Cycles of My Being by Sorey, No (2022/2022), Jefferson Center, Roanoke, United States

From coast to coast and across the pond, tenor Lawrence Brownlee has become one of the most in-demand operatic stars of our generation. He’s garnered such acclaim as to be named a “tour de force” (Washington Classical Review) and “in a word, breathtaking” (Broadway World). His passion project, a collection of songs entitled Cycles of My Being was first premiered in 2018 at Opera Philadelphia and has since been heard at Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Kennedy Center, among others. Piano-Percussionist Composer Tyshawn Sorey and Poet Terrance Hayes, both MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant Winners, collaborated with Brownlee to create a song cycle that reflects on what it means to be a black man living in America today. You will not want to miss the power and beauty of this moment, one that reflects on where we have been as a nation and shines a light on our future.