On July 1, pianist Lara Downes will premiere “The Declaration Project,” a multimedia performance she created and produced. The concert, with the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Eric Jacobsen, features three new compositions for piano and orchestra, accompanied by a video installation of spoken narratives by individuals from across the country
“The Declaration Project” marks The United States’ 250th anniversary of nationhood through three works. Life is a five-minute solo piano piece by Valerie Coleman about the beauty and fragility of life. Liberty, by Arturo O’Farrill, is a 10-minute historical journey of diaspora and shared humanity for piano and orchestra. The Pursuit of Happiness, by Christopher Tin, is a 20-minute “vivacious and audaciously optimistic hayride of joy.” Coleman is a Grammy-nominated composer. O’Farrill and Tin are Grammy Award winners.
“I started out asking how to tell the story of the U.S. in the framework of a concert,” Downes said. “I decided that it was more important and relevant to capture where the country is right now. For two years, I’ve gathered audio and video content everywhere and anywhere I can. [I’ve engaged] in dialogue with my audiences in many communities at pre- and post-concert talks, workshops, and round tables, and one-on-one conversations.”
It helps that Downes is the well-known creator and host of the National Public Radio (NPR) show Amplify and a recurring host on NPR’s All Things Considered. Downes says she developed listening skills as an active musician.
“I apply them to conversation/interview formats. The main driver, though, is my curiosity!” Downes said.
In January 2026, Downes was deeply moved by a visit with the Golden Voices Concert Choir of Tuskegee University in Alabama.
“I listened to these students express their experiences, their fears and frustrations, and their hopes about what could be next for our country,” she said. “They taught me there is a new energy for civic engagement and community.”
Downes’s work on “The Declaration Project” influenced her performance and mindset for her upcoming album Hold These Truths, scheduled for a July 3 release on the Pentatone label.
Downes plans to perform pieces related to her work on “The Declaration Project” in “This Land: Reflections on America,” a May 9 show sponsored by Cal Performances. Featured artists for the concert include Judy Collins and Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Invoke, a multi-instrumental quartet, and Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir.
“This concert will involve leaning on history as a living thing, to use it as a launch pad and source for inspiration” Downes said. “Through these musical collaborations, we are reclaiming old folk traditions as modern and vital.”
Downes said that Americans often view their country’s history as the source of many mistakes. “But history can also be the result of so many brave and beautiful actions. Democracy is a hard assignment. We are in the middle of it,” she said.
