Sing Democracy 250 National Broadcast
September 25 | 9pm ET
Join us on September 25 at 9 pm ET!
Be a part of the 90-minute PBS program Sing Democracy 250! Add your voice to renew democracy by inviting others to join you at your own Watch Party for Democracy on September 25th! Gather your friends, family neighbors and community and become part of this national initiative.
Sing Democracy 250 celebrates America’s 250th birthday with a spectacular musical experience that honors our past and inspires our future. Through powerful choral music, this sweeping performance reflects the nation’s founding ideals and the enduring promise of democracy, reminding us that We, the People, are at the heart of it all.
“This concert was born out of a deep desire to bring people together to honor the 250th anniversary of our country. We are living in a time when division too often defines our public life. Music has a unique power to gather us in the same space, to help us listen to one another, and to remind us of our shared humanity. When we sing together, we practice the very act of community.”
-G. Phillip Shoultz, III
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Filmed on April 12, 2026 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, the concert opens with the world premiere of “Fanfare: Democracy 250” by Steven Amundson, an energetic, brass-forward fanfare that weaves fragments of “America the Beautiful” throughout with the full melody finally emerging. Two newly commissioned works are also included: “Redeem the Dream”, by Brandon A. Boyd and “US”, by Michael Bussewitz-Quarm. Reflecting on the gap between the ideals of the American dream and the reality experienced by many, “Redeem the Dream” opens with the words of the Declaration of Independance, then moves to Langston Hughes’ 1935 poem “Let America Be America Again”. “US” is based on Richard Haass’ 2023 book The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens. “US” unpacks each of the ten obligations through 31 quotations from a diverse group of Americans and ends with a call to participate - a reminder that democracy is in our hands.
The Program
These compositions deliver a powerful message of hope for democracy, expressed in the voices of nearly 200 singers from high school, college, and community choirs anchored by the Together In Hope Choir and the 60-piece orchestra. The concert also includes “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, both arranged by conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Performers include Minnesota-based ensembles Together In Hope Choir (Minneapolis/St. Paul), St. Scholastica Chamber Choir (Duluth), Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragon Choir, Choral Arts Ensemble (Rochester), young singers of the Honors Choirs of SE Minnesota, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
The Minneapolis concert was the second in a series of four Sing Democracy 250 Signature Concerts nationwide. Past concerts include the world premiere in Philadelphia at Marian Anderson Hall (October 2025); Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in New York City (May 2026), and at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. (June 2026).
Beyond the signature concerts, the initiative expands through the All America Program, a call for choirs nationwide to perform these works in their own communities. More than 100 choirs have committed to more than 75 performances across 25 states and the District of Columbia in 2026.
PBS Partnership
Sing Democracy 250 is a part of PBS America @ 250, a multiyear celebration of U.S. history, culture, and children’s programming, which began in spring 2025 and continues through America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026 and beyond.
“Sing Democracy 250 is an invitation to gather through music, to reflect on the fundamental values expressed in the Declaration of Independance - that all are equal before the law, that all share the same rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” said SD250 co-founders Gary Aamodt and Celia Ellingson. “The music also reminds us what We, the People, can and must do to fulfill our duties as citizens. It is now our turn - and our opportunity - to do all we can to ensure that our democracy is not just remembered, but renewed, for the next 250 years.”
Sing Democracy 250 will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-based PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, which is available on iOS, Apple TV, Android mobile and tablets, Android/Google TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and tablets, Comcast, Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO, and LG Smart TVs.
Sing Democracy 250 is a co-production of Thirty-Fifth Productions and Foreground Productions. Directed by Kristin Fosdick and Cody McLeod Rogers. Executive produced by Cody McLeod Rogers and Jacob Leftwich. Consulting Producer is Justin Ellis. Zara Frankel is Executive in Charge for PBS.