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#BlackLivesMatter #RacialEquality

During this moment of great stress and trial for our beloved nation, we at Camerata want to express our solidarity with all victims of oppression and injustice, and most particularly with our fellow-American brothers and sisters of color.

This Revolutionary song, “Free America,” inspired the theme of our most recent CD recording. The lyric you will hear speaks of resistance to tyranny, and in our opinion it is as contemporary and relevant as the day it was penned. Joel Frederiksen is the soloist.

Guard your rights, Americans!
Strasbourg 2019

Lift up your Hands, good People!
And swear with proud Disdain,
The Wretch that would enslave you,
Shall [lay] his Snares in vain;
And should [he summon] all [his] force,
We’ll meet them in Array,
And fight, and shout, and shout, and fight,
For [free] Americay!

Source: The American National Song Book (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1842). Text, after Joseph Warren (1741-1855), sung on The British Grenadiers

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“At this time it’s important for people to understand that art is part of the social fabric, and is in fact an economic motor of that social fabric too,” says Camerata Artistic Director Anne Azéma in a new article from WBUR’s The ARTery. This article focuses on what the way forward might look like for solo musicians (pianist Marc-André Hamelin is also featured) and ensembles.

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I first welcomed Reynette Estellien into our circle of Boston Camerata collaborators when she was a young student, singing with heart and soul as a member of the “Nueva España” cast. In successive years she helped to organize “Les Fleurs des Caraïbes” for their numerous collaborations with us. Two decades later, she still puts everything she has into her music-making, as those who recently saw and heard her at our December 2019 Christmas concerts can attest.

And you can also witness, in this video clip Reynette just sent us, the same passionate commitment she gives to her music, here also evident in her professional life as a medical researcher. She and her laboratory co-workers are looking for a vaccine to COVID-19, and we wish her, and them, every possible success! At Camerata we have always believed that there is a continuum between the focused, committed love that artistic work requires, and the human challenges of life in general. Reynette Estellien is our shining example of how good personal values apply, everywhere, all across the board.

Reynette, we are so proud of you. And how privileged we are to have you as a part of the Camerata family! We look forward to receiving more of your hopeful news.

Joel Cohen
Music Director Emeritus

Hear from Camerata colleague Reynette Estellien

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As Camerata plans its future, we are seeking your opinion on some vital questions.

In the confines of our home, most of us have experienced streaming music recently. Perhaps you have also enjoyed some of Camerata’s recent online moments, shared with our friends via our newsletter and social media.

So here is where we turn to you. If it should happen that concert venues, performance halls and churches, are not open to us for the 2020-2021 Boston Season, we are actively exploring the possibility of creating an online presence for you and others. We have prepared a short survey (3-4 minutes) to hear what you would like to see and hear from the Camerata in the months ahead.

Thank you very much for participating in this inquiry. When it’s complete, we will share the results with you.

Keep Music Alive!

Brett Donham
President
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