HOLD THESE TRUTHS

Billboard Chart-topping pianist and cultural visionary Lara Downes presents HOLD THESE TRUTHS, a poignant and probing collection that marks America’s 250th anniversary by celebrating the power of music to express the core essence of our founding promise. With this latest release in her acclaimed series of recordings exploring the vast terrain of the American musical landscape, Downes captures the soundtrack of our history - the music that has brought light in our darkness and comfort in our times of sorrow, our anthems of revolution and resistance, and the songs that bring persistent hope, in every era, for the promise of brighter days to come.

From old traditional songs that pre-date the nation’s founding to new works that are defining the sound of the American future, this music traces our roots and our journeys, connects us at our crossroads and centers us on common ground, offering a clear and open-hearted reminder that we the people are the holders of our truth, the stewards of our past, builders of our present, and designers of our future.

Coming on the Pentatone label, July 3, 2026

featuring Theo Bleckmann, Wyatt Ellis, 9 Horses, Invoke, Obayana Ajanaku and Aram Demirjian

THE MUSIC

Edmar Colón - Welcome

Francis Hopkinson/Shawn Okpebholo:Wondrous Free

Oscar Peterson - Hymn to Freedom

H.T. Burleigh - Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

Caleb Burhans - In Time of Desperation 

Stephen Foster - Hard Times Come Again No More

Christopher Tin - Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Traditional - Amazing Grace

Carlos Simon - Hold Fast To Dreams

Irving Berlin/Charlie Chaplin - Blue Skies/Smile

Charles Ives - In the Mornin’  

Willie Nelson - Changing Skies 

Elie Siegmeister - Lusty and Joyful

Jeff Beal - Elation

Howard Hanson - Joy

Ricky Ian Gordon - Finding Home