During a week in which liberty and justice are on the minds of many Americans, it is very fitting that a newly formed Justice Choir of the Midwest is preparing for its inaugural concert on Sunday, November 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Davenport's First Presbyterian Church (1702 Iowa Street).
Justice Choir of the Midwest is a community chorus composed of singers from all over the Quad Cities (and beyond) united in their passion for justice and bringing about positive change through music and advocacy. The choir is under the direction of Matt Bishop (music director at First Presbyterian) and is accompanied by collaborative pianist Alex Gilson.
“Choral music can be a great channel for creative activism,” Bishop said this week. “A lot of choirs throughout the country have begun realizing this, as have many composers. There is so much great repertoire about social justice that most choirs shy away from, yet I think a lot of choral musicians feel a need to sing music that matters, that speaks to their passion for justice.
“I saw this among many of my singers at First Pres,” he added, “and figured there were other singers in other choirs in the Quad Cities who felt the same way. Gilson put out a call a few months ago, and that yielded enough singers (45) to form a solid choir.
“We have found that this music is so impactful and important for all of us to sing, and we believe it will have the same effect on an audience,” Bishop said.
The Justice Choir repertoire includes several slavery-era spirituals specifically concerning liberation from bondage (songs such as "Way Over in Beulah Land," "Keep Your Lamps," and "Go Down, Moses") alongside more contemporary choral music and protest songs.
The first concert is titled Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and centered on the theme of racial justice. Its more contemporary songs include a new choral work by Alysia Lee titled "Say Her Name," which is a musical liturgy for some of the recent Black men and women who have been wrongly killed by police.
The concert closes in a positive message of hope with a choral rendition of Patti Smith's 1988 hit single "People Have the Power."
Unlike many programs of traditional music ensembles, the Justice Choir concert will feature a bill entirely made up of composers/arrangers who are either women and/or BIPOC, Bishop said, referencing Stacey Gibbs, André Thomas, Alysia Lee, Marques Garrett, Moira Smiley, Ysaye Barnwell, Jester Hairston, Abbie Betinis, and Patti Smith.
The director envisions each season including one concert in the mid-fall and one in early spring, with each concert focusing on a different area of justice advocacy (racial, climate, migrant, LGBTQ+, etc.).
For this first concert, the ensemble is pleased to partner with CARE QC, an initiative of YWCA Quad Cities. CARE QC (Community Advocates for Racial Equity – C.A.R.E) is a "collective effort to challenge racism and promote equity in the Quad Cities" through anti-racism training and actions.
Admission to the concert is free, and concert attendees are encouraged to bring monetary donations to support CARE QC's work or donations of non-perishable food, diapers, or toiletries to support the YWCA's Empowerment Center.
The Justice Choir is part of a national movement that was initiated a few years ago in Minneapolis by composer Abbie Betinis and conductor Tesfa Wondemagegnehu with the publication of the Justice Choir Songbook. There are now similar ensembles in many metropolitan areas across the U.S., Bishop said, united in their goal to be "a grassroots movement to engage in the empathetic, collaborative, and collective power of singing together to create change."
Justice Choir is a template to encourage more community singing for social and environmental justice, according to JusticeChoir.org. Designed around the Justice Choir Songbook, as stated on the site, “our goal is a grassroots movement to engage in the empathetic, collaborative, and collective power of singing together to create change.”
