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For the past two years, pianist and NPR contributor<\/a>, Lara Downes<\/a> has been crisscrossing the United States, performing concerts, meeting people in their communities and asking them what it means to be an American today. It\u2019s all part of The Declaration Project<\/a>, her initiative offering us the chance to reflect on our nation\u2019s founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ahead of America\u2019s 250th birthday. These testimonials will be made available in the form of a national digital archive, and a few of them inspired Downes\u2019 newest album.<\/p>\n The overwhelming message of this album is hope: \u201cHold These Truths\u201d puts together music by 18 composers,\u00a0mostly for solo piano but with a few surprises mixed in. The tone is upbeat, but also introspective in a way that\u2019s particularly appropriate for our country\u2019s milestone anniversary. In the digital booklet, each selection is accompanied by a quote from The Declaration Project, where everyday Americans (and in some cases, the composers themselves) express their dreams for this country in a way that closely aligns with the mood of the music.<\/p>\n Contemporary American composers are well represented. The album begins with the dreamlike \u201cWelcome\u201d from Puerto Rican composer Edmar Col\u00f3n, who had previously collaborated with Downes on an updating of George Gershwin\u2019s \u201cRhapsody in Blue\u201d for her previous album, \u201cThis Land.\u201d Carlos Simon\u2019s \u201cHold Fast to Dreams\u201d interprets the poem by that name from Langston Hughes in three different moods \u2014 wistful, pensive and resolute. That theme of resoluteness amid uncertainty also characterizes Caleb Burhans\u2019 \u201cIn Time of Desperation,\u201d reminding us that in such times, we must rise to the challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n WPR\u2019s \u201cWisconsin Today\u201d newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n VIDEO EMBED<\/strong><\/p>\n A large portion of this album takes its inspiration from folk songs and classic Americana. Shawn Okpebholo\u2019s \u201cWondrous Free\u201d is a modern updating of \u201cMy Days Have Been So Wondrous Free,\u201d a song composed in 1759 by Francis Hopkinson, who would go on to become one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. A 1951 recording of the traditional song \u201cJubilee\u201d by Jean Ritchie provides the jumping off point for the piece by that name from Daniel Gilliam. Aaron Copland\u2019s delicate setting of \u201cSimple Gifts\u201d closes the album, providing a kind of benediction as America goes forward into its next 250 years.<\/p>\n The album is credited to Lara Downes and Friends, and those friends are two different folk-inspired chamber ensembles, whose contributions add a note of authenticity to the program. On two of the tracks, Downes is joined by 9 Horses<\/a>, a genre-spanning trio featuring Joe Brent on mandolin, Sara Caswell on violin and Andrew Ryan on bass. Their contributions give an especially atmospheric quality to a unique arrangement of Stephen Foster\u2019s \u201cHard Times Come Again No More.\u201d<\/p>\nUnderstanding Wisconsin, Together.<\/h2>\n