At Cantus, we believe that the stories we tell are the ones that define us and no story is more essential than the many journeys that have shaped the land we call home. This season, we’re proud to present Land That I Love, a concert program centered on migration, heritage, and the diverse musical voices that make up our shared America. In commemoration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, the program offers a powerful look at national identity as reflected through music by composers whose lives or ancestries include migration. This concert is both a celebration and an invitation to reflect on home, belonging, arrival, and the stories that have carried us.
The program features a remarkable range of composers and works, each with their own connections to migration:
• Melissa Dunphy — “N-400 Erasure Songs: Mvmt. 2”, wrestling with themes of citizenship and belonging.
• Saunder Choi — arrangement of the Filipino folksong “Leron Leron Sinta”, bridging tradition and contemporary choral voice.
• Gloria Estefan / arr. Yosvany Estévez — “Mi Tierra”, a poignant musical homecoming filled with memory and pride.
• Shabnam Abedi — “Manush Dhoro Manush Bhojo (Embrace Humanity Serve Humanity)”, evoking compassion and empathy within the migration story.
• Chen Yi — arrangement of “Fengyang ge (Flower Drum Song)”, bringing the vibrancy of Chinese cultural heritage into American choral traditions.
• Stephen Paulus — “The Road Home”, a beloved reflection on longing and belonging that resonates across cultures.
Through this diverse and moving repertoire, Land That I Love honors voices too often left at the margins of classical music programming. It connects past and present, showing that migration is not only a historical fact but an ongoing reality that shapes families, neighborhoods, and art forms today. Each work invites us into someone else’s story, fostering understanding, empathy, and recognition of our shared humanity. For those whose families have migrated, pieces like Leron Leron Sinta, Manush Dhoro, or Mi Tierra affirm identity, memory, and culture in ways both personal and universal.
Land That I Love is more than a concert; it is a celebration of the diverse voices and histories that continue to shape the United States. By bringing these works together in song, Cantus invites audiences to reflect on where we’ve come from, who we are now, and how the stories of migration will continue to define the future of this country.
Tickets are available now, including Pay-What-You-Can options. Join us as we celebrate America’s rich cultural tapestry and the music of migration in Land That I Love.
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