Spirit of Concord

Description

Through this piece, Carol Brittin Chambers portrays the rich history of the town of Concord. The work incites feelings of excitement, gratitude, honor, unity, and overall celebration. Students will sure love learning the history of this town and take pride in sharing in the feelings this piece creates.

Program Notes

“Spirit of Concord “was commissioned by the Concord Middle School Band in Concord, MA, to commemorate the opening of their brand new middle school. The piece premiered in spring 2025, directed by Paul Halpainy.

For years, the middle school was separated into two buildings, about one mile apart from each other. Named the Peabody and Sanborn Schools, together they comprised Concord Middle School. One interesting fact is that for some time, each building housed all three grade levels 6, 7, and 8, and the two buildings actually operated on two different clocks, “Peabody time” vs. “Sanborn time.” Every clock in one building was literally set seven minutes into the future. More recently, the Peabody building was the 6th grade building and Sanborn was for 7th/8th, and the clocks have been adjusted. The new building will be named the “Ellen Garrison Building” and signifies both schools coming together to form one middle school.

Aside from the opening of the new school, 2025 is a big year in Concord, as the town is celebrating the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the American Revolution! The battles of Concord and Lexington are historic, as they marked the time when the men and women of what is now Massachusetts secured their independence from Britain and created a new nation. This new nation was to uphold the ideals of liberty, equality, natural and civil rights, as well as responsible citizenship. The Concord 250 celebration honors the first 250 years and inspires Americans to imagine the next 250. Ellen Garrison, the daughter and granddaughter of men who had been enslaved, was an activist who spent her life educating newly freed people and fighting for their civil rights. Garrison was born and raised in Concord.

Given the rich history and the excitement of bringing together this particular community of learners, composing a piece that portrays feelings of gratitude, honor, unity, anticipation, and overall celebration was important to me. Therefore, starting with an uplifting, fanfare-ish style, then moving into a processional, pomp-and-circumstance feel seemed appropriate. My hope is that you can also hear these same sentiments of pride and enthusiasm as you listen.