The Thomasville Singers will present their winter concert, “Triumphant Journey,” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at Thomasville First United Methodist Church.

This season’s concert will feature the cantata “The Ballad of the Brown King” composed by Margaret Bonds in 1954 featuring text by Langston Hughes. The titular king is Balthazaar, one of the three Magi (“We Three Kings”). The music depicts the kings’ journey as they followed the star to Bethlehem to visit young Jesus. Bonds’ compositional genius shines in this piece. Savvy music listeners will hear moments of gospel, jazz, blues and calypso throughout the work.

“I chose to feature ‘The Ballad of the Brown King’ because I have just recently realized the work of Margaret Bonds,” said M. Nicole Davis, Conductor of the Thomasville Singers. “The text was written by Langston Hughes and gives another perspective of a familiar story. I could not pass up the chance to showcase the collaboration of these two American treasures. The title of the concert refers not only to the journey of the biblical Wise Men to Bethlehem but also the personal journeys of each performer and audience member — from seeking to triumph.”

Using The Ballad of the Brown King as a framework, the first half of the concert will take the audience on a journey through non-traditional selections that echo the sentiments of each movement from “The Ballad of the Brown King.”

“I hope the audience is inspired by the singers, mesmerized by Bonds’ music and challenged Hughes’ telling of the story,” Davis said.

This performance is part of Arts for the Community at Thomas University (ACTU) and can also be viewed online atwww.facebookcom/actu31792/live. No Facebook account is required to view.

ACTU is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

For more information about this and other ACTU events, visit www.facebookcom/actu31792 or www.thomasu.edu/actu, call (229) 227-6964 or email actu@thomasu.edu.