Musical Louisiana: America’s Cultural Heritage, presented annually by The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, is both a concert for music lovers and an educational experience for students.
The 15th edition of this program resurrects two forgotten sets of music from the 18th-century Caribbean. A selection of arias will highlight the short, brilliant career of Minette Ferrand, the first title-role soloist of color in the history of French opera. The concert will also feature a 1763 Mass setting designed to be sung for and by enslaved people. Guest conductor Pedro Memelsdorff spent over a decade researching this music, which has rarely been performed.
Concert Spirituel: Saint-Domingue and New Orleans
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter
7:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Listen live on WWNO 89.9 FM, Classical 104.9 FM, or KTLN 90.5 FM in the Houma-Thibodaux area.
Concert Spirituel is sponsored by the Edgar “Dooky” Jr. and Leah Chase Foundation, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund. This program is also supported in part by a grant from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), a state agency.
In addition to the performance, the series provides educational packets to more than 2,000 fifth- and eighth-grade teachers in Louisiana's public schools. The packets, which consist of a CD, DVD, classroom activities, and lesson plans, are also distributed to members of the Louisiana Association of Symphony Orchestras in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Shreveport, and Monroe.
Since the program’s inception, Musical Louisiana has garnered both local and national recognition. The 2008 presentation, “Music of the Mississippi,” won the Big Easy Award for Arts Education; “Made in Louisiana” (2009) received an Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts; “Identity, History, Legacy: La Société Philharmonique” (2011) received an American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius grant from the National Endowment for the Arts; and “Envisioning Louisiana” (2013) won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support its educational component. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation made possible the streaming of the 2012, 2013, and 2014 concerts. The 2014 program, “Postcards from Paris,” attracted viewers in ten countries and reached 26,000 listeners through public radio broadcasts.
We invite you to support the Musical Louisiana series through a voluntary donation. More information is available by calling (504) 598-7109.