NOTES ON THE ALBUM

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Will Liverman's The Dunbar / Moore Sessions: Volume II follows the October 27, 2023 debut issue of the project, which was nominated for a Libera Award for Best Classical Album. Set to the late 19th and early 20th-century poetry of writer/activists Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Dunbar-Moore, Liverman’s original songs draw from the full spectrum of sounds and traditions that have shaped Liverman’s musical life —classical, musical theater, gospel, jazz, and more. The album features performances by GRAMMY® winners Isabel Leonard, Erin Morley, and Liverman himself; GRAMMY® nominee and Broadway star Mykal Kilgore; international opera stars Jacqueline Echols, Joshua Blue, Adam Richardson, and Ann Toomey; violin virtuoso Lady Jess; and cello virtuoso Lindsey Sharpe. 

The songs on this project showcase Liverman’s dynamic vocal talent and his unique approach to songwriting, blending harmony and melody in ways that redefine what classical art song can be. A second single, Night, featuring vocalist Mykal Kilgore, will be released on May 23.

Lexicon Classics will release the Volume II on Friday, June 27, 2025.

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Dunbar/Moore Sessions Volume II is a continuation and deepening of my exploration into the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson. These two visionary writers—partners in life and art—left behind a legacy of language that speaks with intimacy, honesty, and emotional depth. Across ten pieces, I’ve composed music that reflects my personal response to each poem. I’m not writing “in” any genre, but rather drawing from the full spectrum of sounds and traditions that have shaped me—classical, musical theater, gospel, jazz, and more. Each song was built by listening closely to the poem and letting it guide the way.

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The album begins with "Night", a musical meditation on stillness, awe, and the spiritual vastness of the cosmos. I approached this piece like a slow, unfolding prayer—centered in calm but full of mystery. At the end, I revisit a musical motif from my earlier setting of "Morning", creating a quiet echo that ties the two experiences—beginning and end—into one arc.

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Following "Night" is a three-song cycle I call A Threefold Heart, made up of three poems by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson and Paul Laurence Dunbar: Love and the Butterfly, If I Had Known, and Love Song. The cycle traces the arc of love—its arrival, its loss, and its return. "Love and the Butterfly" has a whimsical, floating quality at first, capturing the lightness of new affection, but darkens as love turns away. "If I Had Known lives" in the emotional world of regret and reflection, with musical gestures that lean into jazz-inspired harmony and space. "Love Song", a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, closes the cycle in a deeply intimate tone—a return to vulnerability and longing, and perhaps, the possibility of healing. Scored with cello, it offers a quiet ache, a sense of emotional surrender.

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Next comes "Farewell, one "of the first songs I wrote for this project. The emotional landscape of this poem felt epic to me—grief, memory, release—and I gave it time to unfold. There’s a descending motif that runs throughout the piece, a kind of thread that carries the weight of parting and the slow movement toward peace.

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"Emancipation" marks a turning point in the album. It’s defiant, bold, and full of life. I felt the need to root it in gospel energy—not just sonically, but spiritually. It’s a song of freedom and forward movement. Hymn follows with a quieter kind of reverence at first, grounded in prayer and reflection. But as the piece unfolds, it rises into a powerful climax—reaching for something beyond the personal. Where "Emancipation" is rooted in strength and release, "Hymn" becomes a cry for endurance and faith, growing in urgency and musical intensity as it moves forward.

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"A Plaint" is one of the most emotionally personal moments on the album. The poem carries the raw weight of grief, and I was drawn to it because of how many of us know that kind of loss. The music doesn’t try to fix anything—it just holds space for the ache. It’s a tender, honest setting that allows the emotion to simply exist.

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"To the Negro Farmers of the United States" struck me immediately—just the title alone carries weight. The poem honors dignity and labor, and I wanted the music to rise to that. I wrote something expansive and layered, something that could carry the emotional gravity of lives lived in strength and perseverance.

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The album closes with "Good-Night", a gentle lullaby that holds a special place in my heart. It was only the second art song I ever wrote. There’s something in the poem that felt timeless and tender, and I leaned into that softness in the music. The addition of improvised violin brings warmth and spontaneity, like the last light of day giving way to sleep.

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These ten pieces are my way of being in conversation with two extraordinary voices. They are invitations to listen, reflect, and feel—through poetry, through song, and through all the spaces in between.   -- Will 

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