A Tender Bridge
Collaborating with award-winning children’s author and illustrator Ashley Bryan (1923-2022), composer Aaron Robinson has created his most monumental work to date: “A TENDER BRIDGE” for Orchestra, Chorus, Children’s Choir, Soloists, Jazz Ensemble, and Narrator. The multi-movement work for the concert stage draws upon the Requiem Mass as its basis, while simultaneously celebrating the life, career and legacy of the late Ashley Bryan through selected text from his prose, poetry, and personally chosen biblical passages.
The score brilliantly incorporates diverse musical genres and idioms found within the African American culture interconnected with the traditional forms of the Requiem Mass. The stage characters tell a story that find their roots firmly based within the writings of Bryan and his quote: “I always confuse the past and the future, the way I mix up death and life – they are connected by a tender bridge. This is why stories are at the heart of civilization.”
A TENDER BRIDGE was originally commissioned with a scheduled 10-city consortium premiere season beginning in January 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the consortium premieres were cancelled. A TENDER BRIDGE has yet to be premiered and is now available for performance worldwide.
For more information or to obtain a copy of the score: please contact the composer on the CONTACT PAGE of this website.
