Echoes of Resilience: A Night of Reflection and Transformation with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

In a time when uncertainty defines the moment, voices from the past remind us that unpredictability is not new. These voices, though often broken and weary, remain steadfast in their struggle and hope for life. To honor these voices and unite with them in the ongoing fight for a better future, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) launched its MusicNOW series, curated by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) in collaboration with composer Jimmy López.

DBR, a composer and violinist, merges classical traditions with African-American and Caribbean musical heritage and is equally committed to his role as an educator. The series’ first concert took place on November 24th at CSO, featuring a program that included three of Roumain’s compositions—one being the world premiere of Uncertainty Our Country—alongside works by Brittany J. Green and Allison Loggins-Hull.

Roumain performed alongside CSO musicians, including Mihaela Ionescu (violin) and Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson (flute). The concert concluded with a performance of Roumain’s Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1, conducted by the guest conductor and the new music director of the Oakland Symphony, Kedrick Armstrong.

Daniel Bernard Roumain – String Quartet No. 5, “Parks” (2005)

The concert opened with Daniel Bernard Roumain’s String Quartet No. 5 (Parks), a powerful homage to the strength and resilience of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Parks’ courageous actions, alongside those of figures like Fannie Lou Hamer, became pivotal moments that reshaped the United States, striving to make it a safer, more inclusive society. Yet, the composition prompts reflection: have we truly internalized the lessons of these trailblazers, or are we still caught in a cycle of revisiting their sacrifices without meaningful progress?

The quartet’s first movement, “I Made Up My Mind Not to Move,” begins with a steady ostinato that anchors the piece, creating a pedal point on the dominant of F minor. Over this foundation, a metallic descending passage, performed with sul ponticello technique, emerges to evoke Parks’ unyielding determination. Mihaela Ionescu’s violin brought this figure to life with remarkable sharpness and precision, embodying Parks’ steadfast character. This motif, passed between the instruments, builds a superimposed polyrhythmic texture that underscores Parks’ resolve and dignified resistance.

The second movement, “Klap Ur Handz,” evokes a vibrant, gospel-inspired energy, rich with hand-clapping and foot-stomping reminiscent of church gatherings. The ensemble—featuring Ionescu, Jin, Lai, and Cooper—skillfully conveyed the movement’s dramatic and nostalgic elements, channeling the communal strength and joy rooted in Parks’ cultural heritage. Yet, the anticipated audience interaction that could have elevated this performance was notably absent.

Whether due to the solemnity of the times or a reflection of broader societal tensions, this lack of engagement left the movement feeling ‘unresolved,’ as though the stage echoed the fractured unity of our country. The quartet concluded with the introspective “Isorhythmiclationistic,” a meditative movement written in the style of an isorhythmic motet. Its restrained, contemplative tone provided a reflective close to the piece.

Through String Quartet No. 5 (Parks), Roumain reminds us of Parks’ enduring legacy while challenging us to consider how far we’ve come—and how much further we still need to go.

Brittany J. Green – shift.unravel.BREAK (2005)

Brittany J. Green’s shift.unravel.BREAK. offers a compelling example of the composer’s innovative and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary music. A North Carolina-based composer, performer, and educator, Green’s work frequently explores the intersection of blackness and music, transposing ideas from Black feminist and Queer theories into the medium of sound. Utilizing tools such as live electronics, field recordings, sampling, and improvisation, her compositions—like Against Sharp, r_upTure, and Thread and Pull—investigate themes of identity, memory, and musical systems while crafting immersive experiences that blend sound, video, movement, and text.

In shift.unravel.BREAK., Green employs a mathematical framework to guide the composition’s structure. The work begins with five pitches and five rhythmic patterns linked together, which gradually separate and unravel as the piece develops. This compositional process mirrors the title, with musical ideas emerging from silence, coalescing, and then breaking apart into fragments of sound and silence.

The piece opens with arpeggios on the piano, complemented by lyrical, drone-like melodies from the strings and clarinet. This initial meditative atmosphere transforms as the music progresses, building into a minimalist interplay of repetitive staccato motifs. The dynamic gradually intensifies, leading to a rhythmic whirlwind before dissipating into fragments, evoking the image of snowflakes melting on a dry surface.

Daniel Schlosberg’s piano performance was central to the piece, providing rhythmic grounding through meticulous articulation of repetitive material. The piano’s interplay with the clarinet—played with precision and nuance by John Bruce Yeh—added depth, as the two instruments explored tonal and textural contrasts. The clarinet moved seamlessly from lyrical ambient passages to driving rhythmic patterns, shaping the piece’s character with its dynamic expressiveness.

Green’s structural approach allows the music to shift from a contemplative introduction to an energetic, rhythmically rich middle section. Here, the ensemble’s counterpoint creates a vibrant dialogue, culminating in a playful interchange of musical ideas. The end, in which the music breaks apart into delicate, fading fragments, underscores the piece’s thematic exploration of unity, disintegration, and transformation.

With shift.unravel.BREAK., Green reinforces her reputation as a composer who challenges traditional boundaries, creating music that is as intellectually provocative as it is emotionally resonant.

Daniel Bernard Roumain – Uncertainty Our Country (2024)

The world premiere of Uncertainty Our Country by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) was a poignant highlight of the evening. Commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for its MusicNOW series, this 10-minute, one-movement work draws inspiration from William Butler Yeats’s haunting poem The Second Coming (1919). Written in the aftermath of World War I and the 1918–1919 flu pandemic, the poem resonates with themes of chaos and disintegration, mirroring Roumain’s exploration of the United States’ contemporary social and political turbulence. “For me, these are uncertain, divisive times for our country—the center cannot hold—and I find solace in the words and wisdom of Yeats’s poem,” the composer reflects.

The piece opens with a solemn pulse reminiscent of a funeral march, underpinned by a chord progression (I, IV, and V in A minor) that evokes tolling bells. This austere introduction builds to a powerful forte culmination, with the orchestra filling the soundscape in rich, resonant layers of tonic and subdominant notes. From there, the piece takes a transformative turn, shifting meter, tempo, and key to introduce forward motion.

A repetitive arpeggio in 3/4 meter emerges, anchoring a steady foundation for the piece’s progression. Pianist Daniel Schlosberg delivered this passage with precision, paving the way for the gradual introduction of the patriotic tune “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” (America). The melody first appeared on the cello, played by James Cooper in its lowest register, imbued with a wistful, almost fragile quality that reflected Roumain’s intent to transform the familiar into something introspective. The viola picked up the theme, passing it to the violin, which offered a delicate, ornamented rendition, adding a poignant twist to the closing phrases.

Through this evocative arrangement, Roumain posed a thought-provoking question: Can Americans still take pride in a country where “the falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold”? The piece’s subtlety and depth earned a rousing ovation from the audience, a testament to its powerful impact. The concert, performed without an intermission, included a brief break where Roumain brought the evening’s other featured composers, Brittany J. Green and Allison Loggins-Hull, to the stage alongside conductor Kedrick Armstrong. The audience warmly welcomed the opportunity to hear from the artists themselves, adding an intimate and engaging dimension to the night.

Allison Loggins-Hull – Homeland (2018)

The next piece on the program, Homeland by Allison Loggins-Hull, aligned with the evening’s exploration of resilience and migration. Written in 2018, the composition reflects on the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and broader themes of political and social unrest, including the Syrian Civil War and domestic tensions in the U.S. Loggins-Hull describes the piece as an exploration of the meaning of home during a crisis, asking, “How does a person feel patriotic when they feel unwelcome at the same time?”

A versatile composer, flutist, and producer, Loggins-Hull’s work spans genres, from symphonic to chamber and electronic music, often rooted in Black American musical traditions and themes of community and culture. Her compositions frequently engage with Afrofuturism, imagining liberated futures through the lens of Black experiences. Her works for flute and string quartet were recently recorded by the acclaimed quartet ETHEL, with the album Persist set to be released by the end of 2024.

Homeland opens with timbral trills on the flute, evoking the ebb and flow of water. These motifs fade and reappear at shifting tempos, evoking a sense of unease. The pauses between these brief phrases and trills not only allow the flutist to breathe but also amplify the tension, evoking an air of uncertainty.

Structured in an ABA form, the middle section shifts to a sharper, more distorted timbre, demanding extraordinary technical skill. This part, starting at the 4-minute mark, features two intertwined voices in different registers, executed at a rapid tempo. Flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson delivered a stunning performance, meeting these challenges with remarkable precision. Subtle, rudimentary fragments of the American anthem emerge, reimagined and fragmented, reflecting a sense of unraveling patriotism. The final section reprises the main theme, fading out like a distant echo, slowing down to evoke a poignant reflection on loss and resilience.

Commissioned by The Texas Flute Society for the 2018 Myrna Brown Competition, Homeland stands as a compelling musical meditation on displacement, identity, and perseverance. Loggins-Hull’s evocative composition and Höskuldsson’s masterful interpretation left a lasting impression.

Daniel Bernard Roumain – Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1 (2002)

In his Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1 (2002), DBR draws on the spiritual and cultural traditions of voodoo rituals, translating their symbolism into music. As a Black Haitian-American, he explores voodoo’s mythology alongside the struggles of Haiti and his native Harlem, two places marked by trauma and resilience. Reflecting on these themes, DBR asks, “How much different is the intoxication of a voodoo ceremony from the myth and propaganda of the American dream?” This question underpins the work, blending personal reflection with social commentary.

Musically, Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1 blends a wide range of genres, including jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk, while emphasizing improvisation. This fusion creates an exciting, dynamic performance where performers are encouraged to engage creatively with one another and with the audience. For this performance, the concerto was arranged for a small chamber ensemble, incorporating string, brass, and woodwind instruments, along with piano, electric guitar, percussion, and drum set, all conducted by Kedrick Armstrong.

The concerto opens with a free-jazz-inspired atmosphere, where dissonant sounds and instrument tunings create an unsettling yet intriguing soundscape. The clarinet and violin take the lead, setting the tone for the following sections, which shift in tempo and meter, incorporating elements of Irish folk music and lyrical violin passages. These shifts build the emotional intensity of the work, supported by the violin’s use of effects like the wah-wah pedal, which adds depth to the performance.

A meditative section offers a moment of calm before erupting into chaotic, collective expression, evoking the ecstatic release of a voodoo ceremony. While the dominant hi-hat shaped the rhythm, additional layers like timpani or traditional Haitian rada drums could have added depth and cultural resonance, channeling the intricate polyrhythms central to voodoo rituals.

One of the most compelling aspects of Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1 is its call for musicians to improvise, which can be challenging for those not accustomed to such freedom. Despite these challenges, the ensemble delivered a captivating performance.

Overall, Voodoo Violin Concerto No. 1 is a compelling and thought-provoking work that combines cultural exploration with bold musical experimentation. It is an exciting and entertaining experience for the audience, offering moments of deep reflection and powerful artistic expression.