Following the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre in May of 2021, Turtle Creek Chorale will commemorate one of the worst acts of racial violence in U.S. history through a commissioned piece entitled Dreamland: Tulsa 1921, presented as part of its Let Us March On! concert. Developed by Black librettist and American playwright Sandra Seaton and Black composer Dr. Marques Garrett, TCC will perform beautiful, yet heartbreaking, songs with vivid imagery and descriptions of the events. The piece is named after the Williams Dreamland Theater, one of the first buildings to be destroyed during the 1921 riot. The theater was owned by two Black entrepreneurs who played a major role in the development of Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street.”

The second act of the evening will feature uplifting choral anthems by black composers, including another world premiere of the provocative Where Are the Bodies? by Dallas-based composer Reginal White, along with many pieces dealing with the subjects of racial equity and social justice. Ranging from powerful and dynamic to challenging and provocative, the program will educate us on the continuing experiences of our Black siblings and also explore the prospect of moving forward, of reconciliation, and of hope.