Boston Conservatory Presents New England Premiere of Florence Price’s 'Song of Hope'

Boston Conservatory at Berklee will close out its fall Center Stage season with the New England premiere of Florence Price’s Song of Hope, a free performance taking place at the Old South Church on Thursday, December 8 at 8:00 p.m. The Boston Conservatory orchestra and chorus will be joined by guest soloist and renowned soprano Karen Slack, who has performed throughout the world to acclaim with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera, among many others.  

A work of remarkable beauty and inspiring optimism, Song of Hope has, for far too long, been absent from concert stages. Written in 1929, Price had recently fled the Jim Crow South as part of the Great Migration, only to encounter the uncertainty of the Great Depression upon her arrival in Chicago. Price became an important part of the Chicago Black Renaissance, becoming the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. 

“It is an honor to welcome Karen Slack to Boston Conservatory at Berklee to be a part of this special performance of Song of Hope,” said Michael Shinn, dean of music for Boston Conservatory at Berklee. “Song of Hope is a historically important and deeply moving piece. The New England premiere at the Old South Church will be a memorable evening of tremendous artistry and collaboration between the Boston Conservatory orchestra and chorus.”

Slack will also present a lecture to Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduate students and members of Boston Lyric Opera’s Emerging Young Artist Program as part of her time on campus on Friday, December 9. Her event will be presented as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Opera Innovators Series, which is in partnership with the Boston Lyric Opera.    

Song of Hope will take place at the Old South Church, located at 645 Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts, at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 8. This is a free performance that is open to the public.