BACK TO ORCHESTRAL PROJECTS
WORLD PREMIERE: LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, NYC - JULY 1, 2026
DECLARATION
SONGS OF DEMOCRACY, VOICES OF HOPE
What does it mean to be an American today? That is the question posed by the curator, pianist, and producer Lara Downes in Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope, featuring world premieres by three major composers. Valerie Coleman presents Life, a work for solo piano; Arturo O'Farrill offers Liberty; and Christopher Tin closes with The Pursuit of Happiness. These latter two compositions are performed by the American Composers Orchestra, under the baton of Eric Jacobsen, with the aid of a select collective of artists who represent a wide range of the American experience.
Guests include jazz bassist Christian McBride; renowned vocalists Kurt Elling, Ekep Nwelle, and Aoife O’Donovan; versatile singer/songwriter Carrie Rodriguez; breakout bluegrass star Wyatt Ellis; cabaret powerhouse Migguel Anggelo; Late Show bandleader Louis Cato; Tuskegee University’s historic Golden Voices Concert Choir, and more!
The concert performance is framed by video portraits captured during Lara’s travels across America with THE DECLARATION PROJECT, an invitation across the nation that gathers together American communities to find common ground in reflecting on the magic and mystery of life, the ongoing quest for freedom and equality, and the radical power of joy.
“Lara Downes is a uniquely gifted, acclaimed and curious artist who recognizes the complexity of our collective narratives of ourselves and our country in everything she does. This project creates spaces for us to listen in a new way and participate in a shared imagining all led by the belief that we are stronger together.”
LIFE: by VALERIE COLEMAN
DECLARATION begins with an intimate reflection on the beauty and fragility of life, the shared humanity that connects us, and the potential we hold to protect and cherish one another in intention and action.
(5 minutes - Instrumentation: Solo Piano )
LIBERTY: by ARTURO O’FARRILL
A poignant and buoyant work that travels the long road of American history to acknowledge the courageous struggle for freedom, and to celebrate the progress that has been hard-won across generations as we work to realize the promise of liberty as an unalienable right for all Americans.
(10 minutes - Instrumentation: Piano and Orchestra
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: by CHRISTOPHER TIN
A vivacious and audaciously optimistic rhapsody that celebrates the ideals pursued and deserved not just by every American, but by all human beings, regardless of origin or identity.
(20 minutes - Instrumentation: Piano and Orchestra)