What would America look like if it listened to Black women? What would it feel like? What beauty would emerge from the pain, frustration, and radical imagination of Black women if our voices were heard, valued, and uplifted?
Letters to America, a new multi-movement work by Brittany J. Green for soprano and orchestra, grapples with these questions, placing the voices of present-day Black women in conversation with American historical documents through community-sourced letters and excavation poetry that reimagines historical American documents through the lens of Black women. Through these pairings, this piece reclaims the agency and humanity of Black women past and present, decentering the voice of empire and recentering the resistance and resilience of the very women whose labor and sacrifice have built and maintained this country.
The significance of this work on the heels of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its presentation in the Classical space — a place that has excluded and diminished the artistic contributions of Black women — cannot be understated. Through this project, Black women whose voices have been ignored, misunderstood, and shut down will have the opportunity to hear their voices, stories, and experiences center stage, inviting audiences to see America through the eyes of Black women.
GRAMMY-award winning soprano Karen Slack and the American Composers Orchestra will premiere the new work at Carnegie Hall on March 11, 2026.
We are seeking community-sourced letters responding to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Submit your letter by scrolling below OR by clicking here. Selected letters will be used as text in the piece and credited in the score. Letters must be received by August 9th for consideration. Those selected will be notified by January 2026.
For any questions or assistance submitting, please contact steven.alesso@americancomposers.org.
American Composers Orchestra is grateful to the many organizations that make its programs possible including Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Fund, Altman Foundation, Amphion Foundation, Benevity, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, BMI Foundation, BMI, Inc., Charity Navigator's Giving Basket, Cheswatyr Foundation, Edward T. Cone Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Ford Foundation’s Good Neighbor Committee, Give Lively, Francis B. Goelet Charitable Trust, Fromm Music Foundation, Steven R. Gerber Trust, G. Schirmer/Wise Music Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund, Jephson Educational Trusts, Jerome Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation, New Music USA’s Organization Fund, The New York Community Trust (Musical Arts Fund, Clara Lewisohn Rossin Trust, and Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund), Pacific Harmony Foundation, Paypal Giving Fund, Rexford Fund, Sphinx Venture Fund, TD Charitable Foundation, Turrell Fund, UKOGF Foundation, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
Corporate gifts to match employee contributions are made by Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Triton Container International Incorporated of North America, and Neiman Marcus.
Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, Office of Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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