A five-part all-access digital series that takes viewers on a musical journey across America with renowned pianist and NPR creator Lara Downes to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, with an invitation across the nation to express today’s vision of LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
From the site of our nation’s founding in Philadelphia to the rugged landscapes of Montana’s Big Sky Country and the streets of Motor City, Lara’s encounters with Americans of many different backgrounds, and her collaborations and conversations with iconic artists and scholars she meets along the way, trace our American dreams through 250 years of music, history and humanity.
AMERICAN POSTCARDS
Episode 1: PHILADELPHIA, PA
Lara visits our nation’s founding city as a guest artist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, working with middle school students in West Philadelphia to share reflection and expression on the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”as they rehearse and perform My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free, credited as “the first American song” and composed in 1759 by the Philadelphia-born Francis Hopkinson, a founding father and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Lara also collaborates with Philadelphia born-and-raised bassist Christian McBride on their own reimagination of this “first American song”, and she discusses its origin story with scholar and author John McWhorter, also a native Philadelphian.
Episode 2: DETROIT, MI
Lara visits the Motor City as a guest artist of the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She works with families at the Detroit Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) facility to share reflection and expression on the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. She collaborates with Detroit native Lizzo on a performance of the civil rights-era anthem I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free, and discusses the history of activism and music with scholar and author Salamishah Tillet.
Episode 3: KNOXVILLE, TN
Lara visits the Smoky Mountains as a guest artist of the Knoxville Symphony and Loghaven Artist Residency. She works with clients at Knoxville’s Metro Drug Recovery Gateways Program to share reflection and expression on the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. She’s joined in a poignant collaboration performance of Amazing Grace by a collective of local musicians: bluegrass prodigy Wyatt Ellis, cellist Aram Demirjian, and Memphis-born Obayana Ajanaku, a djembe drummer and activist who traces his roots through West African music. And Lara discusses the origin story of this beloved old song about redemption and faith with the Tennessee-based American historian and author Jon Meacham.
Episode 4: BOZEMAN, MT
Lara visits Big Sky Country as a guest artist of the Bozeman Symphony, working with clients of the Befrienders program (a non-profit serving isolated seniors in the rural Gallatin Valley) to share reflection and expression on the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. She collaborates with local musicians Rob Quist and Jack Gladstone on a performance of the old American traditional Home on the Range, and discusses the complicated origins of American migrations and music with Baratunde, host of PBS’ America Outdoors.
Episode 5: Tuskegee and Montgomery, AL
Lara visits a center of American civil rights history as a guest artist of Tuskegee University and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, working with clients of the Equal Justice Initiative and students at Tuskegee University to share reflection and expression on the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. She collaborates with the historic Golden Voices Choir in a performance of the traditional American Spiritual Deep River, and she discusses the history of our long fight for freedom and justice with MacArthur Fellow, lawyer, author, scholar (and talented pianist!) Bryan Stevenson.
