The collaboration will significantly broaden the impact of the IN UNISON Chorus, a resident chorus of the SLSO that performs and preserves music from the African diaspora.
“We are delighted that this new partnership will make music by Black composers and arrangers available for performance by ensembles internationally, advancing the mission of the IN UNISON Chorus,” said Marie-Hélène Bernard, SLSO President and CEO. “For 30 years, the IN UNISON Chorus has been a pioneering ensemble, meaningfully expanding the choral-orchestral repertoire of music by Black voices.”
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra IN UNISON Choral Series—as the collection of published scores is called—highlights and elevates Black composers and arrangers, deepening the portfolio for and improving access to music for combined choral and orchestral forces by these composers.
“All of us at MorningStar Music Publishers are excited to have a chance to work with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the IN UNISON Chorus on this significant series of publications,” said Mark Lawson, President of MorningStar Music Publishers. “The SLSO and its choruses are known around the world for impeccable musicianship, and this series will help provide a unique body of musical compositions for orchestras with choruses around the world.”
Since its founding in 1994, the IN UNISON Chorus has performed several times each season with the SLSO, including the annual IN UNISON Christmas and Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month concerts, as well as a free community concert. Core to the chorus’ mission is engagement with leading Black composers and arrangers. Composers who have engaged with the chorus include Jeffery Ames, Rollo Dilworth, Moses Hogan, Nathalie Joachim, André Thomas, the late Dr. Robert Ray—prolific composer, teacher, and founding director of the IN UNISON Chorus, and others. The chorus’ portfolio spans many genres, singing in many languages, including Swahili and Latin. Led by McBeth since 2011, the chorus continues to expand its range and impact while remaining focused on Black composers.
Publication for The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra IN UNISON Choral Series begins this spring. McBeth will edit the series for MorningStar.
“Since becoming the IN UNISON Chorus Director, it has been a dream of mine to expand the gospel symphonic repertoire,” McBeth said. “The legacy of this new choral series is not only the realization of a dream, but an opportunity to share the SLSO’s vision with choruses and orchestras around the world. I am grateful to MorningStar Music Publishers for helping to create this avenue for new music and tremendously honored to be a part this legacy.”
The chorus is an arm of the SLSO’s IN UNISON program, a multi-pronged initiative begun in 1992 to engage primarily with St. Louis’ Black community. Embraced by the institution and its Music Directors for more than 30 years, IN UNISON also includes a partner church program—which has grown to involve more than 30 churches in the St. Louis region, and the IN UNISON Academy—which provides support and mentorship for students seeking careers in music fields.
The partnership with MorningStar Music Publishers, a prominent publisher of classical and choral music, will fortify the chorus’ position as a leading ensemble in the development and performance of choral-orchestral repertoire by Black composers.
Founded in 1986, MorningStar’s composer list has grown significantly over the past 35 years, and new composers are added each year. Based in Fenton, Missouri, MorningStar is part of the ECS Publishing Group, which publishes all genres of classical and sacred music, with a focus on choral music. ECS Publishing Group also owns Canticle Distributing, which maintains a large network of music dealers worldwide.
“This vital SLSO ensemble is a nexus of the institution’s community engagement initiatives, and the talents of its members demonstrate the vitality of the music they perform,” Bernard said. “MorningStar Music Publishers, with its strong network globally, is an essential partner in sharing this important body of music.”
The series’ initial offerings include:
“Lord, I Am Grateful,” by Emorja G. Roberson, Assistant Professor of Music and African American Studies at Oxford College of Emory University, first performed by the IN UNISON Chorus and the SLSO at the 2023 Lift Every Voice concert; and
“It’s Working” by Isaac Cates—a Missouri-based composer, pianist, vocalist, and teacher—an SLSO-commissioned piece for the IN UNISON Chorus that received its world premiere in February 2019 by the SLSO, IN UNISON Chorus, and soprano soloist Jennifer Kelley.
Additional pieces will be added to the series on an ongoing basis.
“The SLSO was visionary in establishing the IN UNISON Chorus 30 years ago,” Lawson said. “It is an honor to now collaborate with the institution in this publication partnership.”