Charleston Symphony: Moravec Sanctuary Road

Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and his Pulitzer Prize-winning Appalachian Spring Suite were both written in the 1940s, during World War II, and both are dedicated to and give sound to the inspired American spirit. Samuel Barber’s familiar and heart-wrenching Adagio for Strings has resonated profoundly, especially with U.S. audiences, since its premiere in 1938.

Paul Moravec describes his and Mark Campbell’s Sanctuary Road as an “American historical oratorio” based on the writings of William Still — an African American abolitionist who aided travelers through the Underground Railroad. Still authored a book of the same name (The Underground Railroad) which told the once-secret stories of fugitive slaves and their struggles for freedom. Moravec, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, and Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell present the emotionally powerful operatic storytelling of essential American history through orchestra, soloists, and chorus with Sanctuary Road. This promises to be a performance not soon forgotten by an audience that will undoubtedly be moved.

Aaron Copland
Fanfare for the Common Man

Samuel Barber
Adagio for Strings

Aaron Copland
Appalachian Spring Suite

Paul Moravec/Mark Campbell
Sanctuary Road Oratorio for Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra (libretto by Mark Campbell)