Friday, September 23, 2011Lift Every Voice and Sing “Lift every voice and sing, ‘Til earth and heaven ring. Ring with the harmonies of liberty.” On September 23, 2011, the beautiful lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” rang through the Atlanta Symphony Hall as over 500 Atlanta area students gathered in song to commemorate its anniversary as part of the Atlanta Music Festival. This hymn, commonly recognized as the Black National Anthem, was written and composed in 1900 by James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson. The Atlanta Music Festival, formerly called the Atlanta Colored Music Festival, was established in 1910 in response to the denial of African American patrons to opera performances and to promote “good feeling” among different races. Today, this festival seeks to bring together the entire Atlanta community to honor history and celebrate the progress of African Americans through a unique concert tradition.
For this event, Woodward Academy partnered with the Ron Clark Academy and 15 other local schools to form a large student chorus to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. RCA 6th grade students rehearsed for weeks to learn all of the lyrics and perfect their harmony with one another. On the day of the event, as spectators surveyed the room and student chorus, many were overwhelmed with joy and emotions by the angelic sounds that filled the room and the sight of students from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds coming together for such a moving experience. To view this remarkable performance, click here.
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