Ode to Understanding

Watch the video of the program.

Join us on Sunday, March 31 for Ode to Understanding, a musical event like no other, meant to inspire civil discourse.

“Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” will be performed during the first half of the concert. Written by Composer Joel Thompson, and featuring Morehouse Glee Club and FAMU Concert Choir, the musical performance quotes utterances from seven unarmed black men before they were killed.

Following the first half of the concert, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil will lead a conversation with composer Joel Thompson, FSU Police Chief Perry, and TSO Board Members Byron Greene and Patrick Slevin.  The Q&A will cover Thompson’s piece of music, the TSO’s decision to program it, and how shared artistic experiences impact the community.

The concert’s second half will present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the ultimate expression of humanity, brotherhood, bonding, and equality.

At the conclusion of the concert, the audience and the performers will be invited to break bread and talk with each other, as we seek to understand the complex issues raised by these human tragedies.