Houston Grand Opera To Present World Premiere Song Cycle A VOICE WITHIN
New work by Joel Thompson and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton set to debut June 17, 2025, in celebration of Juneteenth, at Emancipation Park Conservancy's Cultural Center.
By: A.A. Cristi May. 07, 2025
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will present the world premiere of A Voice Within, a new song cycle by HGO Composer-in-Residence Joel Thompson and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, in partnership with the Emancipation Park Conservancy (EPC) and the African American History Research Center at the Gregory School. The piece will premiere on June 17, 2025 at EPC's Cultural Center, in honor of the Juneteenth holiday.
Comprised of 12 songs for soprano, baritone, and piano, A Voice Within shares the life stories of real Houstonians inspired by interviews with longtime city residents, as well as oral histories from the collections of the Emancipation Park Conservancy and the Gregory School's African American History Research Center, part of the Houston Public Library system.
Workshopped in partnership with members of the Houston community, the songs are filled with evocative imagery—including landmarks such as the Third Ward's Eldorado Ballroom, local streets and schools, and NASA—and explore themes of freedom, equality, and community. Houstonians past and present whose stories feature in the cycle include educator Margaret Fisher, community leader Jacqueline Bostic, and lawyer Bobby Caldwell.
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