“American Fanfare” is July 4 at 4:30 p.m.
For 17 years, the professional choral group has celebrated Independence Day
with rousing patriotic anthems and stirring inspirational choral works celebrating America. The Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble joins Choral Artists for a second year with a musical tribute to the Ringling Bros. Circus and more.
(June 13, 2022) For the past 17 years, Choral Artists of Sarasota has honored Independence Day with a concert of rousing songs celebrating the United States. The choral group continues that tradition this July 4, 4:30 p.m., at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota. Under the direction of Dr. Joseph Holt, the concert features traditional patriotic songs and a salute to the armed forces. This year’s program also features Amy Marcy Beach’s “A Song of Liberty,” which was written as a potential national anthem; and “Resolved,” “I Lift My Lamp,” “I Once Had a Dream,” and “Golden Dream”—each of which takes its inspiration from national documents (the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, etc.). A special tribute to the people of Ukraine will be offered with John Rutter’s newly composed “A Ukrainian Prayer.” Other selections include statements by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. The Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble, directed by Joseph Miller, joins Choral Artists again this year with a musical tribute to the Ringling Bros. Circus, and selections of songs from the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Tickets are $5-$50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900.
According to Holt, Choral Artists will also perform “Golden Dream,” a song featured in the Epcot attraction at Walt Disney World. The song contains spoken excerpts from John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. “It’s our tribute to these great Americans and experiences—and this work will feature narration by local student Zander Moricz, recognizing his important work as a community activist in Florida,” says Holt. (Zander Moricz is the youngest public plaintiff in the “Don’t Say Gay” lawsuit against Governor DeSantis and the state of Florida, as well as the founder and executive director of the Social Equity and Education Initiative.)
Choral Artists will also perform Amy Marcy Cheney Beach’s “A Song of Liberty,” which was written as a potential national anthem. Holt describes Beach as, “a pioneering American composer whose works are rarely performed today.”
Holt adds that he’s “delighted that the Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble will once join us in performing such great songs as ‘God Bless America,’ ‘America the Beautiful,’ and the salute to the Armed Forces.’ These concerts feature musical pieces that form the heart and soul of our collective national sense of pride and patriotism. For all these years, Choral Artists has celebrated, through music, the thread of liberty and justice for all that characterizes our nation.”
For more information, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.
About the Choral Artists of Sarasota
The Choral Artists of Sarasota, entering its 43rd season, features 32 of the region’s most notable professional singers and eight apprentice singers. The group celebrates the rich, artistic expressiveness of choral music through innovative repertoire, inspired performances and stimulating educational outreach. Under the artistic direction of Dr. Joseph Holt, Choral Artists of Sarasota performs a repertoire spanning four centuries, and includes symphonic choral works, intimate madrigals, folk songs, close-harmony jazz, and Broadway show music. The ensemble also specializes in premiere performances of lesser-known choral works—particularly music by living American composers. Choral Artists of Sarasota has performed premieres by René Clausen, Dick Hyman, Robert Levin, Gwyneth Walker and James Grant. As part of the organization’s educational outreach, eight young singers from area schools, colleges and universities, ages 16 to 22, are invited to join the group each year. For more information, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.