America Sings!
Celebrating the diverse voices of America, from folk songs and spirituals to musical theater and jazz.
January 24 – 26, 2020
True Concord Choir, Chamber Players and Morris Robinson, Bass
In partnership with
Tucson Desert Song Festival
Friday, January 24, 2020, 7:00 PM
St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church, Green Valley
Saturday, January 25, 2020, 7:30 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Sunday, January 26, 2020, 3:00 PM
Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
DIRECT, SIMPLE, PURE | OF AND FROM THE LAND
AS IF YOU KNEW THIS MUSIC BEFORE YOU WERE BORN
Any fool can make something complicated.
It takes a genius to make it simple.
Woody Guthrie
Aaron Copland and Stephen Foster have been called “fathers of the American sound” in classical music. Copland’s Old American Songs, timeless songs by Stephen Foster, and spirituals performed by African American bass Morris Robinson demonstrate how these brilliant artists gave a sound to a nation, and explore how individuals have influenced this nation through song.
Robinson returns to Tucson after his triumphant debut in the very first Tucson Desert Song Festival, when he wowed audiences with Verdi’s Requiem in performances with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
Copland’s Old American Songs take on themes — political and religious, folk and theatrical — that present a diversified portrait of America itself.
He gathers revivalist tunes, hymns, and even whimsical children’s songs to reveal the beauty of the sound of America. These songs point to the composer’s desire to return to a less complicated time, perhaps best known in Simple Gifts.
Like Copland, Stephen Foster’s music added to the rich history of popular and folk songs that reflected, and changed, the American story.
Ours is a history of voices of common people, gathered together in concord, ringing full and strong.
The person next door is just that, until they change the world.