Through the powerful medium of jazz, and honoring the profound importance of music in Harriet Tubman's life, Shelby's oratorio tells the remarkable story of Harriet Tubman, a woman who rose out of humble beginnings, escaped slavery, and dedicated her life to challenging the grace injustices in her day…Working though the Underground Railroad, Tubman personally led 70 slaves, mostly family and friends, out of bondage at great risk to her own life, and inspired dozens more to grasp freedom on their own. During the Civil War, she led raids for the Union and served as a nurse, scout, and spy. After Emancipation, Tubman turned her great energy toward the woman's suffrage movement, again hoping to push our nation to live up to its responsibility to stand for true civil rights for all. Throughout her life, this courageous woman worked to unite American women and men of all colors and classes in a common struggle for liberty. "Harriet Tubman Bound for the Promised Land" is an original secular oratorio for jazz orchestra and chorus composed and written byMarcus Shelby, based on the critically acclaimed biography, Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, by Kate Clifford Larson (Ballantine/One World, 2004). The oratorio and supporting outreach and education materials tell, through music, the compelling story of Harriet Tubman, a genuine American hero. Marcus Shelby has received generous support from several San Francisco area arts, cultural, and educational organizations and institutions, including the CreativeWork Fund, the LEF Foundation, and the Committee for Black Performing Arts at Stanford University to compose a new work on the life of Harriet Tubman.
Visitor Information: Currently open to public.
Location: 48 Sycamore Street #3, San Francisco, 94110
National Park Unit: No
Ownership: Marcus Shelby
Location Type: Program
Freedom Seekers: Harriet Tubman
UGRR Operatives: Harriet Tubman