In ROBESOИ, Davóne Tines reimagines Paul Robeson’s musical repertoire as the soundtrack to a fever dream in a Moscow hotel room. In order to take on this expansive psychological and aesthetic space, Tines created a band called The Truth alongside bassist and sound artist Khari Lucas and pianist John Bitoy. The score is comprised exclusively of songs Robeson sang — across gospel, classical, Broadway, and folk music — but in new arrangements and interpretations that shape-shift and time-travel through styles and genres to fully explore the material’s connection to Tines’ own work and our time. The piece is conceived and staged by Zack Winokur and will be released as an album by Nonesuch Records.

Tines is joined by D-Composed, a Chicago-based creative incubator which acts as a bridge between the past and present to the future of representation, music-centered experiences, and the communal power of Black composers and their impact. Merging the worlds of contemporary music and classical, the ensemble also has collaborated with Jamila Woods during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and with hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper.