Justin Hopkins and Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, with Raehann Bryce-Davis, John Holiday and Will Liverman

A Kudu Productions recording project

Songs of Comfort

The Music of Florence Price & Margaret Bonds

Justin HopkinsRaehann Bryce-DavisJohn HolidayWill Liverman

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About

Two American composers, one piano, 4 astounding voices.

Florence Price and Margaret Bonds wrote some of the most beautiful songs in the American repertoire, and for decades too few people heard them. Price was the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. Bonds was her student and close friend, and set the poetry of Langston Hughes and the great spirituals with a voice entirely her own.

Songs of Comfort brings their music to the incredible concert halls of the Crane School of Music, is recorded for commercial release and is conceived for becoming a one act musical revue, about the relationships of Price, Bonds and Hughes and the “influencers” of their time they had to endure.

How it began

Songs of Comfort began during the pandemic, when concert halls went dark. Jeanne-Minette and bass-baritone Justin Hopkins recorded Price and Bonds songs for a series of films, sharing them online when live music couldn’t be shared any other way.

Film from the Songs of Comfort series
coming soon

What began as comfort in isolation became the seed of a commercial recording, with some of the finest singers of our time. Commercially available in 2027.

The artists

Portrait of mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis

Raehann
Bryce-Davis

Mezzo-soprano

Photo: Wolf-Dieter Grabner

Portrait of countertenor John Holiday

John
Holiday

Countertenor

Photo: Shervin Lainez

Portrait of bass-baritone Justin Hopkins

Justin
Hopkins

Bass-baritone

Portrait of baritone Will Liverman

Will
Liverman

Baritone

Photo: Daniel Welch

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Funders & friends

New work needs champions. Help us build puppets, commission music and bring families back to the concert hall.

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Premieres, recordings and behind-the-scenes news. A few emails a year.

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Orchestras & presenters

Bring Babar & The Piano or Songs of Comfort to your hall, festival or season. We will tailor the production to your forces and your audience.

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Developing partnerships with

Fractured AtlasNonprofit fiscal sponsor
SANParksConservation partner

With acknowledged support from

The Crane School of MusicSUNY Potsdam

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