Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, U.S. General Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas, after the Civil War and read General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
With its juxtaposition of Handel anthems and Black American spirituals, the program by conductor Anthony Trecek-King and countertenor Reginald Mobley asked audiences to sit back and reflect.
“Apparently without knowledge — or in willful ignorance — of these critiques, the speakers at the event glorified Dvořák, Gershwin, and Ives, with “Black classical music” added as an apparent afterthought, perhaps an attention-grabbing headline to maximize attendance.”
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