Clark conductor, choir revive the memory and power of Frederick Douglass
In 1857, Frederick Douglass stood on the stage of the newly opened Mechanics Hall in Worcester and delivered an address in which he spoke about the immorality of slavery, the Dred Scott decision that denied citizenship to Black people in the U.S, and the emancipation of the West Indies in 1838.
One hundred sixty-nine years after Douglass’ words rang out, they were revived on the Mechanics Hall stage, this time set to music. “Frederick: A Cantata on the Life of Frederick Douglass” had its world premiere on April 25, conducted by Cailin Marcel Manson, director of music performance at Clark, and featuring a chorus that included the Clark University Choir.
“When we started rehearsing ‘Frederick,’ I told the Clarkies, ‘We are in a time that seems unprecedented, where everything seems volatile,’” Manson says. “‘But we are remembering one of our greatest and best, and his words are still challenging us to be better.”
