Arts of Resistance: Music as Movement

Arts of Resistance: Music as Movement traces the ways musicians have used sound, structure, and collective action to respond to the world around them. The orchestra, directed by Dr. Rachel Waddell, opens with the explosive energy of Ginastera’s Danza Final from Estancia, a celebration of cultural identity and the power of communal rhythm. Joseph Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony follows, its staged departure revealing how artists have long advocated for humane working conditions and creative agency. After intermission, the ensemble returns for Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, a musical meditation on the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Together, these works illuminate how music becomes a form of witness, protest, hope, and, most importantly, movement.