Associate Professor of Music Michael "Doc" Woods was commissioned to write a musical update of the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" for the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The piece was performed as part of "The Spirituals Project" on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga, N.Y., and again on Friday, Feb. 20, at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
In an article in The Saratogian, Woods said "the double meanings within the song gave him an indication of how he would handle it musically. 'This song was probably sung first on the underground railroad and it had important information in it,' said Woods. 'The chariot could be a wagon and the angel coming to carry the singer home could be Harriet Tubman. Jordan was the other side of the Ohio river,' he explained."
