National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November in the United States to honor and uplift indigenous communities, their heritage, and history.

After giving the April world premiere of To Repair, a multi-movement work commissioned from Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club (UMMGC) has been invited to present the work and discuss the larger ongoing journey that the piece represents at the 2023 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference in Cincinnati.

Chorus America’s Commission Consortiums bring choruses of all sizes and from around the United States and Canada together to bring new repertoire to life from beloved and acclaimed composers. The tradition of over ten years has brought pieces that highlight America’s cultural diversity, the impact of youth in the world, and many other themes – in 2022, the tradition continues with the offering of compositions celebrating Latin American music from composers Cristian Grases and Suzzette M. Ortiz.  

On April 7, 2022, at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York City, the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club will give the world premiere of To Repair, a multi-movement work reflecting on what is necessary to bring repair to Black communities in America written by composer and educator Tesfa Wondemagegnehu.

As this article is published, votes are still being counted in the 2020 United States general election - though for months now, the choral field has been using the power of our art to encourage the public to make their voices heard in this much-anticipated event. Our Chorus Impact Study has consistently found that choristers exhibit remarkably high levels of civic leadership, and the projects of these choruses and composers certainly live up to those research findings.

“Awake! Awake! Ye sisters all,” is the opening line to the “Suffrage Marching Song,” by Fanny Connable and Florence Livingston Lent, composed in 1914 to benefit the Equal Suffrage Cause. Like many political movements, the suffrage movement was inherently linked with music, making the 2020 centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification a natural programmatic theme. Choruses across the U.S. are honoring this anniversary with new events and commissions featuring women’s voices, including premieres happening this weekend.