A Single Voice: Solitary, Unified

In November 2016, around 1AM Eastern Standard Time on the 9th, a decision was made in the United States that would dramatically change the political landscape of the world. In the months leading to this day, divisive rhetoric flooded the political discourse to the extent that, after 9 November 2017 (what I refer to as 9/11/2017), the number of hate crimes in the United States DRAMATICALLY increased. The rhetoric was especially charged towards people of color, Muslims, Latinx, women, LGBTQ people, and the disabled. 

Using these groups of people as a starting point, A Single Voice: Solitary, Unified takes 14 quotes from people who, in some way, belong to these categories. The 14 movements are all musical responses to these quotes, filled with direct and personal musical symbolism. This work is not about what happened, however. It is a work about humanity. It is a statement that affirms the place of these people within the human fabric. The quotes that I selected are from people - past and present - who worked towards equality and respect for humanity. Some of the quotes may contradict each other, but ultimately their meta end goal is the same. That is why I feel these people, along with the plethora of known and unknonwn activists for equality and social justice and humanity, all speak in solidarity, with a single voice, solitary, unified. 

Consortium Details & Thanks

A Single Voice: Solitary, Unified was commissioned through a consortium organized by saxophonist Neal Postma in 2016. I would like to thank the following musicians for participating in the consortium:

Josh Tuttle
Benjamin Sorrell
Mary Joy Patchett
Matt Younglove
Matthew Mahaffey
Gabe Fadale
Andrew Meyer
Sheldon Johnson
Yi-Chia Tu
Ian Jeffress

And a special thanks to Neal Postma for his constant support of my music.