As the dust settles on the American Civil War, a group of young black university students begin an extraordinary journey.
Made In Manchester's 90-minute BBC Radio 3 Drama, Jubilee! tells the story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a choir peopled entirely from once enslaved young men and women and founded to raise money for their beleaguered university. These young musicians would go on to captivate America and Europe, perform before presidents and royalty and become international celebrities. Uniquely, the choir introduced Spirituals to the world – secret songs once sung on blood-soaked plantations across the South – songs that began the march to freedom.
Written by award-winning writers Garth Bardsley and Ray Shell, and starring major talent including Samuel West, Sophia Nomvete and Simon Callow, Jubilee! is directed by multi-award winning director Andy Jordan and recounts a remarkable, life-affirming story of hope - revealing once again the rich diversity of the African diaspora. In a contemporary world in which the immigrant is vilified and the poor subjugated, Jubilee! celebrates the bravery, talents, resilience and integrity of a group of people who originated from the cruellest of backgrounds.