The old-fashioned song (or Lieder) recital — a singer in formal attire stoically standing next to a grand piano delivering art songs in foreign languages, unamplified in a concert hall far too large for intimacy — has obviously long needed refreshing. Indeed, it has all but disappeared from American stages.
But enter Julia Bullock and Davóne Tines. Each came through town recently with a highly personal and revealing recital program of intense intimacy and theatrical originality, boldly proclaiming a new generation’s profound rebirth of the medium.
Bullock took a spectacular deep dive into a seldom-heard song cycle by Olivier Messiaen, an hour of agony and ecstasy full of obscurities about the European Tristan myth, using a French text peppered with Quechua, an indigenous South American language. Tines’ spectacular deep dive was into the magnificent 20th century Black singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson.
Music
Davóne Tines & The Truth: Conversation in Concert
about ROBESOИ: A Classical Americana Electro-Gospel Acid Trip
Presented by
Hancher
Tickets
Adults $30 / $20
Students & Youth $10
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 7:30 pm
Part of Hancher's 52nd Season
Co-commissioned by Hancher Auditorium
American bass-baritone Davóne Tines—heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the most powerful voices of our time”—brings together opera, art song, contemporary classical, spirituals, and songs of protest to tell his deeply personal story of perseverance in ways that embrace all of humanity.
In this Conversation in Concert, Tines will discuss and perform material from his Hancher co-commissioned recording ROBESOИ. In making this project, Tines grappled with his complex connections to the legacy of the famed Paul Robeson—a singer, activist, and political exile. Exploring the musical repertoire of Robeson, Tines and his band The Truth deliver us from the stage of Carnegie Hall to the floor of a Moscow hotel room, in an attempt to understand an icon by connecting with his vulnerability rather than aspiring to his monumentality.
Tines & The Truth will be joined for this Conversation in Concert by Professor Christopher-Rasheem McMillan, Associate Professor of Dance Theory and Practice & Queer Studies.
“Tines is as mesmerizing as a singer can be. His voice can fill a space and then some, ringing gloriously but also, under pressure, distorting (you might even say queering) the very space he commanded.” — Los Angeles Times
This performance will be presented in a thrust configuration (seating on three sides); capacity is 226. All seating will be set up on the Hadley stage.
Preorder food from the Stanley Café!
Avoid the lines by making your food selections before you come to Hancher Auditorium. Most entrées are only available through pre-order and cannot be purchased on-site at the performance. Snacks and beverages will be available on-site.
Orders must be placed by noon two days before the performance.
HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS
Mary K. Calkin (1925–2024)
Michael S. & Renee Favo
Mark & Fran Lundy
Gary & Nancy Pacha
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Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Paris Young in advance at (319) 467-4849 or at paris-sissel@uiowa.edu.