Here I Stand: Paul Robeson- A Life and Legacy in Word and Song

Celebrating Paul Robeson – Consummate Artist-Citizen (1898-1976) Patrons 18 and under can secure free tickets by emailing boxoffice@paramounthudsonvalley.com Students and Seniors 65+ receive a 50% discount on tickets. All-American Football star, Valedictorian Phi-Beta Kapa Rutgers 1919, Columbia trained lawyer, world-renowned actor, and globally celebrated bass-baritone¬¬––Robeson used his voice in speech and song in the fight for equal rights in the US and in solidarity with disenfranchised people everywhere. Targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, he lost his passport, career, and health¬¬––but never his loyalty to his convictions. There is a famous story that Caesar once visited a statue of Alexander the Great, fell to his knees, groaned audibly, and lamented aloud that by his own age Alexander had already conquered the world, and that he, Caesar, felt he had done nothing in comparison. Singing with Cleveland Opera I performed the role of Caesar in Handel’s Julius Caesar*. I received great reviews, and at the curtain call of opening night I heard someone yell out, “Hail Caesar!” Yet, like Caesar, when I began reading about the accomplishments of Paul Robeson, despite all my awards and performances at La Scala and other great opera houses, I had the feeling of wanting to GROAN at the fact that I have accomplished NOTHING in my life in comparison to this great man, whose many accomplishments we are still discovering for the first time, because there were those who sought to wipe out every memory of his very existence. ~Mark S. Doss ABOUT MARK S. DOSS- Beginning his illustrious career on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Mr. Doss’s vocation has taken him to the most prestigious opera houses in the world, among them numerous roles at La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, the Teatro Regio in Turin, and La Monnaie in Brussels. He has also had important debuts with the Vienna Staatsoper (Amonasro in Aida), the Berlin Staatsoper, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and the Theatro of Sao Paulo in Brazil (Jochanaan in Salome), and the New National Opera in Tokyo (the Hoffmann Villains). ABOUT PEGASUS: THE ORCHESTRA- A piano quintet comprised of musicians from Pegasus: The Orchestra’s will perform Here I Stand with Mark S. Doss for the 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the Peekskill Riots. Founded in 2018 by Armenian-American composer, conductor, and concert pianist Karén Hakobyan, Pegasus: the Orchestra is an exciting and resourceful nonprofit professional orchestra. Its mission empowers rising musicians with artistic freedom and promotes performances of inventive repertoire in an environment that supports creative thought and expression. “We as humans have always dreamt of defying gravity! Music does just that––it gives us wings.” *As a reminder, no outside food or drink permitted in the venue. Any patron found with outside alcohol, is subject to removal. Backpacks and large bags are not permitted inside the venue.