As part of Carnegie Hall's United in Sound Festival marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the American Composers Orchestra is presenting a performance called 'Hello America: Letters to Us, From Us'. The March 11 concert features five works that reflect on the experiences and thoughts of African Americans, particularly Black women, as well as voices of female solidarity and Black and Native American cultural traditions. The program includes the world premieres of Brittany J. Green’s Letters to America, composed for soprano Karen Slack and co-commissioned by Durham Symphony Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony; Suzanne Kite’s Cosmologyscape; Joseph C. Phillips Jr.’s We hold These Truths to be Self-Evident; and Shelley Washington's Haymaker, and the New York premiere of Jessie Montgomery's Procession.
Host Rachel Katz chats with Green, ACO Artistic Director Curtis Stewart, and conductor Carolyn Kuan about the concert and the works that explore what it means to be an American.
Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound festival, which launched in January, celebrates American musical and dance styles, including Broadway, jazz, film music, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, bluegrass, and classical through concerts and other programs. It runs through July.