Merriweather sings the role of Henry “Box” Brown.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec has collaborated with librettist Mark Campbell to create the second of his “American historical oratorios.” Sanctuary Road draws on the astonishing stories to be found in William Still’s book The Underground Railroad, which documents the network of secret routes and safe houses used by African American slaves to escape into free states and Canada during the early- to mid-1800s.
Merriweather sing the role of Henry “Box” Brown in his Chautauqua Symphony debut.
“Paths to Freedom” is a concert that links aspects of American history and culture to the present day through music. Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s Sanctuary Road is based on a book by 19th-century civil rights leader William Still who would become known as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” Helping many hundreds of slaves escape to freedom, Still’s careful recordkeeping was also essential in reuniting family members who had become separated under slavery. At Sanctuary Road’s world premiere performance in 2018, the New York Classical Review praised the work as “…an oratorio in the full quasi-operatic sense, rich in character, action, and vocal display.”
