The Pasadena Chorale will launch the second half of its 2024-2025 season with a concert celebrating Black American composers and new voices in choral music. The free performance, titled “Sing America Part One: I, Too,” takes place Feb. 26 at First United Methodist Church Pasadena.
The program features large-scale works by pioneering composers Florence Price (1887-1953) and Margaret Bonds (1913-1972). Much of Price’s music remained unknown until 2009, when a large collection of her original scores from the early 1900s was discovered in an attic in St. Anne, Illinois. Her work “Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” sets Vachel Lindsay’s poem depicting the sixteenth president pacing restlessly, burdened by the persistence of war and injustice.
Bonds’ 1967 composition “Credo,” set to W.E.B. Du Bois’ text, “explores a great range of expression, from fury to tenderness, in its painting of W. E. B. Du Bois’ iconic text.” The work affirms human dignity while specifically extolling the virtue of Black people.
The program also features “Wayfaring Stranger,” newly commissioned from composer Jen Wang and arranged for the Pasadena Chorale in 2024. Wang’s setting weaves in the rich textures of fiddle music while showcasing the expressive range and dynamic power of a full chorus.
Founded in 2009 by Jeffrey Bernstein, the Pasadena Chorale has presented over 100 performances and collaborated with major institutions including the Pasadena Playhouse, MUSE/IQUE, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Gamble House. In 2024, the ensemble received the American Prize in Choral Performance.
The organization’s commitment to education includes the free Listening To The Future program, which pairs local high school composers with professional composer mentors for a year of study, culminating in a concert of student works. The Chorale receives support from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Pasadena Community Foundation, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, and the City of Pasadena.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church Pasadena. While admission is free, reservations are required. For more information and reservations, visit pasadenachorale.org.
This concert marks the first in a two-part series exploring American choral traditions, reflecting the Chorale’s mission “to create choral music that educates, uplifts and inspires as many people as possible.”
