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Heralded as a “singer of immense power and fervor” and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” by The Los Angeles Times, the “immensely gifted American bass-baritone Davóne Tines has won acclaim, and advanced the field of classical music” (The New York Times) through his work that blends opera, art song, contemporary classical, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity. Called a “next generation leader” by Time Magazine and recently named Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year, Tines is a path-breaking artist at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics. His projects include Recital No. 1: MASS, Concerto No. 1: SERMON, Concerto No. 2: ANTHEM, and Everything Rises, a multimedia musical work exploring artistic journeys and family histories, co-created with violinist Jennifer Koh. Tines makes his return to Big Ears Festival after his  performance of “Were You There” with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra string section in 2018.

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Voices soar to the rafters of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in a program led by Music Director Stéphane Denève. Opera stars Brenda Rae and Davóne Tines join the St. Louis Symphony Chorus in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, reflecting on eternal rest and consolation. Two tranquil pavanes by Fauré and Maurice Ravel invite introspection, accompanied by reverent selections by Charles Koechlin and Lili Boulanger. 

The SLSO’s performance at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is part of the Cathedral Concerts series.

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Bass-baritone Davóne Tines is already a phenomenon in the United States, but still a rising star in Europe.

In the Netherlands, we know Davóne from Peter Sellar’s opera productions, including Girls of the Golden West and Only the Sound Remains. Recently, he started his first series of solo recitals, in which he chose the holy mass as his starting point. The New York Times described his recital as “a compelling reconceptualization of the recital format from an artist who molded his warm, strong voice like clay in a bracingly vulnerable, honest performance.”  

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Contrasting religious music styles from Western European, Afro-American, and 21st-century traditions converge in Mass, a concert designed as a Catholic mass. Each of these cultures approaches beauty in a different way, yet they all critically examine how we deal with personal problems in our lives.

Originally designed as a work for bass-baritone and piano by American opera singer Davóne Tines, Mass has been adapted for the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam with the Calder Quartet performing and the voice and string quartet merging organically. The design and direction of Mass are in the hands of Lisenka Heijboer Castañón, whose love of music is the foundation for telling a story.

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In a new arrangement created by conductor Christian Reif, John Adams' massive revisionist opera-oratorio is transformed into an intimate setting for chamber orchestra. Interweaving biblical verse with poetry by Latin American writers, El Niño considers the Nativity story from Mary's perspective and explores in Adams' words, "what is meant by a miracle."

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A bass-baritone singer whom The New Yorker declared is “changing what it means to be a classical singer,”  Davóne Tines and his powerful voice first made waves leading operas by Kaija Saariaho (Only the Sound Remains), Matthew Aucoin (Crossing), and Terence Blanchard (Fire Shut Up in My Bones). But the Harvard and Juilliard graduate—who sang some of his first notes with his Baptist church choir in Virginia—really started turning heads with carefully curated, avant-garde recitals such as "Recital No. 1: MASS," a deeply personal statement that finds a throughline between Bach and the Agnus Dei. Whether in conventional roles at opera houses or with his own works that push the boundaries of what we consider “classical,” Tines has undoubtedly established himself as one of the most exciting singers of his generation. For his performance in the Matthews Theater, Tines is accompanied by the Afro-Dominican pianist John Bitoy, who’s performed with both symphonies and Sigur Rós. 

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" From the heart - May it go again - to the heart" -  This year Beethoven's Missa Solemnis turns 200 years old. The enormous opus was considered so difficult to perform that at the first performance in Vienna on May 7, 1824, only three movements were heard: the Kyrie, the Credo and the Agnus Dei.
In memory of the creation of what is now probably the most famous mass in Western art music, the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin is performing these three movements and combining them with the music of another great outsider in music history, whose work was spurned as ingenious and difficult and who is currently being rediscovered. The African-American composer Julius Eastman (1940-1990) is considered a pioneer of minimal music and the Black Lives Matter movement. His compositions thrive on contradictions: serial abstraction and great emotionality, spiritual music and queer performance art. Eastman died 33 years ago, homeless and forgotten in New York.

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Hearing in Color is proud to partner with nationally acclaimed Bass-Baritone Davóne Tines’ in a presentation of his transformational recital, MASS. The Chicago Tribune hails it as “a compelling invitation to recontextualize religious ritual..” while the Los Angeles Times praises Tines’ thrilling and distinctive voice as a “must-hear singer of opera today!” With works by Caroline Shaw and Tyshawn Sorey, accompanied by standing Hearing in Color artist and pianist, John Bitoy, this is sure to be a recital not to miss. Artistic Director, LaRob K. Rafael says this: “I was humbled to hear this recital at its initial Chicago premiere. The palatable emotion from everyone in the room brought on by Davóne’s masterful intensity and the self-reflection demanded by this incredible programming brought tears to my eyes. To be partnering with such a dynamic duo (John Bitoy and Davóne Tines’), and sharing this powerful story is work I believe will powerfully move many communities. Come and see this powerful performance produced by Hearing in Color in partnership with Epiphany Center for the Arts.

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The Dessoff Choirs & Abyssinian Baptist Church present Mendelssohn’s famed Elijah. Maestro Merriweather leads The Dessoff Choirs, the Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir, soloists, and orchestra in this grand oratorio about times in the life of the prophet Elijah.

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"In a matter of minutes, we had traversed multiple centuries and worlds, yet all the music was filtered through the taut resonance of one voice: a timbre at once grand and fraught, potent and vulnerable." - The New Yorker. Read the full article

Artist-in-residence at the Michigan Opera Theatre, Davóne Tines challenges classical conventions by bringing together music of various cultures and aesthetic currents, transporting us on a collective spiritual quest.

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In partnership with FringeArts, Opera Philadelphia and the Office of LGBT Affairs

The Bearded Ladies Cabaret returns for our third annual LATE NIGHT SNACKS, the unapologetically queer performance art pop up that makes everyone a little bit gay. Featuring a wardrobe’s worth of artists from opera singers to drag queens, cabaret stars to art clowns, and everything in between, LATE NIGHT SNACKS is here to convert you. Whether you come once, come every night, or just stop by on your way to the corner store, you’ll leave with a mouthful of rainbows and glitter on your lips. Part subversion therapy, part luxury walk-in, LATE NIGHT SNACKS invites you to join us in The Closet, our custom-built cabaret, for seven minutes in queer heaven.

An evening of new musical works by two phenomenal Black artists. Path-breaking artist, Davóne Tines, “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” according to The LA Times, premieres “Sonata No. 1: WHAT THE HELL IS SELF LOVE ANYWAY?” Samantha Rose Williams, an arts activist committed to sharing marginalized experiences with diverse audiences and creating space for critical discussion about art, culture, and social change, shares a preview of American Patriots. This new music-theater work takes an unflinching look at the reality of modern American ideals from the vastly different perspectives of 40 different Americans. American Patriots asks audiences to practice radical empathy and to actively critique the way they think about race, class, and who this country is for.

Hosted by Jarbeaux

Content Warning: Samantha Rose William’s set includes songs that may mention gun violence and death.

Lead support from the William Penn Foundation, additional support from Barbara Teichert (Honorary Producer)

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Decide at the door, $10-50 in advance

COVID SAFETY & ACCESSIBILITY

Masks are optional. More information about our COVID policies & event accessibility TBC.

Doors open at 8:30.

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Heralded as a “singer of immense power and fervor” and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times), Davóne Tines brings to the intimate Spanish Courtyard a program of spiritual and intellectual exploration that he entitles Recital No 1: Mass. Tines envisions his work as stretching the boundaries of what classical music can be — and what impact it can have on an audience. Featuring works by Caroline Shaw, J.S. Bach, Tyshawn Sorey, Margaret Bonds, and Julius Eastman, and using the framework of the Catholic Mass, Tines interweaves his own lived experience to bring audiences through themes of spirituality, justice, and identity.

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Devised by Davóne Tines for bass-baritone and pianist, Recital No. 1: MASS transforms the Catholic Mass, placing the tradition in concert with contrasting music of faith from the Western European, African American and 21st Century traditions. A conscious articulation of Tines' artistic perspective, the programme celebrates collectivity, through the connection of diverse cultures and aesthetics.

At once deeply personal, and inherently universal, Recital No. 1: MASS cycles through ubiquitous emotional processes: Kyrie, a searing cry that yearns for the release from pain; Agnus Dei, an appeal to utilise anguish; Credo, the assertion of endemic strength of will. Gloria revels in the sensation of catharsis; Sanctus illuminates generative potential amidst destruction. The Mass concludes with Benedictus, with hope: “Where there is darkness, we’ll bring light.”

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In this special charity event, conductor Oliver Zeffman and the CBSO present the first Classical Pride concert given by a major orchestra in Europe.

Featuring the world-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, an LGTBQ+ community chorus and top international soloists, this concert – presented by the broadcaster and DJ Nick Grimshaw – will celebrate the profound contribution that the LGBTQ+ community makes to classical music.

Soloists Pavel Kolesnikov, Samson Tsoy, Nicky Spence, Davóne Tines and Ella Taylor join the CBSO and Oliver Zeffman to explore music by LGBTQ+ composers, from Tchaikovsky to Poulenc and Bernstein, Caroline Shaw and a new commission from Julian Anderson. Celebrating these musicians not only for their artistic brilliance but also for their queerness, Classical Pride shows that LGBTQ+ people have always been at the heart of music at its highest level, and promises to be a thrilling evening of outstanding classical music by some of the world’s finest performers.

Tagged with:CLASSICAL MUSIC

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PROBABLY NO OTHER COMPOSER HAS DEDICATED HIMSELF TO THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IN LIFE AND WORK AS MUCH AS THE GREAT BONN MUSIC WRITER, WHOSE 250TH BIRTHDAY THE MUSIC WORLD CELEBRATED IN 2020. BUT EVEN OUTSIDE OF ANNIVERSARIES AND COMMEMORATIONS, IT IS WORTH ILLUMINATING THE DIVERSITY AND COMPLEXITY OF THIS COMPOSER TITAN.

BEETHOVEN'S MUSIC IS ALWAYS AN EXPRESSION OF HIS LIFELONG STRUGGLE FOR INDIVIDUALITY, FOR EQUALITY, FOR CHANGE, FOR A SELF-DETERMINED LIFE IN FREEDOM. A SYMBOLIC FIGURE OF THIS STRUGGLE IS LEONORE - THE WIFE OF FLORESTAN, WHO DISGUISED HERSELF AS A MAN TO SMUGGLE HERSELF INTO PRISON IN ORDER TO FREE HER ILLEGALLY IMPRISONED HUSBAND AND DEFEAT THE PRISON GOVERNOR AND HIS REPRESSIVE SYSTEM IN THE PROCESS. THE LIBERATION OF ALL PRISONERS STANDS AT THE END OF BEETHOVEN'S ONLY OPERA “FIDELIO”, A WORK IN THE TRADITION OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY OPERAS OF THE LATE 18TH CENTURY, WHICH ACCOMPANIED THE GREAT SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND UPHEAVAL IN TIMES OF STORM AND STRESS.

DOES IT NEED ANOTHER REVOLUTION TODAY TO DEFEND FREEDOM AND INDIVIDUALITY? THIS QUESTION ASKS
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER DAVID LANG IN HIS FEATURE-LENGTH OPERA PRISONER OF THE STATE – A CONTEMPORARY
AND TIMELY LOOK AT AN OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM AND THE OVERTHROW OF A MALEVOLENT
POLITICAL TYRANT. AN OPERA ABOUT THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IN THE HERE AND NOW - INSPIRED BY BEETHOVEN'S
“FIDELIO”.

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prisoner of the state is an imposing modern classic created by the Pulitzer Prize winning American composer David Lang. Performed exclusively in Rotterdam, it is a dark and futuristic rendition of the story that underpins Fidelio, Beethoven’s sole opera. Without using a single note written by Beethoven but with similar ideals, one of the world’s most prominent contemporary composers tells his own version of the well-known narrative. He has created a visual spectacle with live projections, a large male choir behind a fence, and four leading actors who correspond with Beethoven’s protagonists. Lang has worked on this ambitious music theatre project for over a decade.

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Probably no other composer has dedicated himself to the fight for freedom in life and work as much as the great Bonn music writer, whose 250th birthday the music world celebrated in 2020. But even outside of anniversaries and commemorations, it is worth illuminating the diversity and complexity of this composer titan.

Beethoven's music is always an expression of his lifelong struggle for individuality, for equality, for change, for a self-determined life in freedom. A symbolic figure of this struggle is Leonore - the wife of Florestan, who disguised herself as a man to smuggle herself into prison in order to free her illegally imprisoned husband and defeat the prison governor and his repressive system in the process. The liberation of all prisoners stands at the end of Beethoven's only opera “Fidelio”, a work in the tradition of the French revolutionary operas of the late 18th century, which accompanied the great social upheaval and upheaval in times of storm and stress.

Does it need another revolution today to defend freedom and individuality? This question asks
Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang in his feature-length opera Prisoner of the State – a contemporary
and timely look at an oppressive system and the overthrow of a malevolent
political tyrant. An opera about the fight for freedom in the here and now - inspired by Beethoven's
“Fidelio”.

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A LOST WORK REIMAGINED:
A CONSTELLATION OF POSSIBLE MASCULINES

In 1975, the composer Julius Eastman presented two works on a single program at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York: one was titled FEMENINE and the other MASCULINE. Interestingly, instead of presenting the two works on successive halves of this program, Eastman presented both works simultaneously in different locations on the Albright-Knox campus. Thus, the audience was forced to make a choice: Do they listen only to FEMENINE? Do they listen only to MASCULINE? Or do they oscillate freely between the two performances? Or could they somehow position themselves to listen to both works equally? 

These questions that Eastman thrust upon the audience were not only musical, they were both prescient and philosophical. What does it mean to be feminine? What does it mean to be masculine? Can one be one today and another tomorrow? Can one be both simultaneously? Can one be neither? Are these qualities separable? Or do they in fact contain each other? And finally: how can these constructs be expressed as music? 

To the best of anyone's knowledge, FEMENINE was the work composed first. Around the date of its completion, the work was performed several times. At its premiere, Eastman reportedly played piano wearing a dress. However, following this initial flurry of performances, FEMENINE was forgotten and, until recently, not revisited. Fortunately, both a manuscript and a recording of FEMENINE survived, and within the past five years, the piece has heroically re-emerged, becoming widely recognized as a masterwork with frequent performances around the globe.

MASCULINE, on the other hand, did not receive such a charmed fate; to this day, neither a score nor a recording survives. Not so much as a fragment of manuscript, nor an anecdote from a colleague has surfaced, thus leaving a tragic and poetically charged void where MASCULINE once was.  

Which brings us to our present project: instead of seeing MASCULINE's absence as an obstacle, we have decided to see it as a blank canvas for a new generation of artists — each deeply schooled in the lineage of Julius Eastman — to meditate, express and respond. The world has changed so much in the nearly fifty years since the composition of MASCULINE and FEMENINE. Eastman's attitudes about race, gender, and sexuality have been vindicated in so many ways. Julius Eastman is the prism, and we have asked a new generation of artists to refract their own energies and ideas through him. 

For this project, we have invited three artists — Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork, Sarah Hennies and Davóne Tines — to create works in the chasm left by MASCULINE's absence. The works are not re-creations, but rather, re-imaginings. Recalling that extraordinary day in 1974 at the Albright-Knox, we will perform these works simultaneously with FEMENINE, using the Getty's expansive campus as our grounds for experimentation. We are thrilled about this project and can't wait to share it with you.

One of the world’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders will serve as the setting for a once-in-a-lifetime performance as Music Director and Musical America 2022 Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams, members of the Louisville Orchestra (LO), bass-baritone Davóne Tines, the Louisville Chamber Choir, and solo percussionist join forces with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, directed by Zack Winokur.