Sacred Mountain An Episode in the Life of Queen Nanny of the Maroons
Composed by Dr Shirley J. Thompson
A chamber opera for solo singer, speaker, ensemble and dancers. A powerful and enigmatic mix of contemporary vocal and instrumental ensemble music with dance, depicting an episode in the life of Queen Nanny of the Maroons. An exploration of the woman inside the warrior.
“…..music that’s beautifully lyrical and exciting” Sunday Observer
“A leading voice in Contemporary Classical music….”CLASSIC FM
“An exciting composer that’s leading a wave of contemporary composers….” Everywoman
QUEEN NANNY OF THE MAROONS – A Jamaican National heroine featured on the $500 dollar note. Born c. 1686 in Ghana, into the Ashanti tribe, and was brought to Jamaica as a slave. She and her “brothers” ran away from their plantation and hid in the Blue Mountains Saint Thomas Parish. There were stories of British attacks on Nanny Town where she was important in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from 1720 to 1739.By 1720, Nanny settled and controlled an area in the Blue Mountains.Nanny Town, consisted of the 500 acres (2.4 km²) of land granted to the runaway slaves its strategic location making a surprise attack by the British practically impossible. Nanny became a folk hero, adept at organizing plans to free slaves. For over 30 years, Nanny freed more than 800 slaves, and helped them to resettle in the Maroon community