A kinara for Kwanzaa
Celebrated each year from December 26 to January 1, Kwanzaa is a holiday honoring African American culture.
Kwanzaa was created in the US in the 1960s. The celebration serves to, in the words of Erica Griffin, formerly of the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center and now of the Chicago History Museum, "instill the concept of family... and teach who we as African Americans were, what we went through, and what we have achieved."
With that guiding purpose, each day of celebration is built around a specific principle, with acitvities, customs, and dishes meant to observe the day's principle.
The seven principles are:
- Umoja (Unity)
- Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
- Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
- Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
- Nia (Purpose)
- Kuumba (Creativity)
- Imani (Faith)
WFMT host LaRob K. Rafael created a collection of seven pieces of music for Kwanzaa, each corresponding to one of the holiday's seven principles.
Learn more about the history and customs of Kwanzaa at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Day 1: Umoja (Unity)
Valerie Coleman: Umoja: Anthem of Unity
Valerie Coleman was inspired by the first principle of Kwanzaa — Umoja — when she created this choral work. Building off of a traditional call-and-response form, the composer and wind player later adapted the piece for her chamber ensemble, Imani Winds, and two decades later, was commissioned for a full orchestration of this intricately woven work by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Day 2: Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
Traditional (arr. Hall Johnson): "Hold On"
Groundbreaking American soprano Florence Quivar shares a spellbinding performance of the Negro Spiritual “Hold On.” The song’s lyrics — built around calls to “keep yo’ hand on de plow” — encourages independence and self-sufficiency in a recording that puts Quivar’s exquisite and emotive voice front and center.
Day 3: Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
Leonard Bernstein: "Make our Garden Grow" from Candide
Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide culminates with an uplifting call to care for one another. Although not programmatically linked to Kwanzaa, its tender and wry text plays perfectly into the values of collective work and responsibility. Tending to one’s garden makes for a cogent analogy: if we work together and live with integrity, we will all benefit.
Day 4: Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
Jessie Montgomery: "Hymn for Everyone"
During her time as the CSO’s composer-in-residence, Jessie Montgomery was commissioned to create this hymn, inspired in part by a poem written by her late mother, playwright Robbie McCauley. Through this commission, Montgomery and the CSO demonstrate the enriching power of collaboration.
Day 5: Nia (Purpose)
William Grant Still: Symphony No. 2
William Grant Still, the “Dean of African American Composers,” subtitled his second symphony Song of a New Race. The sobriquet underlines the vision that Still's music embodies. Now and then, the lush orchestration gives way to a persistent drive, melding grandeur, determination, and joy.
Day 6: Kuumba (Creativity)
Will Liverman: "A Golden Day"
Will Liverman, an alumnus of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, is in great demand as a baritone, but is also enjoying a burgeoning career as a composer. In this original, genre-bending collaboration with soprano Lauren Snouffer (Liverman is the pianist in this recording), is inspired by the composer's mother, a singing teacher who "uses her gifts to help others.
Day 7: Imani (Faith)
Caitlin Edwards: "Faithful"
Chicago-based violinist and composer Caitlin Edwards created this ethereal work that is both heartfelt and optimistic. The evocative melody reassures and calms, as if fortifying resolve.
