Pauli Murray Commission

By  GALA Expert 

 June 27, 2024 

  

Bring the new Pauli Murray Commission to your chorus for 2025-2026 Seasons!

30 year old African American Pauli Murray in black pants, cropped jacked and a scarf.

 

The text,

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray: civil rights activist, lawyer, poet and ordained priest. Pauli was born in 1910 and today would have likely identified as transgender or nonbinary. Learn more about Pauli.

GALA Choruses has brought Pauli’s story to life with a 10-movement dramatic cantata by composer Steve Milloy, libretto by Kim Hines, and Jane Ramseyer Miller as dramaturg. River City Mixed Chorus (Omaha) is the lead commissioning chorus and we are welcoming 10-12 additional choruses to join the Commission Consortium.

Request Info or Join the Commission Consortium

Three preliminary songs were performed at the GALA Choruses Festival 2024 by the River City Mixed Chorus as part of the Legacy Blockbuster Concert. Check out the video recording!
1. My Boy Girl
2. Brown vs Board of Education
3. Riding the Rails

Pauli Murray Commission Timeline

July 2024 Three song drafts premiered at GALA Choruses Festival
Oct 21 & 22, 2024 Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray reading performed at Nautilus Theater “Rough Cuts“
Nov 2024 Final score and libretto edits based on Rough Cuts responses
Jan 2025 Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray Commission completed!

Performances

April 5, 2025 River City Mixed Chorus, Omaha, NE Premiere Performance – tickets
May 10, 17-18, 2025 OurSong Atlanta, GA performance
November 2025 World House Choir, Yellow Springs, OH
June 2026 The Quire, Iowa City IA
2025-2026 Performances by Commission Consortium Choirs

Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray Commission

  • 60 minute multi-movement work scored for SATB or SSAA chorus
  • 2 soloists/narrators (Mezzo and Alto), piano and optional band: bass, drums, guitar, synth, clarinet/sax.
  • Musical styles of the 10 movements follow the periods of Pauli’s life starting with music of the 1920s, including references to Civil Rights songs and some of Pauli’s favorite Classical works, up to music of the 1970s and ‘80s.
  • Commissioning choruses join with a sliding scale from $2,500-$5,000.
Support this commission with a donation

Learn about Pauli’s role in developing the concept of Intersectionality as Pauli advocated for both race and gender rights.

In black and white, Pauli Murray sits at a desk writing, wearing clerics with a cross on the wall behind.