The Freedom that is Beauty
On Sunday, June 22, 2025, the Emmanuel Concert Series presents Alfonzo Cooper, Jr. (tenor) and Joseph Yungen (piano) in “The Freedom that is Beauty,” a concert of art song, arias, and spirituals celebrating beauty and freedom. Presented in collaboration with The Brownsville Project, Dr. Cooper will perform works by composers such as G. F. Handel, Undine Smith Moore, Reynaldo Hahn, and a newly-composed work by Sharon J. Willis.
Cooper serves as Assistant Professor of Music (Voice) at Tuskegee University. He has been featured on multiple stages across the U.S. Dr. Cooper, a lyric tenor, has sung major roles in both oratorio and operatic literature. This includes Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, and Orff’s Carima Burana, Mozart’s Requiem and Die Zauberflöte. Dr. Cooper holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Voice) from Albany State University; a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in Southwest Georgia, and both Masters (2015) and Doctoral (2020) degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Emmanuel Concert Series, a ministry of Emmanuel Episcopal Parish, presents professional musicians in concert once a quarter. The series’ motto, “Cumberland’s Music, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow,” reflects the commitment to perform music reflective of Cumberland’s unique context as a cultural center for more than two and a half centuries. Through research into historic local performances, archival newspapers and other sources, the Emmanuel Concert Series strives to include repertoire pertinent to our heritage.
General Admission is $20 at the door, and students are admitted free of charge.
(Subscribers, patrons, and underwriters receive a 25% discount on tickets and a post-concert reception with the musicians. There are also opportunities to underwrite individual concerts or provide funding for the program. Patron and underwriter donations are tax deductible. For more information, contact Rev. Dr. Scott Rieker, Director of Music Ministries and Priest-Associate at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish: scott@scottrieker.com)
The venue will open at 6:00 PM.
