Program Note: A More Perfect Union is an orchestral song cycle for baritone and orchestra based on the speeches of President Barack Obama. The work sets six of President Obama’s most critical monologues to music in an attempt to elevate the universal but distinctly American themes contained therein: unity, pluralism, spirituality, democracy, and hope. A More Perfect Union rebuts the pessimistic, currently in-vogue narrative of American decline by musically asserting one of President Obama’s key messages throughout his tenure: that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

The speeches are set in rough chronological order, beginning in the first movement with the famous refrain of “Yes We Can!” and followed by some of the principal ideas of the piece. The second movement presents the famous First Inaugural Address, with drums used throughout to mark the historic occasion of the election of the nation’s first Black president and the weight of the presidency itself. The sense of celebration in the speech is carefully balanced with an empathy for those suffering during the 2008 financial crisis. The acknowledgment of the darkness felt by many Americans at the time is also reflected in the music’s somber undertones.

The third movement is a scherzo, employing the typical ternary (A-B-A) form to poke fun at the President’s attempts to persuade the electorate of what is now known as the Affordable Care Act. The B section reminds us of the sincerity of these efforts, as contrasted with the almost caricature-like pacing of the A sections. The fourth movement, “On U.S. Military Action in Syria,” explores a 2013 speech to the nation on ordering military action in Syria in response to the deployment of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad. The militaristic elements of the movement highlight the trade-offs in moral and geopolitical calculus required of any commander-in-chief.

Many of the motifs featured throughout the piece converge in the fifth movement, which combines two of President Obama’s most historically significant speeches. The “Address on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma, Alabama March” portrays the bending of the American moral arc towards justice, calling out America’s attempt to “form a more perfect union.” The mood shifts to tragedy and mourning in the “Eulogy for Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney,” who was killed in the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2015. The speech builds on the ideas of spirituality and grace to give way to one of the most iconic moments of the Obama presidency, involving a familiar melody.

Composer Paul Frucht and conductor Yuga Cohler worked closely with President Obama’s Director of Speechwriting and Ridgefield High School alumnus Cody Keenan to craft the libretto for this work. The purpose of treating this subject musically was not partisan; on the contrary, it was to shed light on a responsibly optimistic path forward for American musical and political culture. One function that classical music provides is to tell the stories of our time with a level of weight that is unique to the genre. By combining the drama and beauty of President Obama’s speeches with the gravitas that the orchestra and singer provide, we hope to prove a symbiotic relationship between modern culture and classical music.

Commisioned By: The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra

Premiere: October 2021 with baritone Jorell Williams and conductor Yuga Cohler