In association with WomenArts, West Village Chorale and Pioneer Valley Symphony, Tianhui Ng has developed a summer sing project that offers choruses an alternative to the canonic masterworks that are the staples of choral summer sings around the world.

Using Mary D. Watkins's captivating opera, Dark River (2009) as its foundation, this summer singalong affords choruses an entry point into the rich world of music by African-American composers. Based on the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, it creates opportunities for communities to reflect on this moment in our history, the legacy of the civil rights movement and the work that awaits us.

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Featuring solo performances by Brianna Robinson in the title role of Fannie Lou Hamer, with heart-wrenching arias that are the artful transformations of Hamer's historic televised speeches, learning aids for singers, and inspiring insights into the music, and Hamer's extraordinary journey, the Dark River Summer Singalong promises a hard look at a difficult past and cautious optimism for the future.

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Dark River audio samples and text excerpts

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Read more about the 2014 performances of Dark River at Mt. Holyoke College.