FULL THE ORDERING OF MOSES (Dett) Atlanta 2026 Atasha Widemond, Dayela Lima, Lesh’ln Edwards, Rontray Miller II

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: The Ordering of Moses  
• Composer: Dett R. Nathaniel   
• Libretto: Texts from scripture and folklore  
• Venue & Opera Company: Florence Kopleff Recital Hall, Atlanta, Georgia  
• Recorded: February 11, 2026
• Type: Concert Live
• Singers: Atasha Widemond, Dayela Lima, Lesh’ln Edwards, Rontray Miller II
• Conductor: Aaron Cummings, Nicholas Johns-Cooper, Katie Kress, Logan Kropp, Rae Laury, Alexandria Thompson  
• Orchestra:
• Chorus: GSU Repertory Singers  
• Stage Director:   
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Georgia State University - School of Music  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Celebrated composer Nathaniel Dett was born in Drummondville (Niagara Falls), Ontario on October 11, 1882. Dett studied piano as a child and was church organist in Niagara Falls, Ontario from 1898-1903. During this period he composed numerous works, including the well-known The Cake Walk and After the Cake Walk. Among his other works are Listen to the Lambs (1914), an eight-part anthem that was recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Juba Dance (1913), a piano solo that has appeared in the Royal Conservatory of Music syllabus and was a favourite of Dett’s friend, Percy Grainger; and the oratorio The Ordering of Moses (1937). Dett earned several degrees at prestigious educational institutions, including Oberlin College; Howard University; and the Eastman School of Music. Dett studied composition in Paris with the internationally renowned teacher Nadia Boulanger. Dett was also in demand as a teacher, and held positions at Lane College, Hampton Institute, Samuel Houston College, and Bennett College. He was dedicated to the cause of Black music, winning the Bowdoin and Frances Boott prizes in 1920 from Harvard University for his paper The Emancipation of Negro Music, and for his motet, “Don’t Be Weary, Traveller.” Dett also explored and promoted Black music by editing collections of spirituals and folk songs, and was President of the National Association of Negro Musicians from 1924 to 1926.

  Dett completed The Ordering of Moses in 1937, having begun it as his MM thesis at the Eastman School of Music (1932), Rochester, NY. The oratorio’s rich, emotional orchestration offers a symbolist portrait of Moses from the burning bush up to his deliverance of the Israelites through the Red Sea. The Ordering of Moses is Dett’s only orchestral piece known to survive today.

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