Andrew Granade and Christopher Kelts, Sounding Home: Orchestral Voices, the Pulitzer Prize, and American Identity at 250
In celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary and in response to the Society for American Music’s call to “Sound the Nation,” this lecture-concert explores how Pulitzer Prize–winning orchestral works articulate the evolving sound of “home” in mid-twentieth-century America . Presented as a special livestreamed podcast episode, this collaborative event brings together “Hearing the Pulitzers” and the UMKC Conservatory Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Christopher Kelts, with scholarly commentary by S. Andrew Granade.
The program features three landmark works: Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 4 “Requiem” (1944), Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring (1945), and George Walker’s Lilacs (1996). Together, these compositions trace a shifting musical landscape in which notions of national identity, memory, and belonging are negotiated through orchestral sound. Hanson’s elegiac symphony reflects wartime mourning and collective spirituality, while Copland’s iconic ballet score evokes pastoral idealism and vernacular Americana. Walker’s Lilacs, setting Walt Whitman, reconsiders national grief through a late-century lens and marks a historic milestone as the first Pulitzer Prize in Music awarded to an African American composer.
Granade’s commentary before and during the concert will situate these works within the cultural and institutional history of the Pulitzer Prize, examining its role in shaping mid-century orchestral music and canon formation. By pairing performance with accessible interpretation, this event engages broad audiences in reflecting on whose voices define American music.
Held on September 18, 2026, in White Recital Hall on UMKC’s campus, this program embodies SAM’s mission to connect scholarship, performance, and community in commemorating the nation’s musical past and future.
About the presenters:
Andrew Granade is a musicologist and academic leader whose work centers on American music and the Pulitzer Prize. He serves as Professor of Musicology and Associate Dean at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory. Granade is the creator and co-host of Hearing the Pulitzers, a podcast exploring award-winning works through engaging, accessible commentary. His scholarship and public work connect research, performance, and broad audiences.
Christopher Kelts is Director of Orchestral Studies at the UMKC Conservatory, where he conducts the Conservatory Orchestra and mentors emerging musicians. An accomplished conductor and educator, he has led performances across the United States and abroad, with a repertoire spanning standard orchestral literature and contemporary works. Kelts is dedicated to collaborative performance and innovative programming that connects students, audiences, and communities through orchestral music.