American History - Warts And All - Will Be Remembered In Song This Weekend
Houston Chamber Choir will debut a concert that strikes to the heart of the American experience this weekend. The United States of America likes to pride itself on being an incredible country of inclusion and diversity – yet it is also holds a history pocked by slavery, oppression and xenophobia. This Land Is Your Land will address the struggles, politics and successes that combine to create the American story this Saturday at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
Its political nature is in no short supply, as explained by Bob Simpson, founder and artistic director for Grammy Award-winning ensemble.
“We have elected leaders that we entrust our destiny to, but in the final analysis, it is this country that belongs to ‘We, The People.’ We should never let go of that great responsibility. It also points out the fact that there are times when we need to address inequities. There are times when things are not as exactly as they should be, and we shouldn't run from the opportunity to set things right. The title song, This Land Is Your Land, is really a call to retake our responsibilities as citizens and to ensure that this country moves in a direction that will always keep it the beacon of liberty and hope that it has been and become, bringing it even more true to that calling,” he said.
The concert was inspired by Simpson’s reading Songs of America, written by historian Jon Meacham and singer/songwriter Tim McGraw.
Houston Chamber Choir will debut a concert that strikes to the heart of the American experience this weekend. The United States of America likes to pride itself on being an incredible country of inclusion and diversity – yet it is also holds a history pocked by slavery, oppression and xenophobia. This Land Is Your Land will address the struggles, politics and successes that combine to create the American story this Saturday at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
Its political nature is in no short supply, as explained by Bob Simpson, founder and artistic director for Grammy Award-winning ensemble.
“We have elected leaders that we entrust our destiny to, but in the final analysis, it is this country that belongs to ‘We, The People.’ We should never let go of that great responsibility. It also points out the fact that there are times when we need to address inequities. There are times when things are not as exactly as they should be, and we shouldn't run from the opportunity to set things right. The title song, This Land Is Your Land, is really a call to retake our responsibilities as citizens and to ensure that this country moves in a direction that will always keep it the beacon of liberty and hope that it has been and become, bringing it even more true to that calling,” he said.
The concert was inspired by Simpson’s reading Songs of America, written by historian Jon Meacham and singer/songwriter Tim McGraw.
“I read the book with great interest, and it gave me the idea that this is something that the choir could really build on. I also felt that our political divisions in this country have come to a point where every opportunity we have, we should we should step back and say, ‘We are all Americans’ and we should celebrate our diversity. We've always been very proud of the fact that we are a melting pot, and so it revisits our country’s original ideals,” he said.
The concert was originally scheduled three years ago, but we all know how 2020 went, which forced this particular production into hiatus. The concepts and inspirations for the setlist, though, have not changed during that time. In fact, divisiveness and a longing to understand the fracturing of America has only intensified during those years.
The concert is broken into segments, each highlighting a different struggle of the past or hope for the American future. Composers like Woody Guthrie, Stephen Foster, Huddie Ledbetter, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger pepper the list.
And indeed, the American dream has been captured both past and present, and with a contemplative look to the future, ending with John Williams’ America, The Dream Goes On.
While the songs will take a look at the United States’ history – warts and all – the final piece is a call to live up to the best expectations of ourselves…to truly live the American dream that we all, the huddled masses, can live true and free…with life, liberty and justice for all.
“The text itself has a lot to say about who we are as a people and how we hope to move on in the in the future, and that will leave us in a very hopeful frame of mind. There was one line in particular that sold me on this piece, ‘The more we remember the way we began, the closer we get to the best we can be.’ I think that's a wonderful way to sum up this concert and celebrate this this country,” Simpson said. “It’s a way of reminding our ourselves that this country is a precious gift. We should remain in control and feel the unity that we built into the Constitution. We are in charge of our destiny, and we should remind ourselves that this country is our lab and that ‘We, the people,’ are still called to choose the path that we then entrust to our leaders.”
Simpson hopes that the set list will renew a faith in the American experiment, significantly through the experience of folk music originating from many different backgrounds and the people’s shared history at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
“The folk songs that we have grown up with are what we need to remind ourselves of and to teach our children to keep singing. We should feel a renewed sense of pride and ownership in our country,” he said.
As for why a concert of this nature matters and how vocal music is able to communicate to each of us, Simpson had heart-felt words to share.
“It is the fact that the joys and the hardships of our lives seem to become part of our musical expression. Somehow, singing is very personal. It connects us to a very deep part of ourselves. We sing when we're happy; we sing when we're struggling; and in extraordinarily dire circumstances. as represented by the American spiritual, I think singing is an inborn need for us to express our emotions,” he said. “Even when we have a simple birthday party, it's not complete without singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ We express our emotions in a natural and irrepressible way. As we listen to these various pieces from the revolutionary times through Stephen Foster in the 1860s, we're really looking into people’s lives and how they were expressing their experiences through their music.”
This performance marks the Houston Chamber Choir’s return to the outdoor performance space since November 2019, and in much welcomed fashion. Miller Outdoor Theatre has been the city’s gift to the region by welcoming performance groups near and far in nearly every type of art. The luxury of having truly enriching programming several months out of the year comes at a price that can’t be beat – they’re all free.
Houston Chamber Choir presents This Land Is Your Land 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park. For information or tickets, visit houstonchamberchoir.org or milleroutdoortheatre.com or call 713.224.5566 or 832-487-7102. Free.