DECLARATIONS – A World Premiere Choral Work

—— Who has truly been included in the promises of American freedom? ——

DECLARATIONS – A World Premiere Choral Work
Ensemble Altera and Christopher Lowrey, director

Music by Piers Connor Kennedy
Libretto supervised by Will Ashford

Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 7:00 pm

6:00 pm Pre-Concert Discussion. Before the concert, join us for a “Meet the Creators” discussion and exploration of the poems.

This June, Ensemble Altera presents a newly commissioned work that reflects on the American experiment 250 years on: where it began, how it has evolved, and what it asks of us today. At a time when the language of the founding feels both distant and urgently present, Declarations offers a space to listen with fresh ears, through music, for clarity, complexity, and perhaps even common ground.

The texts will be fascinating. Thomas Jefferson in dialog with his own contradictions. Competing views of freedom in dialog with each other. Declarations from Langston Hughes, former Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, dg nanouk okpik, and others. An unspoken last word for Sally Hemings. Learn about the texts and the musicians at ensemblealtera.com/tickets

This is a work about liberty, contradiction, inheritance, and hope.