Performers:
Marta Aznavoorian, piano soloist
Chicago Philharmonic, Scott Speck, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Tiana Sorenson, soprano
Leah Dexter, mezzo-soprano
Cameo Humes, tenor
Khary Laurent, bass
Apollo Chorus, Stephen Alltop, Music Director
Program:
Pre-Concert Talk (6:30pm)
Panelists
Karen Freeman-Wilson | President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League
Loki Karuna | Executive Director - American Composers Forum
Damien Geter | Composer - An African American Requiem
Moderator
LaRob K. Rafael - Artistic Director - Ear Taxi Festival
Stacy Garrop † | Invictus *
-Intermission-
Damien Geter † | An African American Requiem ^
*World Premiere Performance
^Midwest Premiere Performance
† Illinois-based Composer
This program brings together two bold, deeply expressive works that center the composer’s voice in all its power, vulnerability, and urgency. This culminating performance of the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival—celebrating the theme The Composer’s Voice—invites us to reflect on what it means for music to speak directly to our moment in time.
The evening begins with the world premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Piano Concerto No. 1 “Invictus”, performed by internationally acclaimed Chicago pianist Marta Aznavoorian. Known for her dramatic and emotionally charged music, Garrop crafts a narrative of resilience and personal strength through the soloist’s voice. The title, Invictus—Latin for "unconquered"—draws inspiration from William Ernest Henley's iconic poem of the same name, which champions the human spirit in the face of adversity. Garrop's concerto traverses moments of lyrical introspection, fierce determination, and triumphant resolve, giving the piano a role that is both narrator and survivor.
In the second half, composer Damien Geter’s monumental An African American Requiem offers a powerful reckoning with racial injustice while honoring the memory of Black lives lost to violence and oppression. Premiered in 2022, the work merges the traditional Latin Requiem Mass with spirituals, contemporary texts, and moments of spoken word. Performed by the Chicago Philharmonic and Apollo Chorus, this performance marks the midwestern premiere and a significant moment for Chicago audiences to encounter a work that confronts grief, celebrates cultural identity, and calls for collective healing.
Together, these works exemplify what 21st-century composers are capable of: giving voice to personal truth and communal experience, expanding tradition, and crafting music that resonates with a modern, diverse audience. As the final note of this year’s Ear Taxi Festival rings out, we invite you to carry these voices with you—and to keep listening.
