Leonid Sushansky, Aundi Moore and Carlos Cesar Rodriguez at the concert last night. Photo courtesy of Leo Sushansky.

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‘The Art of the African-American Spiritual’
By Jane Coyne
March 24, 2013

The National Chamber Ensemble presented The Art of the African-American Spritual at Artisphere on Saturday evening. It was a delightful concert with talent abounding, and the setting was most enjoyable.

The concert, which included traditional Negro Spirituals, also included a well programmed variety of genre inspired music by Antonin Dvořák, Camargo Guarnieri, and George Gershwin, and was performed by soprano Aundi Marie Moore, NCE artistic director and violinist Leonid (Leo) Sushansky, and pianist Carlos Rodriguez. Unfortunately, cellist Lukasz Syzmer, who was scheduled to appear, was indisposed and unable to perform.

Ms. Moore, an alumnus of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, opened the concert with a set of three Spirituals. With her commandingly big and beautiful voice spinning resonantly through the Spectrum Theatre, she clearly set the pace for a night of spectacular music. By the second number, Lord, how come we here, which started with Leo Sushansky beginning the piece from offstage, followed by Ms. Moore (who recently gave birth to her own first child) walking on stage singing of the haunting reality of slavery. “They sold my children away … I wish I was never born.”