Steven Kirby "Go Down Moses" Harry T. Burleigh Society Tribute

Baritone Steven Kirby sings Harry T. Burleigh's concert spiritual "Go Down, Moses," accompanied by Kamel Boutros. This spiritual calls for liberation from enslavement. Burleigh recorded his concert spiritual “Go Down, Moses” in 1919, a piece which was popular among Jewish audiences through Burleigh’s work as a member of the choir at Temple Emanu-El for 25 years.

Kirby and Boutros performed as a part of the Harry T. Burleigh Society tribute to Burleigh's Annual Service of Negro Spirituals on Friday, March 31, 2017 at St. George's Church in New York City.

The Harry T. Burleigh Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advances Burleigh Studies through scholarship and performance. African American baritone and composer H. T. Burleigh (1866-1949) is the leader of arranging and publishing the solo concert spiritual, a radical art song genre of the Western tradition that draws from the experiences of enslaved Africans in the United States to express Christian declamation and a command for freedom. The Society collects and supports scholarship about Burleigh and the concert spiritual, and promotes performances of Burleigh’s compositions. Grounded in African American history and culture and committed to social justice, the Society fosters interrelationships between scholars, artists, and institutions through enabling the accessibility, audibility and legibility of Burleigh’s work.

https://www.burleighsociety.com/