Freedom on the Move Inspires Stunning Performance at The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted the premiere of Songs in Flight, a groundbreaking song cycle that gives musical voice to the lives of self-emancipated people. Composed by Shawn E. Okpebholo with texts curated by Dr. Tsitsi Ella Jaji and drawing on poetry by Jaji, Crystal Simone Smith, and Tyehimba Jess, the work transformed historical fragments from the Freedom on the Move database—a public archive of fugitive slave advertisements—into a powerful artistic performance. The premiere featured acclaimed artists Rhiannon Giddens, Karen Slack (soprano), Reginald Mobley (countertenor), Will Liverman (baritone), and Howard Watkins (piano), who together brought these stories of courage and resistance to life. By blending classical music with the personal histories of self-emancipators, Songs in Flight honored the resilience of those who fled enslavement while offering contemporary audiences a moving testament to memory, survival, and the enduring pursuit of freedom.

Rhiannon Giddens, Will Liverman, Karen Slack, and Reginald Mobley in Shawn Okpebholo's "Songs in Flight" -- Photo by Stephanie Berger