East Bay choral organization Cantare’s season finale concert on Saturday in Lafayette, called “Until All of Us Are Free,” is deliberately titled.
Cantare Artistic Director David Morales and Director of Children’s and Youth Choirs Julie Haydon decided to close the season with a salute to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but with a realistic spin.
“We wanted to recognize there’s a part of our history and a part of belonging,” Morales says, but there also are “goals and objectives that we’ve yet to achieve.”
“Until All of Us Are Free,” a pay-what-you-will concert spanning centuries and American music genres, features the Adult Chorale and Aurora Choir of high school vocalists in Cantare, a nonprofit with a mission to serve singers of all ages. Founded by Morales in 1987, Cantare today comprises adult choirs, youth ensembles, in-school music education and a summer camp.
This weekend’s eclectic program — celebrating unity, self-governance, individual rights and the pursuit of happiness — includes William Billings’ Revolutionary War-era anthem “Chester”; Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy”; “Keep Marching” from the musical “Suffs”; Garth Brooks’ “We Shall Be Free”; Low Lily’s “Hope Lingers On”; the Black-Eyed Peas’ “Where is the Love?”; Alexandra Olsavsky’s “What Happens When a Woman?”; military anthems alongside the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”; and “America the Beautiful.”
Morales was particularly drawn to Walt Whitman’s poetry, the basis of Hanson’s piece. He says, “The emphasis of those words is really on the hope of the future of young people. These young people are on board the ship to democracy sailing to the future to lead us to a place of equity and justice.”
“Keep Marching,” from Shaina Taub’s 2024 Tony Award-winning musical about passionate women fighting for the right to vote, was another key inspiration for Morales, who was looking for songs that question what the Declaration of Independence writers meant by “We the people.” He asks: “Who is we and who are the people? What do we see as rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? And what’s the government’s role?”
Haydon calls Lily’s 2018 “Hope Lingers On” a timely call for optimism: “It speaks to the fact that even in a time where we see a lack of justice or equality, that in our darkest hour even then hope still lingers on. Our students have to talk about the fact that hope is like a muscle you have to train; otherwise you can become so despondent with all that’s happening in the world.”
For “Where is the Love?,” the Aurora Choir will be joined by alumna in a performance of another song that speaks to injustice: “It’s questioning the way people are spreading animosity and dividing us, that we have to have understanding and unity, we have to keep our faith, that love is still there and we can keep love alive — and that will be really powerful,” says Haydon.
The students also will sing Olsavsky’s 2018 piece, often referred to as “What Happens When a Woman Takes Power?”
“We know that in American history women are still working to see a place in society, and this song calls into question some of these things: What happens when a woman takes power? What happens when she won’t back down? What happens when she wears a crown?” Haydon asks.
Morales says “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is filled with calls to step up our game and “America the Beautiful” is a point of pride honoring people who have played an important role in U.S. history.
The military medley salutes members of the armed forces and their families, including people in the audience. “We’re singing those songs from the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy, and some of us grew up with them. These songs relate to their themes and service—and of their relatives—and celebrate their service for us,” Morales says.
The audience may learn something that the students are reminded of every week at choir practice, says Haydon: “When we work together and balance and blend our voices, we can create something more powerful and beautiful than any one of us could create on our own. That’s a lesson we’re learning over and over again, and in this concert we have the chance to also help the audience understand that every voice must be heard and have a place, and every viewpoint needs to be considered in order for all of us to be free and to be experiencing justice and equity.”
Cantare’s “Until All of Us Are Free” is at 7:30 p.m. May 16 at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette. Pay-what-you-will tickets, suggested $25 to $50 or more, are at cantareconvivo.org.