In 1900, a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, delivered the first public performance of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” as part of a celebration for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. School principal and civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics, which were then set to music composed by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. As the song grew in popularity, it became an anthem for Black Americans and was frequently used as a rallying cry during the civil rights movements of the 1950s and ‘60s. The lyrics acknowledge that although the march toward liberty is long and hard, unified communities can build a better future.
The message of this piece is a fitting opening to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Harmony, the Dubuque Chorale’s final concert of the 2025-26 season. The performances, which will take place on Saturday, May 2nd, and Sunday, May 3rd, will feature the Chorale’s chamber choir Cadenza and the Dubuque Chorale Children’s Choirs.
While the title of this concert is inspired by the text of the United States Declaration of Independence, the ideals it represents are universal. By replacing “happiness” with “harmony,” the Chorale wishes to emphasize the importance of connection and community alongside individual liberty, as both are necessary for living a good life. Dubuque Chorale Artistic Director Dr. Amanda Huntleigh explains that the pieces selected for this concert each speak to a different component of the themes of life, liberty, and harmony, “…though all three sections ultimately address freedom to pursue one’s unique yet interconnected life.”
The theme of interconnectedness has been present in each of the Chorale’s concerts this season. Ode to the Arts focused both on the connection among the arts and our human connection through art, while SongFest celebrated the local choral community itself. The message of making joyful music as a connected global community will resound during our collaboration with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in April. “Closing the season with our final call of connection that highlights the pursuit of harmony is a fitting musical end to this season of interconnectedness,” says Huntleigh.
The word harmony is most commonly associated with ideas of peace and sweet music, evoking images of happy people singing together. In a musical context, harmony can be both consonant and dissonant, meaning that combinations of notes can sound pleasant and stable or notes can clash and cause tension in the music. Both types of harmony play a role in creating music, and dissonance makes the eventual resolution all the more satisfying to the ear. Similarly, there may be tension and discomfort when people come together, but such discomfort is often necessary when working to create a better world.
Several pieces exemplify this idea of working together to ensure the liberty of others. The song “Step by Step,” performed by the adult Chorale, emphasizes the power of perseverance and that individuals are strongest when they unite for a common cause. The text from this piece is taken from the preamble to the constitution of the American Miners Union, written in 1870, set to a traditional Irish melody.
The Dubuque Chorale Children’s Choirs (DCCC) will perform a trio of freedom songs from the South African anti-apartheid struggle. Karmella Sellers, program director for the DCCC says that a key part of the pursuit of harmony in music and in life is resilience. “We have to keep going, keep practicing, keep failing, so that in the end we succeed,” says Sellers. “Music can be both a form of resistance and a tool of support in resilience.”
The finale piece, an arrangement of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World,” makes a heartfelt plea for compassion and encourages everyone to do their part in making a better world. We hope this concert inspires connection in the community. After all, it takes more than one voice to create harmony.
Concert Information
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Harmony
Saturday, May 2, 7pm
Sunday, May 3, 2pm
Bread of Life Presbyterian Church, Hilltop Campus
2155 University Ave, Dubuque, IA 52001
Sponsors
Thanks to all our sponsors and in-kind donors!
Premier Bank, Gronen, Iowa Arts Council, City of Dubuque, DRA, National Endowment for the Arts, Henry Family Foundation, Schoen Family Charitable Trust, The Wahlert Foundation, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bread of Life Presbyterian Church, Grand View Methodist Church, Church of the Nativity, First Congregational Church UCC, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation.
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