“Songs of Protest, Songs of Peace” presents expressions of anger, dissatisfaction, and calls for change from many times and cultures, linking the requirements for justice with the desire for peace.

We will bring choral settings of songs sung by Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, and Billie Holliday; Kim Baryluk’s “Warrior”; Stephen Paulus’ “Hymn to the Eternal Flame” and former-Rochesterian Tom Trenney’s beautiful setting of Maya Angelou’s “Prayer for Peace”.

The budding “Justice Choir” movement seeks “to further social justice movements by engaging communities
in singing together.” We will conclude the program by introducing songs from the movement’s Creative Commons Songbook, which is reconnecting communities throughout the U.S. to the practice of singing their dreams and messages.

As always, none of our pieces necessarily reflect the views of our group, but we lend our singing to well- voiced expressions from both contemporary and historical cultures, prophets, peasants, and poets.