Out of Darkness Comes the Light: A Musical History of Social Change in America

Featuring Rebecca Folsom, Robert Johnson, Antonio Lopez and Roberta Daria Maldonado. Arranged by Deborah Schmit-Lobis.

From the sorrows of slavery to the fight for women’s suffrage, from the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s to the United Farm Workers and Stonewall in the 1970s, from AIDS activism and the environmental movement to the work of today’s change agents, join us as we celebrate more than two-and-half centuries of the music that fueled social change in this country.

Rebecca Folsom’s music is about liberation. Her songs crack open hearts, inspire hope, and leave listeners with a deeper perspective. The award winning singer-songwriter moves with ease through her four-octave range as she plucks the instrument of the heart with tender fearlessness and fiery passion all meant to awaken unfettered aliveness. Devoted to elevating creative freedom, love, and authentic connection, Rebecca believes in daring to dream our wildest dreams, author the change we want to see, and trust in the goodness that shines from within. Her voice, a beacon in the dark, ignites joy that heals and liberates. You might find yourself singing along, dancing, weeping, or raising your hands in motivated celebration to rise up and live into life’s greatest potential. Rebecca’s connection to the marrow of life deepens and she returns with potent medicine to help wake a sleeping world while at the same time soothing the restless. She focuses on shifting from the frequency of problems to the frequency of solutions, activating channels that awaken love-filled creative lives.

Robert Johnson is an entertainer who is equally at home in every arena of performance. His voice can be heard on countless national commercials from United Artists Theaters, IBM and Toyota to Greyhound and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He’s also been Mr. Squirrel on the PBS Saturday Morning Series “The Big Green Rabbit.” Since making his home in Denver, Colorado Robert has been named Best Male Vocalist in the Denver Posts Readers Poll, Best Jazz Vocalist by the Colorado Black Artists Association, was honored as Colorado’s Best Male Singer by the News and Radio Media and Best Male Vocalist by the Colorado Songwriters Association. Currently Robert can be heard on his CD releases through his label Jakarta Records Ltd. Those recordings are Richard The Third, Black Prince Road and Home For The Holiday’s. His latest release, All Blue, takes one back to the days of the cool with arrangement twists on classics from the Great American Songbook, all done with that smooth baritone as only Robert can!

Antonio Lopez is a quiet man with something to say. His music is like an onion, each layer revealing more. His adept guitar work and composition skills are never used in a showy way but rather like the spices in a home-cooked meal. The result is a feast of emotions that delight the listener. His sound is modern folk rock with marimba swells and swooning fingerstyle guitar over a rock-solid rhythm section. Through the lens of his indigenous Chicano roots, Lopez speaks many truths with gentle precision. Rather than tell the listener what to feel or think, Lopez invites you to see yourself reflected in the lyrical stories created by the music. He holds degrees in guitar performance and music composition from Adams State University. Antonio Lopez is a Colorado native from Alamosa and now resides in Longmont.

Roberta Daria Maldonado grew up loving to sing and always took her ability to carry a tune for granted, until suddenly in her fifties she completely lost her voice. That was when she realized that as a woman of Mexican and Indigenous New Mexican descent, she’d been literally and figuratively silenced her entire life. After starting a journey of vocal and somatic training, she was able to reclaim her singing voice and much more. Within a year she co-founded an all-women’s Mexican musical group, Las Dahlias, that was quickly in demand at universities, museums, festivals, and important cultural events. They were invited to play for Jared Polis’ inaugural ball, and joined the Colorado Symphony and Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra for a collaborative concert. Simultaneously, Roberta performs with Amelie Quartet, and she began to build a repertoire of tango, fado, hot club jazz, and French Chanson songs. Lafayette Cultural Arts Council/Board has awarded Roberta grants to develop and stage three musical events: Mexico, Historia y Herencia; Tango sin Fronteras; and Somos Indigenas. In addition to her lyrical deliveries in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, Roberta has performed and recorded indigenous ceremonial music of Mexico in Nahuatl (the language native to the valley of Mexico) with Tzozollin.  She received her B.A. in Art Education from the University of New Mexico, and her M.A. in English/Creative Writing from C.U. She has taught art, literature and composition in three state’s public school systems as well at the American school in Medellin, Colombia.

As a pianist, Deborah Schmit-Lobis has performed with just about every major classical organization in the Denver area and she loves (and plays) just about every style of music. Deborah has toured nationally and internationally with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, played the accordion with Luciano Pavarotti in his last Denver concert, and has performed with James Galway, Eileen Ivers, and the Paul Winter Consort in conjunction with the Colorado Symphony. She has also toured with the 70s band Edison Lighthouse and the Boys from Beatlemania. She’s often seen playing or conducting at the Denver Center Theater. As a composer and arranger, she has worked with dance and theater companies such as Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theater and Speaking of Dance, and the chamber music ensemble Suonare. She is the principal pianist with the Central City Opera Ensemble and has traveled all over the world with the Colorado Children’s Chorale. Deborah plays locally with Windy Peak and the members of the Mother Folkers. She has several albums available and her music has been featured on radio stations across the country. She has a new Solstice album out called When the Sun Turns North. She is from North Dakota where the winters are long and the accordions are plentiful.