Can You Hear God Crying?
Hannibal Lokumbe
Presented in Association with Arts Sanctuary
About the Project
Award winning trumpet player and composer, Hannibal Lokumbe’s groundbreaking work Can You Hear God Crying? details his great grandfather Silas' journey from despair and enslavement to a fuller understanding of faith and spirituality.
Can You Hear God Crying? themes go beyond the literal. Silas’ story parallels the struggle that all humans experience as they wander in the dark, searching for help and healing, and listening for God’s songs as a beacon back to faith and peace.
Artist Elements
This collaborative work will feature a wide range of musical partners including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Mass Choir, solo vocalists, the Musical Liberation Orchestra and Homayun Sakhi, a renowned Afghani Rabab plyer. The piece will be directed by the Chamber Orchestra’s director, Maestro Dirk Brosse.
Listeners will be swept away by Lokumbe’s innovative fusion of West African prayers, songs, and rhythms with a variety of musical styles including gospel, jazz, and chamber music.
How YOU can help!
"I have never met a criminal, only those who can no longer hear God crying..." — Lokumbe.
As part of this project, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is engaging in a number of community outreach and educational events that will address the themes in Can You Hear God Crying? These initiatives will create a meaningful connection between Lokumbe’s work and the communities here in Philadelphia.
This includes:
- Bringing the Music Liberation Project to the Philadelphia Prison System
- Creating new opportunities to involve families and victims in the healing process
- Partnering with Arts Sanctuary to create a greater impact and reach new audiences
- Involving prisoners transitioning out and those on work release
- Developing new opportunities for education and dialogue both before and after the premiere.
To learn more about the Music Liberation Project, watch these videos:
> Lokumbe leads prisoners to redemption
> Music delivers the message
The Kimmel Center is dedicated to expanding Hannibal's message of redemption and hope to the community. But in order to succeed, we need your help!
Please consider making a donation to help defray the costs of this extraordinary project. No amount is too small and any support you can give is deeply appreciated.