Arias in the Afternoon brings community members together with Handel’s Messiah and the Smithsonian’s Voices and Votes:Democracy in America exhibit for a powerful experience combining music, history, and inspiration. Handel’s Messiah has enraptured audiences for centuries and its beauty still captivates us today—but Handel’s worldly success was entangled with the slave trade. As an investor in the Royal African Company, he profited from the trafficking and suffering of enslaved Africans.

This afternoon of music and history invites us to be moved by beauty, but also to face the truth behind it.

Show your support for UREC and join us on the 4th floor of the New York State Musuem on Sunday, December 14 from 1pm-3pm for an unforgettable experience.

More information about our featured performer, tickets and sponsorships will be made available after Labor Day passes.

Questions? Comments? Observations? Contact us at undergroundrailroadhistory.org/contact or call 518-621-7793. Please stay tuned for more information!