“Women’s Suffrage Suite for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra,” a selection of songs from the women’s suffrage movement, will have its world premiere on Friday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. on the grounds of the Wayne County Historical Society, 546 E. Bowman St., in Wooster. The concert is free and open to the public. Guests are asked to bring their own folding chairs. Free parking will be available in the lots of the First Presbyterian Church and St. Mary’s Church. Rain date will be Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
The suite will be performed by the Wooster Symphony Orchestra and mezzo-soprano Audrey Johnson under the baton of music director Jeffrey Lindberg. The musical selections highlight the variety of song types found throughout the women’s suffrage movement. The songs served as inspiration, provocation, and social commentary during the decades-long struggle to win voting rights for American women, culminating in the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Audrey Johnson, a classically trained opera singer, is the founder and creative force behind “Of Thee I Sing: American Heritage Through Song,” which she describes as an effort “to bring American heritage to life through music, engage audiences with American song, and inspire positive, inclusive patriotism through interactive concert programming featuring the music and history of our nation.”
Photo: Rob Slaven | 2 Slavens Photography; Header image: Karen Travis
After seeing a video of Johnson’s program “We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies!” Lindberg contacted her, suggesting that a representative selection of those songs be orchestrated into what ultimately became “Women’s Suffrage Suite for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra.” Lindberg and Johnson approached composer James Kessler, who has created scores for numerous PBS productions as well as “The Kennedy Center Honors,” to arrange the orchestral work. The commission for “Women’s Suffrage Suite” was made possible by the Women’s Committee for the Wooster Symphony Orchestra, the Wayne County Community Foundation (The Lillian Steiner Community Fund), the Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio, the 19th Amendment Centennial Committee, and the League of Women Voters of Wayne County, Ohio.
Other works on Friday’s program include Joan Tower’s “Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” and Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait.” The narration for “Lincoln Portrait” will be performed by Josephine Wright, emerita professor of music and Africana studies at The College of Wooster.
The Historical Society’s current special exhibit – “Votes for Women! Woman’s Journey to be Heard and Treated as an Equal” – looks at how the suffrage movement fits into the larger context of women’s political and social activism in Wayne County, from abolition and the Underground Railroad to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Originally scheduled to open in March 2020, it was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The exhibit, along with the rest of the Historical Society’s eight-building campus, is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., with the last tour leaving at 3 p.m. For more information, call 330-264-8856.
