Lift Every Voice

Black History Month Celebration

📍 This event takes place at Powell Hall

Friday, Feb 19, 2027, 7:30pm View Subscriptions

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Program

Kevin McBeth, conductor
Isaac Cates, vocals
St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus | Kevin McBeth, director

Repertoire to be announced.

About this Concert

Join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the IN UNISON Chorus, and special guest Isaac Cates for a joyful celebration of Black History Month, showcasing the magnificent variety and depth of Black musical expression. A gifted vocalist, pianist, arranger, and composer, Cates is known for his arrangements of spirituals and chorales as well as his ability to blend different genres. This stirring concert promises a night of wonderful, fulfilling music that doesn’t just speak to your heart but gives you what your soul needs.

- The St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus has shared the power of music from the African diaspora for more than 30 years. In celebration of the Chorus’ 25th anniversary in 2020, the SLSO commissioned Isaac Cates to write a new piece. The result, “It’s Working,” is now part of the IN UNISON Choral Series published by MorningStar Music Publishers.
- Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Isaac Cates began playing piano at age four. By the age of sixteen, he was also studying classical voice. His original compositions have been performed in more than seventeen countries and have been translated into several languages.
- Cates records with his group, Ordained, conducts gospel workshops, and performs to sold-out audiences around the world. He serves as Director of Music Outreach/Worship Leader at the Church of The Resurrection, a large United Methodist church in Leawood, Kansas, and has formed a gospel choir there.