On Nov 24, 2002, then President George W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act, establishing the Department of Homeland Security.
In this special, renowned men’s ensemble Cantus presents works anchored by Elise Witt’s piece of the same name, and explores the courage of those who leave their homes in search of a brighter future and how they adapt to their new homeland. This program honors the struggle, courage, and deep humanity of migration with music from around the world, as well as a newly-commissioned piece by Melissa Dunphy, one of today’s most compelling compositional voices.
One of Cantus’ major passions is commissioning music. They will showcase some of their commissioned music in today’s concert, such as Australian American composer Melissa Dunphy’s “N-400 Erasure Songs.” The lyrics used for the song come from the N-400 documents that U.S. immigrants must fill out to apply to become naturalized citizens.