Crawford, of Fairfield, was shot to death Aug. 5, 2014, at the Beavercreek Walmart by Beavercreek police Officer Sean Williams. A 911 caller told dispatchers a Black man was holding a rifle, appeared to be loading it and waving it near people. Crawford was holding a Crosman MK-177 BB/pellet rifle that he found unboxed on a store shelf. Crawford was 22.
“Everything in this program flows from Joel Thompson’s ‘Seven Last Words of the Unarmed,‘” said DPO Artistic Director and Music Director Neal Gittleman. “When I first heard the piece a few years ago in the original version for men’s chorus, string quartet and piano, I thought, ‘What an amazing work. Beautiful. Thought-provoking. Powerful. Tragic. Heartbreaking. Necessary.’ My second thought was, ‘I wonder if he’ll ever expand it for a full mixed chorus and orchestra?' It turned out that he would. And here we are.”
The composition’s varied nature also appealed to him not only musically but emotionally.
“In each of the seven short movements, Thompson creates a different mood and explores a different set of emotions but it all holds together as a single emotional journey,” Gittleman said. “And that’s the piece’s real power … that in a little over 15 minutes it delivers such a powerful experience for listeners and performers alike. Each person’s journey will be different. But it will be powerful in a way that not many pieces are.”
According to the DPO website, “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” was also inspired by the “Liturgy of the Seven Last Words of Christ.” The piece “emerged from a moment of personal pain — a response to the lack of accountability in cases of police-involved deaths.”
“I wanted to document the grief that I was feeling and the anger,” Thompson said.
The DPO regards his work as “a haunting musical experience that demands listeners confront uncomfortable truths about race, justice, and humanity.” The composer views the piece as a “modern spiritual,” transforming pain into art.
“It allows us to see each other more clearly,” Thompson said, “recognizing our shared humanity rather than our differences.”
Hear selections from “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” with reflections from Joel Thompson
The concert’s featured artists are soprano Kayla Oderah and baritone Benjamin Taylor. Last season, Oderah made her Opera Memphis debut as Musetta in “La Bohème” as well as Linfea in “La Calisto.” In 2023, Oderah sang as a Dayton Opera Artist-in-Residence where she performed the role of Woglinde in “Das Rheingold.”
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
This season, Taylor debuts at Arizona Opera for “La Bohème” (Marcello), Charleston Opera Theater for “La Bohème” (Schaunard) and Washington National Opera for “Porgy and Bess” (Jake).
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
The Dayton Philharmonic Chorus, directed by Steven Hankle, will also participate.
Bookending the program, which is slated to run 1 hour and 15 minutes without intermission, are two contrasting works by Lili Boulanger (“Of a Spring Morning,” “Of a Sad Evening”) and Gabriel Fauré‘s expressive “Requiem, Op. 48.”
Following the concert, a panel discussion will be moderated by Rev. Joshua Ward, senior pastor of Omega Baptist Church who serves on the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s board of trustees. Panelists on Friday will be Dr. Rosalyn Y. Brown Beatty, Dr. Sam Dorf, Sierra Leone, and Thompson. Panelists on Saturday will be Dr. Rosalyn Y. Brown Beatty, Dr. Sam Dorf, Sierra Leone, and Gittleman.
Ward is encouraged by the diversity the concert provides, particularly in terms of DPAA expanding its audience for classical programming.
“The arts are for everyone,” Ward said. “It’s one thing to say it but another thing to create an atmosphere within the organization that becomes our reality, including which works we platform. This weekend’s performance is another really positive step toward that end. Even with the movement that we see on the national front, diversity is still important. Inclusion is still important. Recognizing and celebrating our different lived experiences is still important.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He also hopes “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” will spark healthy, reflective discourse about social justice within the local, national and global community.
“Each of the young men who are featured in this piece, the stories are tragic and we know they are just a sampling,” Ward said. “It’s important to honor them. It’s so important that we continue to tell their story. The hope is that as their story is told, we emerge better and stronger. Hopefully by being willing to tell their story, perhaps it raises awareness or is a call to action to care about one another’s struggles.”
Thompson also recognized the necessity of building bridges in order to carve a productive path forward.
“I want the piece to light a fire,” he explained, “to recognize that change happens on the ground — in our workplaces, schools and interactions with neighbors.”
Staff Writer London Bishop contributed to this article.
HOW TO GO
What: DPO Masterworks Series presentation of “Requiem” featuring “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton
Cost: $7.50-$92.50
More info: 937-228-3630 or daytonperformingarts.org
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