layered talents as a composer, scholar and music educator shone through at every level, and spoke deeply to our diverse group of singers The centering of the marginalized voices of women of color from that time helped us contextualize suffragette history, too often written by and about white, upper-class women only We loved reading the texts of these trailblazing feminists of color, seeing their faces in archival photos, and recognizing that, without fierce representation at that critical moment in history, we would be doomed to lose our rights and have to repeat their bitter fight

Performing as a group with my sisters is very different than performing all alone in a totally quiet place, with a video track of Dr Iris Levine conducting Technological challenges notwithstanding, we DID it! The film produced by Helen Mendoza (another founding member) was astonishingly beautiful and affecting Through the music, narration texts and video the visceral experience of fear, torture, determination and triumph soared through each of us, linking us to our historical foremothers in body and breath Witnessing the reactions to our video concert r a live ACDA nt, we or the oulder, rry the mphant , g men of the earth! – stirred our hearts and lifted our heads in pride The recognition of how much work still remains to be done humbled us all

I am in awe of the orchestra, the technical support crew, and most of all, our amazing narrator Simone Ledward-Boseman The blending of historical information into each movement would not have been as effective without her voice, literally She was an integral ‘instrument’ performing on every level with the group, pacing herself flawlessly in very complicated interactions I am forever grateful to have witnessed her extreme artistry And Lisa Edwards –the piano sings with your touch and we are all transported

Many educators reached out after the concert with comments that this material needs to presented in every high school across the country I couldn’t agree more These are our foremothers, and we must continue their unfinished work, standing on their shoulders and reaching farther toward equality from a society that enjoys more recognition of diversity than ever before in our national story As we have recently seen, these freedoms are fragile, and we must dedicate ourselves to their propagation If we do, “failure is impossible”!

With pride, gratitude, and a deep sense of responsibility to carry the fight for equal rights for ALL persons forward, these are my reflections on performing the Suffrage Cantata at the Western Regional ACDA conference in March 2022