Sanctuary Road is an oratorio by composer (and Buffalo native) Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell based on the historical accounts in William Still’s book “The Underground Railroad Records.”

Still, an African-American based out of Philadelphia, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and is credited with leading at least 649 slaves to freedom, and he wrote about those experiences and the escaped slaves’ narratives.

The Underground Railroad often passed through Western New York as the escaped slaves made their way to Canada; On Saturday and Sunday, the oratorio inspired by those stories will make its way to Kleinhans Music Hall.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will present two performances of Sanctuary Road, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (March 29) and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (March 30).

Making the performance a little more special is the return of Malcolm Merriweather to Western New York as the conductor. Merriweather, a Grand Island native who now directs the New York Philharmonic Chorus, sang the baritone role on the 2020 Naxos recording of the oratorio .

Also on the program is Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, inspired by Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, which frequently came to the forefront in Montgomery, Ala.

After Saturday’s concert, BPO double bassist Jonathan Borden will host an informal discussion with fellow orchestra musicians and patrons, open to all ticketholders.

Related Media:

Promotional video for the Sanctuary Road program

Beethoven String Quartet Cycle reaches Part IV

One of the quirkier classical series is the Slee Beethoven String Quartet Cycle at the University at Buffalo’s Slee Hall.

Established by a bequest from the estate of Frederick and Alice Slee in the 1950s, the series dictates the order in which the entirety of Beethoven’s string quartets should be performed.

In Part IV tonight at Slee Hall, the Verona Quartet will perform

• String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 “Serioso”
• String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6
• String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132

The Verona Quartet will return to UB next month to finish the cycle, with Concert V set for April 10 and Concert VI on April 11. The quartet will also lead a master class on April 11.

According to UB music faculty, the university may be the only place in the country — or the world, — that presents all 16 Beethoven string quartets annually.

Related Media: