A nation is not a single voice or a single story, but instead layered with contradiction, shaped by struggle, and sustained by hope. In the United States, we carry both shadow and light: a history marked by injustice and a continuing promise of democracy. In this spring’s 18th Street Singers spring concert—Out of Many, One—we lean into that tension and ask what it means to belong to one another in a country still becoming itself. If we are brave enough to listen—to truly hear the many voices that shape our story—what kind of future might we create together?
In a program that weaves together a musical tapestry of American sound, we draw from spirituals, folk traditions, and choral masterworks alongside contemporary voices redefining the genre today. At its center stands Randall Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom, a sweeping meditation on the eternal struggle between darkness and light, despair and hope. Around it, we encounter music that reflects the breadth of the American experience: the communal strength of spirituals like “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “I Got a Home in-a Dat Rock”; the pointed call of Elizabeth Alexander’s “Do Not Leave Your Cares at the Door;” and the searching questions of Melissa Dunphy’s “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?” Movements from Ayanna Woods’ “Infinite Body” remind us of the many identities, priorities, and stories that coexist within this nation, while Herbert Howells’ “Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing” offers a moment of remembrance and reflection on leadership, legacy, and the role of the arts in shaping public life.
Together, these pieces form a musical conversation about who we are and who we might become. They ask us to confront the friction in our shared history while holding fast to the belief that a more just, inclusive, and compassionate nation is within reach and for each of us to move towards every day. In this 250th anniversary year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Out of Many, One is both a celebration and a charge: to continue the work of building a country where the many—voices, stories, and dreams—can truly become one.
TICKETS
Join us on Friday, June 12 at 7:30pm (in-person) and Saturday, June 13 at 4:30pm (in-person and livestream) at St. Mark’s Capitol Hill as we gather in song to reflect, to reckon, and to imagine the America we are still striving to be. Together, let us listen deeply, sing boldly, and carry forward the enduring hope that, from many, one can still emerge.