On Dec. 1, 2021, The New York Choral Society premiered its latest multidisciplinary and collaborative digital short, “Morning Light,” which pays homage to Black queer Shaker Rebecca Cox Jackson.

In the film, composer Kevin Siegfried and choreographer David Hamilton Thomson bring the 1870s text New York Shaker Lydia Annas life in this digital film collaboration. Jackson, who becomes physically ill by her extreme fear of thunderstorms, has a spiritual awakening after fervent prayer and a divine message causes her to no longer see lightning as indicative of danger, but of peace.

Siegfried and Thomson bathe “Morning Light” in spirituality, sending a message that through faith, we can persist in the face of storms. Foregrounded are the myriad storms of our own time—the pandemic, societal and political unrest, and climate threats.

In the Society’s press release, New York Choral Society Music Director David Hayes stated,  “This work speaks to the experience we’ve all had: the ‘fearful tempest’ of the text is a shared experience for millions of people now. Perhaps, having stood strong through the storms, we are beginning to see some light—a precursor of the full, bright light that will come when we are fully through the storm.”

The five-minute film is now available for viewing on the Society’s YouTube channel and website.