Utah Tech University’s music and history departments held “America 250” concert in the Eccles Fine Arts Center concert hall Feb. 19, celebrating America’s 250th year in history.
The concert was a collaboration between the university’s music, history and American Sign Language departments. The concert consisted of musical ensembles and speeches.
Glenn Webb, the associate dean of the College of Arts, put together the concert and was the first speaker. Webb talked about how the music program has been doing these concerts for about 10 years, and how this concert was diverse.
“I am grateful for the assistance of our colleagues in history and American Sign Language,” Webb said. “I’m excited to hear all of the performances and speeches tonight.”
Robert Matheson, an associate professor in the music department, likes the unity of departments that comes from the themed concerts.
“I think that’s one of the great things about our themed concerts,” Matheson said. “Every year, we put these on with a different theme and have faculty from different departments come and speak for it.”
The musical ensembles consisted of saxophones, brass instruments and pianos. Additionally, Matheson played a double bass with live electronics.
The songs that were played varied in years, documenting American history. In between songs, members of the music department explained the historical significance. Byron Ward, a visiting instructor, played in the brass ensemble.
“‘[Oh] Shenandoah,’ which speaks of maybe a different, sad, more pensive, melancholy look into the lives of America during the western expansion,” Ward said. “The lyrics of ‘Shenandoah’ speak of the wild ones, or their kind of journey, their path to this new land.”
Along with the historical importance of the music, speakers also explained the history of America as a country.
Tanner Ozdoba, a sophomore history major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, talked about the U.S. Constitution.
“The Constitutional Convention feared a Constitution too specific to stand the test of time,” Ozdoba said. “This becomes clear when amendments are ratified in a flurry, like after the Civil War, with the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, which were proposed and ratified to abolish slavery and to allow black men to vote.”
“I would like to challenge everyone in the room to go read the U.S. Constitution,” Ozdoba said in a call to action. “The best way to honor our nation’s 250th anniversary of independence, and the countless people who have contributed to its history, is to learn more about our history and our many constitutions.”
Cassandra Clark, an assistant professor of history, gave a speech about 250 years of American progress.
“Today, the legacy of the original colonists that supported the revolutionary effort by bravely deciding to stand against government corruption, tyranny and a lack of representation continues to inspire people living in the United States and around the globe,” Clark said.
Toward the end of her speech, Clark gave the audience a reflection on the history of our independence.
“History, of course, is about perspective, and in the case of the Declaration of Independence, we can look to the average American colonists, often referred to as the Daughters and Sons of Liberty, who joined enslaved and free African Americans, Native Americans and all the others who fought for political representation, freedom and equality,” Clark said.
