Resurrection, Part I Spirituals are an integral part of American culture. Born of the synthesis of African culture and western musical forms, shaped and molded under the inhumanity of man towards fellow man, our songs emerged as an answer to the degradation, humiliation and oppression of slavery. Spirituals are an integral part of African American heritage. From the simplicity of a simple song 'down in the valley', to the great concert halls of the world, they speak and touch the inner core of the listener. In spirituals one finds solace, humor, storytelling, instruction and release. This has been my experience from the time, as a young girl, while early in the morning as it was still dark, I would listened to my grandmother singing in the kitchen, while she made biscuits for the Sunday breakfast before church, up to this day when many times I have sung a spiritual in the quiet of my dressing room before going on stage in some of the great opera theaters of Europe. For me spirituals have been a lifeline and anchor in times of great challenge and difficulty. Now they herald a new beginning. Resurrection, Part I recreates the atmosphere of the isolation and confinement where, one singing for oneself, recalls songs which are less narrative and more personal and reflective, drawing on the spiritual for comfort, exhortation and protest, but most of all calling forth the spiritual as communion with the force from which comes very life itself. This recording displays the simplicity of unaccompanied voice, how these songs were sung in the beginning. Song becomes your companion and comforter, with remembrances of the promise of salvation and redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish to thank all who have encouraged me to work on this endeavor, especially Richard Clark who gave me help and a push when I needed it. Resurrection, Part I, the beginning. Peace to all! Carolyn Sebron 1 October 2006 ******************* Biography Carolyn Sebron Mezzo Soprano Carolyn Sebron is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, she is a Fulbright Scholar (1986). She has been the recipient of many scholarships and awards including the Corbett Scholarship. Her career has taken her to the great theaters of Europe, in particular the historic theaters of Italy. It is there that she has made the most important strides in repertoire and experience. She debuted in Italy as Carmen in a 1996 production in Palermo, Italy, and in the following years added major star mezzo soprano roles from the core repertoire – Aida, Carmen, Don Carlos, La Favorite, Samson et Dalila, Maria Stuarda, Cavalleria Rusticana and Adriana Lecouvreur. L'Arena di Verona, Bologna, Rome, Venice, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Real in Madrid, Barcelona, the Deutsche Oper of Berlin, Marseille, Glasgow, Ravenna Festival, Genova, Florence, Turin, Bilbao, the Spoleto Festival, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Macerata, Limoges, France, Sao Paolo, Brazil, Seoul, Korea, are all cities and theaters which have made her welcome. With a concert repertoire as diverse as El Amor Brujo, Alexander Nevsky and Das Lied von der Erde, she has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra during the London Proms 2001 as alto soloist in the Verdi Requiem, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Spoleto Festival in Italy and many New York based organizations including the Oratorio Society, Collegiate Chorale, Opera Ebony, New York Grand Opera, the American Composers’ Orchestra and the Bronx Arts Festival. She has appeared with the Dance Theater of Harlem as their vocal soloist for productions of Prince Igor and Songs of Mahler at City Center, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington. During a one year run of Carmen Jones in the West End of London, she performed live on the 1991 Olivier Awards broadcast throughout Europe, the Evening Standard Awards broadcast on the BBC-TV. She has been heard live in concert on WNYC-FM “Around New York” and WQXR radio stations in New York, and presented recitals in Prague, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, Cincinnati, Bermuda, Guadeloupe, Rome, Paris and Nairobi, Kenya. She will appear with the Indianapolis Symphony in February 2007 and can be heard November 4, 2006 on the Harlem School of the Arts Marathon broadcast live on WQXR-FM in New York singing Rossini and an excerpt from the opera Samson et Dalila; and December 30, 2006 at the New York Historical Society in connection with the Slavery and Civil War Exhibit. For more information go to www.CarolynSebron.com