The Santa Barbara Choral Society‘s February concerts will observe the Presidential Month (Washington and Lincoln born in February) with a program of works by American composers.

More to the point, they will celebrate Black History Month with selections of both traditional and contemporary African-American music.

The program called Red, White and Blues will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, in Trinity Episcopal Church, 1500 State St.

The chorus is led by its artistic director JoAnne Wasserman. The noted singer-composer-actor-author Michal Dawson Connor will be the guest soloist.

The program includes compositions and arrangements by the American composers Rollo Dilworth, James Erb, “Blind Lemon” Jefferson, Shawn Kirchner, John Jacob Niles, Alice Parker, Stephen Paulus, Vincent Persichetti, Lloyd Pfautsch, Randall Thompson, and Eric Whitacre.

“Black heritage has profoundly shaped American music, leaving an indelible imprint across genres,” the Choral Society says. “From the soulful rhythms of blues to the infectious beats of jazz, the powerful expressions of gospel, and the rhythmic cadence of hip-hop, Black artists like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin have defined and evolved musical styles.

“Their influence extends beyond individuals, permeating the very essence of American music, and enriching it with a unique blend of emotion, storytelling, and resilience. This legacy, rooted in the struggles and triumphs of the Black community, remains an integral part of the vibrant tapestry of American musical culture.”

The program is planted thick with highlights — too many, indeed, for me to discuss them in any detail — but I must mention one selection, “Shenandoah,” which is also known as “Across the Wide Missouri,” “Rolling River,” “Oh, My Rolling River,” and other titles.

No lovelier song ever arose from this continent. Its melody and spacious harmonies remind me of morning mist swirling up from the surface of a wide, smoothly flowing river. It sounds like America, and, of course, a river runs through it.

There is a Shenandoah River, of course — it is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, which flows through our nation’s capital. It doesn’t go anywhere near the Missouri River.

And there is a Shenandoah Valley, which had some of the richest farmland in early America. But it is likely the song derives its name from the Oneida Iroquois Chief Shenandoah (1710–1816), who had a beautiful daughter who captured the hearts of the early traders and explorers (hence the line “O Shenandoah, I love your daughter … “).

The chief must have been a remarkable man. He lived in the central New York state town of Oneida Castle and was a co-founder of the Oneida Academy, which became Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He is buried on the campus grounds.

Despite its concrete references, its specific characters, “Shenandoah” sounds more like an anthem or a hymn than a folk song; there is an overriding religious-mystical quality that lifts the eye towards the horizon.

As the song passed along toward the present, it has absorbed several stories and parts of stories, becoming, in itself, a kind of metaphor for the growth of the nation.

More than anything, the song makes me think of Archibald MacLeish‘s great poem “American Letter,” in which he says, among other things,
 
“It is a strange thing—to be an American.
…
America is West and the wind blowing.
America is a great word and the snow,
A way, a white bird, the rain falling,
A shining thing in the mind and the gulls’ call.
America is neither a land nor a people,
A word’s shape it is, a wind’s sweep —
America is alone: many together,
Many of one mouth, of one breath,
Dressed as one—and none brothers among them:
Only the taught speech and the aped tongue.
America is alone and the gulls calling …”

The Choral Society will also sing the lively spiritual “Didn’t it Rain?”

Tickets are $30, general admission; $20 for seniors (65+); and $10 for students and children. The post-concert reception is open to all.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online at www.sbcs.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events#/events/1173/storefront.