Agave
Reginald Mobley, countertenor
Friday, February 14, 2025 at 8pm
First Church in Cambridge, Congregational
VIRTUAL PREMIERE: Friday, February 28, 2025 at 8pm (ET)
Available to watch until March 14, 2025 at 11:59pm (ET)
Rum and Rebellion
Explore the turbulent crossroads of revolution, the rum industry, and the transatlantic slave trade in the Caribbean, South America, and Europe in a fascinating program with the San Francisco–based Agave in the string ensemble’s BEMF début alongside star countertenor Reginald Mobley. These GRAMMY-nominated collaborators explore works by Black British composer, rum merchant, and abolitionist Ignatius Sancho as well as Brazilian master José Mauricio Nuñes Garcia, grandson of sugar cane plantation slaves. Discover the unique and compelling voice of Cuban composer and music historian Esteban Salas and hear Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s setting of the earliest published text in Haitian Creole. From heartbreaking love songs to elegant chamber works and joyous expressions of faith, experience the music of a changing world through the eyes of composers whose stories are finally being told.
“It was the interaction between Agave and Mr. Mobley that created the real magic.”
