Why do we keep turning against one another – and how do we find our way back?

That question is at the heart of Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. Inspired by the events surrounding Kristallnacht in 1938, Tippett asks: if every one of us is capable of both darkness and light, what happens when fear, anger, and hatred take over?

Through powerful music for chorus and orchestra and beloved spirituals including Steal Away and Deep River, Tippett explores the role art can play when the world feels increasingly fractured, and how we can overcome our own acts of inhumanity by choosing compassion over hatred and understanding over fear.

We round out the concert with Paul Hindemith’s Symphony, Mathis der Maler, drawn from an opera that put him at odds with the Nazi regime. This piece explores the responsibility an artist has in the face of political forces demanding silence or conformity. Together, these works remind us of art’s power to challenge and connect us.

Presented in partnership with the Mannes School of Music, this performance features the New York Choral Society, the Mannes Orchestra, and soloists Laquita Mitchell, Margaret Lattimore, William Burden, and Stephen Powell.

Please note: this event is presented by an outside licensee and is not a production or presentation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts or a Lincoln Center resident organization.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or [email protected].