Among the musical initiatives marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S., Sing Democracy 250 is looking to unite singers to celebrate the birth of American democracy and freedom through music that reflects the hopes and promise of those two American values.
The brainchild of Gary Aamodt and Celia Ellingson, founders of the Together in Hope Choir, Sing Democracy 250 includes both a series of concerts by that choir, and an opportunity for choral groups around the country to join in by presenting concerts of their own using the same music.
The initiative commissioned two new works for the performances, which will kick off Oct. 12 in Philadelphia: "Redeem the Dream" by Dr. Brandon A. Boyd is based on texts from Langston Hughes' poem "Let America be America Again," and "US," by Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, was inspired by The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, a book by American diplomat Richard Haas. Those works will be paired with "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Other performances are planned in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Washington DC and New York.
In addition, Sing Democracy 250 is sharing the scores of the commissioned works with other choruses and choirs so that they can participate in their own local communities.
A Tempo Host Rachel Katz spoke with Aamodt and Ellingson about the initiative and their other Together in Hope projects, which began with an effort to unite choirs from different churches in order to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
A second episode featured conversations with composer Michael Bussewitz-Quarm and 10th grader Jonah Serotta, a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, which will be joining the Together in Hope Choir for the Philadelphia performance.
