New Colossus

New American Composers Series

Seattle Pro Musica celebrates our 50th anniversary season by looking forward to our next 50 years, even as we remember our history. We have commissioned five exciting young composers to write new works for our milestone anniversary, and will feature them in a five-concert series this season.

New Colossus is the fourth of our New American Composers concerts, featuring composer Saunder Choi.

Featured composer: Saunder Choi

For his Seattle Pro Musica commissioned work, Never Again, Saunder has chosen to address the issue of gun violence in America. He writes,

“In the wake of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman wrote: ‘May we not just grieve, but give: May we not just ache, but act’ in her poem Hymn for the Hurting. This call to action is the inspiration behind Never Again, a commentary about the true cost of freedom in a country where the intersection of politics, capitalism, and gun lobbies stands in the way of sensible legislation.”

Program Notes, Texts, and Translations

Saturday, February 11, 2023 - 7:30 pm
in person at Seattle First Baptist Church, Seattle, WA

Special thanks to our season and program sponsors for New Colossus:

Listen to select excerpts from the program:

Welcome Table
Saunder Choi (b. 1988)

Here are Saunder's thoughts on the piece: “As a BIPOC, gay immigrant, I often wonder if I will ever be truly welcome in this country. Tensions surrounding immigration are at an all time high, with mothers being separated with their kids, children in detention cells, visa bans; even the legal immigrant status is threatened (as in H1-B workers and F-1/M-1 visa holders a.k.a international students). It seems that people are confusing nationalism and love for country with xenophobia and hatred. “’Welcome Table’ is inspired by and reflects on the civil rights spiritual ‘I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table,’ examining it from the eyes of an immigrant and the other. Perhaps one of these days, we will all be welcome at the table.”

Leron, Leron Sinta
Traditional Filipino song, arr. by Saunder Choi (b. 1988)

Based on “My Dear, Little Leron,” a popular Filipino folk song from the Tagalog region. Sung in Tagalog.

Accessibility at our venues:

Seattle First Baptist Church is accessible for those with mobility issues - they may enter via the glass doors on Harvard (between Seneca and Spring) to use the elevator; there is also a passenger drop-off zone located just outside these doors. Once the choir has completed warmups in the sanctuary, the ramp from the parking lot on Seneca and Boylston may be used by any who need it and have tickets in hand.