Durham Symphony Orchestra
On February 14th, 2025, the Durham Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will present an uncommon tale of love—a unique and personal tribute to the healing power of art and community. This free concert, Voices of the Unarmed, offers an impassioned program weaving together music, text, and conversation as it explores the themes of justice, love, and resilience. The event features Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed (for chorus and orchestra), a poignant tribute to unarmed Black men killed by police and authority figures. The North Carolina Central University Choir and the Concert Singers of Cary join the DSO for this performance. The DSO will also foreground the work of Durham’s nationally recognized HEART program as it features the premiere of a work by critically acclaimed composer Herman Whitfield III. Whitfield, a young African American composer, was killed by Indianapolis police while experiencing a mental health crisis in his home. The hope-filled words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will close the program in William Henry Curry’s stirring Eulogy for a Dream: “We will. . . transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” Audience members are invited to a panel discussion with the artists, the parents of Hermann Whitfield, and leaders from Durham’s faith, law enforcement, civic justice, and educational communities.
About the Durham Symphony
Founded in 1976, the DSO offers affordably priced or free concerts in a wide variety of community spaces. Concert programs range from Baroque to contemporary plus the best of Broadway, Jazz, and Hollywood. The orchestra regularly features works by American composers, composers of color, and women plus a diverse array of guest artists. The DSO performs often with young musicians and is committed to demonstrating that the joy of orchestral music belongs to everyone as a natural part of community life. In 2009, conductor/composer William Henry Curry was named Music Director of the DSO, becoming the first African American music director of a symphony in the South and greatly enriching the DSO’s mission with his exceptional experience in education, outreach, and diverse programming.
Founded in 1976, the DSO offers affordably priced or free concerts in a wide variety of community spaces. Concert programs range from Baroque to contemporary plus the best of Broadway, Jazz, and Hollywood. The orchestra regularly features works by American composers, composers of color, and women plus a diverse array of guest artists. The DSO performs often with young musicians and is committed to demonstrating that the joy of orchestral music belongs to everyone as a natural part of community life. In 2009, conductor/composer William Henry Curry was named Music Director of the DSO, becoming the first African American music director of a symphony in the South and greatly enriching the DSO’s mission with his exceptional experience in education, outreach, and diverse programming.