Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The sounds of joy radiate through the halls of the Lamont School of Music, where the Spirituals Project Choir is rehearsing for their winter concert. The title, Let Freedom Ring, is a reflection of the music itself.
This choir, made up of students and community members of all ages and backgrounds, celebrates spirituals. Holland defines the spirituals as the religious or sacred folk music of enslaved Africans in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. These songs were a way for the enslaved peoples to seek comfort and express sorrow, and the songs even acted as coded, hidden messages of resistance and freedom. A well known example is “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”
“These songs make you feel things deeply, and even if you have no context for the history of these songs, you often can’t help but be moved by them,” Holland said.
The choir, which performs at both the Newman Center and around Denver, is part of the larger Spirituals Project, which started in 1998 as a nonprofit with the mission to preserve and revitalize the music and the teachings of the spirituals. Holland is not only educating his choir members, but the audience members who attend the shows. In the Newman Center, the entire audience learned about each song and was invited to sing along.
Read more about the Spirituals Project here: rmpbs.org/news/arts-culture/spirituals-project-choir-denver
Produced by Sarah Shoen
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3zeF6Ch
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• Newsletter: rmpbs.org/newsletters
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The sounds of joy radiate through the halls of the Lamont School of Music, where the Spirituals Project Choir is rehearsing for their winter concert. The title, Let Freedom Ring, is a reflection of the music itself.
This choir, made up of students and community members of all ages and backgrounds, celebrates spirituals. Holland defines the spirituals as the religious or sacred folk music of enslaved Africans in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. These songs were a way for the enslaved peoples to seek comfort and express sorrow, and the songs even acted as coded, hidden messages of resistance and freedom. A well known example is “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”
“These songs make you feel things deeply, and even if you have no context for the history of these songs, you often can’t help but be moved by them,” Holland said.
The choir, which performs at both the Newman Center and around Denver, is part of the larger Spirituals Project, which started in 1998 as a nonprofit with the mission to preserve and revitalize the music and the teachings of the spirituals. Holland is not only educating his choir members, but the audience members who attend the shows. In the Newman Center, the entire audience learned about each song and was invited to sing along.
Read more about the Spirituals Project here: rmpbs.org/news/arts-culture/spirituals-project-choir-denver
Produced by Sarah Shoen
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3zeF6Ch
------------------------------------------------------
Follow Rocky Mountain PBS on our other platforms, too.
• Newsletter: rmpbs.org/newsletters
• Facebook: facebook.com/rmpbs
• Instagram: instagram.com/rmpbs
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-pbs
