Michal Dawson Connor
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About Michal Dawson Connor
Michal Dawson Connor is an accomplished performer and composer of choral, chamber, and solo vocal works, with a particular emphasis on Slave songs created before the Civil War. He was born in Jamestown, New York, and is a proud alumnus of Carnegie-Mellon University and L’Ecole Hindemith in Vevey, Switzerland - where he studied voice with Blake Stern and Helen Boatwright. Championing American composers has always been a high priority for him, and Mr. Connor has concertized extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, specializing in the rich vocal repertoire of Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and many others.
Mr. Connor’s Broadway credits include featured performances in the Tony-Award winning productions of “RAGTIME” and “SHOWBOAT”, as well as starring roles in productions of “THE MOST HAPPY FELLA”, “BIG RIVER”, and “PORGY AND BESS”. In addition to soloing on multiple occasions for President Ronald Reagan, he’s immensely proud of performing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Reverend Billy Graham, and Elizabeth Dole. Mr. Connor is a published author of “THE SLAVE LETTERS” currently available on Amazon.com. On network television, he was a guest star on “FRIENDS”, as well as several appearances on the Emmy-Award winning show “EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION” and “THE SURPRISE GARDENER”.
The Slave Letters
History Reborn
The Slave Letters is the culmination of a lifetime of work.
From 1994 to 2006, composer Michal Dawson Connor undertook an ambitious research project curating letters written by slaves and former slaves from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2007, Connor's collection was published by Janssen under the title, "The Slave Letters."
In 2017, Connor created an immersive theatrical experience drawing from the letters in his book as well as a lifetime of his own arrangements of Negro spirituals. "The Slave Letters" is an hour-long journey spanning the depths of human despair, the transcendence of hope, and the unquenchable thirst for freedom.
For more information click here for The Slave Letters website.
To view or purchase The Slave Letters BOOK on Amazon, click here.
For a signed copy of The Slave Letters, please email us HERE for instructions.