Peace Concert
Music and Readings
Celebrating the Life of Paul Robeson
Echo A Cappella Choir
Under the Direction of Howard Crossland
Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 3 pm
Howard Crossland and members of the Echo A Cappella Choir performing at Ellarslie, August 2014
$15, Members – $10
Seating is limited.
As the exhibits and events surrounding the two-months-long celebration of Paul Robeson at the Trenton City Museum come to a close, The Trenton Museum Society presents tenor Howard Crossland with the ECHO A Cappella Choir, coming together to honor the legacy of Paul Robeson and to extol the hope for world peace on September 11, the day that the world will never forget.
Paul Robeson, athlete, scholar, actor and singer used his music to share the cultures of other countries and to benefit the labor and social movements of his time. A linguist, he sang songs promoting world peace and human rights in 25 languages, including Russian, Chinese and several African languages. They were often traditional spirituals or folk songs telling of struggle, resilience and survival. In the era of the Red Scare, Robeson’s activism on behalf of world peace and human rights resulted in his persecution by the citizens and government of the United States.
The Echo A Cappella Choir, under the direction of Howard Crossland, honors the courage and legacy of Paul Robeson, performing a program of spirituals and traditional music, interspersed with readings of poetry and prose on the theme of world peace.
Native Trentonian, Howard Crossland is well known across the region in many musical genre including opera, spirituals and oratorios. He has performed in productions of Porgy and Bess with the Corpus Christi Symphony among others and has studied under Ruthabel Rollins and Margaret Kalil of the Metropolitan Opera. Under Harry Mulder’s mentorship, Howard served as assistant and later director of the Mercer County Chorus.
He has performed as tenor soloist with the Rowan Chamber Ensemble throughout the US, Europe and Russia and locally with choirs in Morrisville, Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr. In 2011 he took the Civil Rights Singing Tour to cities throughout the south. He retired in 2003 as Educational Media Specialist at the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Trenton where he was named Teacher of the Year.
ECHO A Cappella Choir, a choral group of seniors, performs spirituals and other traditional music under the direction of Howard Crossland.
Maise Daughtry has sung extensively as soloist with church choirs throughout the area, notably performing sacred song and spirituals and is a member of ECHO.
Soprano Esther Snead, a native of Hamilton, is a member of the Liturgy, Praise and Worship choir of Shiloh Baptist Church and soloist with ECHO.
ECHO is funded by a grant from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
Learn more about Robeson’s activism.
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