APGAF Presents: To Be Heard: Shadows in America

To Be Heard: Shadows of America is a powerful, multi-genre concert experience that celebrates the rich tapestry of American life through the music of Florence Price, Aaron Copland, and Joel Thompson. Blending orchestral brilliance, stirring ballet, and soul-stirring vocal works, this program journeys through the complexities of American identity—honoring its triumphs, confronting its struggles, and lifting up voices too long unheard. From Copland’s sweeping optimism to Price’s deeply expressive melodies and Thompson’s urgent contemporary voice, the performance invites audiences to reflect on the shadows and light that shape our shared heritage. It’s an evening of resilience, beauty, and bold artistic expression—where history, humanity, and hope take center stage.

This concert features a moving selection of works that illuminate the American experience through powerful musical storytelling. Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America traces the journey of African heritage in the New World—from sorrow and oppression to hope and resilience—with lush orchestration and emotional depth. Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, narrated by the legendary Simon Estes, brings the words of Abraham Lincoln to life, echoing timeless themes of unity and justice. His iconic Appalachian Spring captures the spirit of a young nation through soaring, pastoral melodies that celebrate perseverance and new beginnings. Joel Thompson’s gripping Seven Last Words of the Unarmed honors the lives of Black men lost to police violence, using haunting harmonies and choral power to demand remembrance, empathy, and change.

Event Location

Bridge View Center
102 Church St
Ottumwa IA

More Information

(641) 575-2366
AmericanGothicFest@gmail.com