Singing Self, Hearing Nation: Program 1

In this program, Song of America Fellow Emma Beachy explores Margaret Bonds’s song cycle, Three Dream Portraits, which sets the poetry of Langston Hughes. With the help of performers and scholars Thomas Hampson and Louise Toppin, Emma considers who is meant to hear and sing American song.

Host, Audio Editing & Scriptwriter: Emma Beachy
Production Support: Christie Finn
Guests: Thomas Hampson & Louise Toppin

Recording:
Songs from Chicago (Cedille Records)
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Kuang-Hao Huang, piano

This program was created in 2023-2024 and released in September 2024 as part of the Song of America Fellowship Program, a project of the Classic Song Research Initiative between the Hampsong Foundation and the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.