Join us in celebrating composer Rosephanye Powell, who is writing new music for America’s 250th anniversary in collaboration with the United States Army.
Constance Chase launched the commission while directing the West Point Glee Club at the United States Military Academy, as planning for the nation’s and Army’s 250th anniversaries began. Chase envisioned a piece that would be moving, uplifting, and flexible enough for varied performance spaces, and she turned to Powell for her ability to bridge historic texts with contemporary voice and meaning. The work is being set with piano to accommodate touring, and it can be expanded for concert band and choir. The West Point Band — the oldest active-duty band in the country — frequently performs with the Glee Club.
Powell accepted the commission without hesitation despite a full calendar, influenced by her father, uncles, and other relatives who served. For Powell, this project carries meaning beyond a commemorative date. Weaving together historic verse, scripture, and her own text, the work engages with service, unity, and love — principles central to West Point’s purpose and echoing the generations of Army service in Powell’s family.
Bridging past and present voices is a hallmark of Powell’s identity as an educator, composer, and scholar. Her commission will yield two works conceived to stand as one unified message or be programmed separately for maximum versatility.
The first work is being built around a poem from a 19th-century writer and activist. The score aims to capture the poet’s charge that every member of society offer their best, rendered in language that connects with modern listeners. The second work draws on a familiar biblical text on love and will feature original words by Powell. Its message: service and justice ring hollow unless love undergirds them.
Johnnie Vinson is arranging the concert band edition as the music takes shape. Vinson, who retired from Auburn University as director of bands and professor of music emeritus, is recognized worldwide for his work in band literature. Powell invited him onto the team because she regards his scoring as exceptional, and they are working in close partnership on the developing score.
Through this commission, Powell’s music will help honor a landmark chapter in the American story, connecting the service of generations past with the living work of building a more unified future.
America250 is the official, nonpartisan initiative established by Congress to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
America250 is the official, nonpartisan initiative established by Congress to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, created by Congress in 2016, works with its nonprofit partner America250.org, Inc. on this multi-year effort, which runs through July 4, 2026, with programming that officially concludes in 2027.
Through nationwide programs, partnerships, and public engagement, America250 invites every American to reflect on the nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look toward the future we want to create for the next generation.
The initiative is led by Honorary National Co-Chairs former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and former First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, and supported by the largest bipartisan Congressional Caucus in U.S. history.
Learn more about America250.