News release: PEV AND NICOLAS DOSMAN PERFORM BAY AREA PREMIERE OF THE CRY OF JEREMIAH BY ROSEPHANYE POWELL
April 18th Oakland performance of Jeremiah is first of three Dosman will lead with his choirs this spring, also at UC Davis and Carnegie Hall
BERKELEY, CA (March 31, 2026) – Pacific Edge Voices (PEV), an anchor of the Bay Area musical community since 1980, will present the Bay Area premiere of The Cry of Jeremiah by Dr. Rosephanye Powell on Saturday, April 18, 7:30pm, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. This one-night-only performance will be led by PEV’s new music director Dr. Nicolás Alberto Dosman.
This concert marks the first of three performances of Powell’s work that Dr. Dosman will lead in the coming months:
On May 31, Dr. Dosman will conduct the UC Davis choruses, alumni and Orchestra in their performance of The Cry of Jeremiah at the Mondavi Center in Davis.
On June 20, he will conduct the work at New York’s Carnegie Hall, in a performance featuring members of PEV and the UC Davis choirs as part of the National Masterwork Chorus and composer Dr. Rosephanye Powell as the narrator of her work.
“Rosephanye Powell is one of the most important composers of choral music in America today, yet her works have had limited exposure here in California,” said Dosman. “Her music combines jazz, gospel, blues and classical traditions in works that resonate deeply with audiences and performers alike. This kind of multi-layered music is right in PEV’s sweet spot, and I’m excited to bring The Cry of Jeremiah to Bay Area audiences and beyond this spring.”
The Cry of Jeremiah is a four-movement work for chorus and narrator; PEV will perform it accompanied by piano and percussion. The four movements relate episodes from the story of the prophet Jeremiah, with texts drawn from the Book of Jeremiah (20:9), which is a significant part of both Jewish and Christian liturgical traditions; Islam also regards Jeremiah as a prophet.
Musically, each movement draws from different traditions:
Is Not His Word Like A Fire develops out of Baroque-European contrapuntal structure and chant, with jazz harmonies and rhythms emerging.
O Lord You Have Deceived Me is characterized by African-influenced percussive vocal elements and drumming, and vocal wails reminiscent of African-American spirituals.
Cursed Be the Day includes dissonance and rhythmic tension to convey the anger of the prophet
Hallelujah! introduces gospel instrumental and vocal stylings to bring the work to its dramatic climax.
The Cry of Jeremiah anchors PEV’s April 18th program, titled “Dreams of a Better World,” which includes numerous other works that reflect that theme, including the world premiere of Alleluia by Bay Area composer and PEV member Ryan Miller.
Other works on the program include:
My Heart Be Brave by Marques L.A. Garrett; text James Weldon Johnson
I Dream a World by André J. Thomas; text Langston Hughes
Holding the Light by B.E. Boykin; text from Only Now by Stuart Kestenbaum
El Aire Baila by Jake Runestad; text from El Aire by Humberto Ak’abal
The Greatest Love of All by Michael Masser; lyrics Linda Creed
Concert details
Saturday, April 18 at 7:30pm
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito Ave, Oakland
Tickets $18-$56