On this week's program, we travel back to March 8th, 2026, for a extraordinary concert held inside the historic and resonant space of San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio. The performance was presented by Musical Bridges Around the World and featured one of the nation’s premier vocal ensembles, Cantus. Known for their warmth, blend, and commitment to diverse programming, Cantus brings a fresh perspective to every stage they grace.
Most of the music on the show this week comes from Cantus' program "Land That I Love," celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Rod Kelly Hines, baritone with the group, introduced the program by saying, "We are a nation founded, shaped by immigrants, and at this moment in history, when the promise of welcome and belonging and freedom feels increasingly fragile and uncertain, it felt incredibly meaningful and important for us to craft a program that is a celebration of immigrant voices... immigrant voices have helped to define our cultural life and to genuinely make this country great, and these are voices that in this moment are being systematically and violently dismissed, marginalized, and silenced."
Hines continued, "'Land That I Love' is a program that is almost exclusively comprised of music written by composers who are first and second generation immigrants, several of whom also took the time to write reflections on what it means to live, create, and belong in America, and you'll hear a few of those reflections this evening."
PROGRAM:
- “Finlandia Hymn” by Jean Sibelius
- “Deep River” - Traditional, arr. Harry Thacker Burleigh
- “America the Beautiful” by Samuel Ward; arr. Paul John Rudoi
- “Lejanas Voces” by Carlos Cordero
- “Leron, Leron, Sinta” by Saunder Choi
- “TaReKiTa” by Reena Esmail
- “Fengyang ge” (Flower Drum Song) - Traditional Chinese; arr. Chen Yi
- "N-400 Erasure Songs" [Mvt. 2] by Melissa Dunphy
- “That Lonesome Road” by James Taylor, arr. Simon Carrington
- “Plakatap” by Sydney Guillaume
- “The Road Home” by Stephen Paulus
- “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton, arr. Craig Hella Johnson
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen, arr. Alec Schumacker
- “Mi Tierra” by Gloria Estefan, arr. Yosvany Estepe Díaz
