Damien Sneed and the Orchestra of Tomorrow
Part of: United in Sound America at 250
Performers
Orchestra of Tomorrow
Damien Sneed, Music Director, Piano, and Vocals
Jacqueline Echols McCarley, Soprano
Justin Austin, Baritone
Jayden Arnold, Hammond Organ
Lena Byrd Miles, Vocalist
with
Juandolyn Stokes
Gary McClellan
Wynell Freeman
and Special Guest
Phylicia Rashad
Event Duration
The concert will last approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Revelation and Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit
Revelation and Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit was conceived as more than a concert. It is a meditation on America at 250—a nation still becoming—and an offering of sound, memory, and meaning that asks us to listen deeply to who we have been, who we are, and who we are called to be.
The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 articulated a vision of freedom, dignity, and shared humanity that has inspired generations, even as the nation has struggled to fully realize those ideals. As Carnegie Hall marks the United States’ 250th year by celebrating the extraordinary musical riches that have flourished on this soil, this program enters that conversation through music shaped by faith, resilience, imagination, and cultural encounter. It affirms that American music—like American democracy itself—has always been forged through complexity, contradiction, and hope.
My own musical life began in the Black church, where sound was never ornamental. Music functioned as testimony, prayer, protest, and praise all at once. It carried theology when language failed and preserved communal memory when history refused to remember us rightly. Those traditions—spirituals, hymns, gospel songs, and devotional expressions—emerged alongside the very centuries whose anniversary we mark tonight. They are not footnotes to the American story; they are among its most enduring and influential voices.
This evening brings into conversation the musical languages that have shaped both my life and this nation: the sacred intensity of gospel, the architectural power of classical symphonic tradition, the improvisatory freedom of jazz, and the embodied vitality of soul music. These idioms do not compete—they testify together. Each reflects a strand of the American experiment, shaped by migration, encounter, struggle, aspiration, and belief. Revelation and Jubilation seeks to honor these traditions not as museum artifacts, but as living forces that continue to shape American identity.
The structure of the program—Revelation, Jubilation, and Symphony of Spirit—mirrors a national and spiritual journey. Revelation asks us to remember: to confront history honestly, to hear the voices that built the nation’s cultural foundations, and to acknowledge the moral weight of the past. Jubilation celebrates survival, creativity, and joy—the irrepressible spirit that has allowed American music to flourish even in the face of injustice. Symphony of Spirit gathers these threads into a shared affirmation, insisting that unity does not require sameness, and that freedom is sustained through listening.
Spoken word throughout the evening functions as ritual framing—naming lineage, calling presence into the room, and reminding us that sound carries meaning beyond melody alone. The inclusion of African and diasporic instruments alongside orchestra, choir, and rhythm section reflects a deeper American truth: This nation’s music has always been global in influence and local in meaning, rooted in ancestral memory while reaching toward the future.
The Orchestra of Tomorrow embodies that vision. It represents a commitment to excellence, stylistic fluency, and cultural accountability—an ensemble built to honor legacy while imagining what American music can become in its next century. Together with our vocalists, instrumentalists, and guest artists, we offer this music as both celebration and invitation.
At this pivotal moment, as the nation reflects on 250 years since its founding, I believe music remains one of our most powerful unifying forces—not by erasing difference, but by teaching us how to listen across generations, histories, and beliefs. When music speaks to the soul, it reminds us that the American story is not finished.
It is a profound honor to present this work at Carnegie Hall during the United States’ 250th year. May this evening offer revelation that clarifies our past, jubilation that sustains our present, and a symphony of spirit that guides us toward a more just, generous, and unified future.
—Damien LeChateau Sneed