Let America Be America Again

Composer's Note:

Let America Be America Again is the result of a collaboration with the great baritone (and my friend and colleague,) Gordon Hawkins. Gordon selected the poem by Langston Hughes. The piece, composed in the spring of 2020, is my reaction to the continued horrific treatment of people of color. Although written over 85 years ago, the words still ring true today. They express the frustration with the current state of the world and hope that our country will live up to its lofty goals of true equality.