World Premiere

Shall We Gather at the River

Reginald Mobley
Nick Pritchard
Wu Tong
Oxford Bach Soloists
Peter Sellars

World Premiere

Shall We Gather at the River

Reginald Mobley
Nick Pritchard
Wu Tong
Oxford Bach Soloists
Peter Sellars

May 21, 2024

Wade Thompson Drill Hall

For more than 400 years, the Black American spiritual tradition has moved over, across, and through the waters—waters of life force, passage, cleansing, resistance, and renewal—depicted in such songs and verses as “Wade in the Water,” “Deep River,” “Crossing Jordan,” and “By the Waters of Babylon.”

The power of water and its spiritual dimensions equally resonates in the beautiful, sacred texts of Bach’s cantatas. Infused with poetry, Bach’s music sounds and speaks to every drop of water, in drought and in full flood, moving and alive.

These two musical sources flow together in an act of awakening, mobilization, and restorative beauty in the face of climate change. The Oxford Bach Soloists under the music direction of Tom Hammond-Davies and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street are joined by countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Nick Pritchard, and sheng player Wu Tong to perform a selection of Bach cantatas intermingled with spirituals in a staging by the celebrated director Peter Sellars. This musical call to action illuminates the undeniable truth that water is life, and that music is a universal language that can unite and inspire.

Co-Commissioned with the Asia Society as part of COAL + ICE: Inspiring Climate Action Through Art and Ideas, on view February 13–August 11, 2024.

Performances

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 7:30pm

Run Time

This performance is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes without an intermission.

“The voice that many in the audience left raving about was that of countertenor Reginald Mobley … pure of tone, immaculate in his articulation and with a personal approach to ornamentation that was never too much and always musical.”

The Herald (Scotland)

Gallery

Shall We Gather at the River with Reginald Mobley, Nick Pritchard, Wu Tong, and the Oxford Bach Soloists, directed by Peter Sellars at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Shall We Gather at the River with Reginald Mobley, Nick Pritchard, Wu Tong, and the Oxford Bach Soloists, directed by Peter Sellars at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Jonathan Woody and Deidra “Dayntee” Braz in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and Reginald Mobley in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and Reginald Mobley in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Shall We Gather at the River with Reginald Mobley, Nick Pritchard, Wu Tong, and the Oxford Bach Soloists, directed by Peter Sellars at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo © Stephanie Berger Photography

6/10
Jonathan Woody and Deidra “Dayntee” Braz in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo © Stephanie Berger Photography

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Jonathan Woody and Derick “Spectacular Slicc” Murreld in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Shall We Gather at the River with Reginald Mobley, Nick Pritchard, Wu Tong, and the Oxford Bach Soloists, directed by Peter Sellars at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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Quamaine “Virtuoso” Daniels, Derick “Spectacular Slicc” Murreld, Nick Pritchard, and Reginald Mobley in Shall We Gather at the River at Park Avenue Armory.
Photo: Stephanie Berger

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