Spartanburg Master Chorale: America at 250: A Vision Unfolding

Join us on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 7:30 PM in Daniel Recital Hall as Spartanburg Master Chorale presents “America at 250: A Vision Unfolding,” featuring works such as “The Testament of Freedom,” by Randall Thompson, and “A Vision Unfolding” by Kyle Pederson. This event is free to attend and is open to the public.

When considering what repertory to program for such a milestone in our country’s history, Dr. Keith Jones had two goals: an unabashed celebration of 250 years of democracy; and an acknowledgement that our democracy is still a work in progress, “a vision unfolding.” It was easy to find any number of major works that would satisfy the first goal, the difficult part was to make a choice. Finally, Dr. Jones settled on Randal Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom, a piece composed in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson. The texts of the four-movement cantata come from writings of Mr. Jefferson: movement-1, A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774); movements 2 and 3, Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (July 6, 1775); and movement-4, Letter to John Adams, Monticello (September 12, 1821).

Dr. Jones said, “Finding an extended choral work that acknowledges that our democracy is a work in progress, that we have not always lived up to the lofty ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, was challenging. I didn’t want to offend our audience members, but neither did I want to gloss over those times in our history where we clearly had fallen short of our expressed ideals. Minneapolis-based composer, Kyle Pederson and African-American poet, Shanelle Gabriel joined forces to create an extended choral work centered broadly around themes of social justice, and it turned out to be just what I was looking for. It explores what our country has stood for in its best moments. In America’s foundational texts and speeches, they found powerful declarations of a nation rooted in equality, freedom, justice, and inclusion. They wanted the whole work to be invitational – to be reminded of the compelling vision that we live into in our best moments, and to be invited to say “yes” to more of that. The creators of A Vision Unfolding hope that the audience will lean into the invitation that the choir offers, that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community. That we might stand in solidarity with those whose voices are too often dismissed, regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, faith background, or other characteristic. That we might not dismiss, disdain, and judge those whose politics are different from ours, but that we might make the uncomfortable effort to see them as people just as worthy of respect and dignity.”

The Spartanburg Master Chorale will be accompanied by Ms.Julie Smith and Dr. Steven Graff and conducted by Dr. Keith Jones. Student soloists include Sarye Glenn, Kari Mason, Quian Garces, and Mary Ashton Garrett. Inaya Rivas will be featured as narrator, and guest instrumentalists will include Lydia Rabideau, violin; Camron Wells, snare drum; and Ken Frick, trumpet. Please join us on Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 pm in Daniel Recital Hall as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday and articulate an even greater vision for our future.

View the livestream on Converse’s YouTube channel at the start of the event.