“What a privilege to bring to the screen this amazing world premiere performance for the Lexington Philharmonic.” – MICHAEL BREEDING
BACKGROUND: A highlight of the 2024 season, LexPhil presented the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Shawn E. Okpebholo’s Two Black Churches, a LexPhil co-commissioned arrangement for full orchestra featuring acclaimed baritone Will Liverman. This poignant work, originally scored for piano and baritone and commissioned by Will Liverman, reflects on the racist attacks on the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.