Annandale HS Choral Department Performs Concert With Focus On Hope, Equity, Unity

Fairfax County Public Schools

December 10, 2020

The Annandale High Choral Department hosted its first virtual concert, Lift Every Voice, featuring all five of the school’s choirs performing works of six living African-American composers with a focus on hope, equity, and unity. The songs and times for the performances are “I Dream a World,” André Thomas (4:31); “More Love,” Mark Miller (11:04); “Hope is the Breath of Music,” Victor Johnson (16:58); “Glory,” Eugene Rogers (22:51); “No Color,” Stacey Gibbs and Shawn Kirchner (31:53); and “Tshotsholoza” (Go Forward), Jeffery Ames (38:31). The concert included special guest appearances and brief video greetings from several featured composers: Thomas (retired director of choral activities at Florida State University), Miller (assistant professor of church music at Drew Theological School), Johnson (minister of worship and arts at Shiloh Baptist Church, Plano, Tex.), Rogers (director of choral activities at the University of Michigan), Ames (director of choral activities at Belmont University) and Jeffery Redding (director of choral activities at the University of Central Florida). Each composer gave their perspective on the piece they wrote and shared historical background. The final combined number was introduced by Ames, who shared the powerful message behind the South African folk song that closed the concert, Tshotsholoza. Contact John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu.

This press release was produced by the Fairfax County Public Schools.The views expressed here are the author’s own.