Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 is a multifaceted reflection of the country 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Into the summer, this citywide festival highlights the extraordinary musical riches that have flourished in the US, exploring the endlessly diverse voices and influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity.
To contextualize this showcase of the American spirit through music, Kronos Quartet founder and violinist David Harrington reflects on the history of the country and of the Hall, and the importance of celebrating how far we’ve come and our collective steps into the future.
The exhilarating expanse of music assembled by Carnegie Hall for United in Sound: America at 250 is a six-month birthday present to our country that marks 250 years since our Declaration of Independence promised equality for all. While challenges remain, United in Sound reflects our growth toward that promise.
When I was asked how Kronos Quartet would like to mark 250 years of the US, I was relieved someone even posed the question. From that initial conversation more than two years ago, I have come to realize that there is much to learn about US history, Carnegie Hall history, and the resulting festival that has been carefully assembled to mark this moment.
On July 4, 1776, approximately 2.5 million people lived in the 13 British colonies (census.gov)—at least 500,000 of those being enslaved people of African descent (American Battlefield Trust). Uncounted were also around 250,000 Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River (Museum of the American Revolution), down from the unknowable millions who had earlier inhabited the continent. Most of those died of diseases brought here by European settler-colonists—diseases to which Native Americans lacked immunity. Of the 56 “Founding Fathers” who signed the Declaration of Independence, 41 were themselves slaveholders.
The United States began during the violent American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). There were some who did not agree with the Declaration of Independence, concurrently resulting in the now mostly forgotten Declaration of Dependence. On our first Independence Day, those who had the right to vote had to be white, male, at least 21 years old, property owners, and in some areas Protestant.
In 1789, less than 2% of the population voted in the first presidential election. In 2024, 45.3%—154 million people of the now approximately 340 million residents in our country—voted (census.gov). It is undeniably positive that there has been a tremendous increase in participation over 250 years—a spark of good news that will hopefully encourage the rest to join in!
Given this turbulent history and continued uncertainty about the future, why do musicians from the widest reaches of the musical universe want to celebrate our country’s birthday? Why does Carnegie Hall wish to present a panoramic, sonic exploration now? What is it about music itself that empowers us to celebrate?
Fundamentally, Carnegie Hall exerts a magnetism over musicians. It was Andrew Carnegie himself who said at the laying of the cornerstone that “it is probable that this hall will intertwine itself with the history of our country.” When musicians step onto one of the stages at Carnegie Hall, they become part of the foundational moments in our music and our culture that stretch back to the Hall’s opening in 1891. Tchaikovsky came all the way from Russia to conduct his music at the inaugural concert. Two years later, Dvořák’s New World Symphony was premiered at the Hall.
Some of my personal favorite moments include Jascha Heifetz’s US debut in 1917 (my grandmother was at that concert!). Long before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Benny Goodman and His Swing Orchestra was one of the first racially integrated groups to perform in front of a paying audience at the Hall in 1938, while that same year Sister Rosetta Tharpe performed rock ‘n’ roll before the genre even had a name. There have also been amazing performances by Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Leonard Bernstein and his Young People’s Concerts, Mahalia Jackson, The Beatles, Lenny Bruce, Andy Kaufman, Terry Riley’s In C, and so many others—not to mention banner moments in women’s suffrage, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last major public address, an appearance by historian Howard Zinn, and conversations between environmentalists Vandana Shiva and Bill McKibben. The air in Carnegie Hall has been burnished by some of modern society’s most amazing—and pivotal—milestones.
While the US has attracted people from almost all cultures of the world, we musicians are quite rare. There are roughly 231,000 professional musicians in the US, or 0.067% of our population—a small percentage, but vital to the expansion of our cultural identity (National Arts Statistics and Evidence-Based Reporting Center). Nearly everyone has music in their lives in some way. United in Sound is a place to measure and appreciate the prevalence of music and the joy that it brings to society. Possibilities for learning, molding, and shaping music are thrilling! When we encounter a form of musical expression new to us, it can quickly become an element in our imaginations that finds its way into our future. When an entire society of musicians begins to interact with each other, the strength of our diversity shines forth.
This is what is happening with United in Sound. As new opportunities become available for musicians to reflect our world, we find new ways to use what is around us and grow from what we have learned. In live performance, music is always new, magically disappearing with the only traces being the memories inside the minds of each listener. Music is a lifetime endeavor to find better notes and more expressive experiences for everyone in the musical community—all the lovers of music both on and off the stage.
In this moment of challenge, musicians have been called onto demonstrate what musicians do best: lead experiences where listening together becomes unique acts of celebration. Learning new things through music is a confidence-building, unifying expression of our power and our freedom. What we have here in this festival is very public and at the same time totally private for each listener. We acknowledge and celebrate our past, honor and activate the present, and point toward the future—everything contained in every musical note. Just as Voyager 1 will soon be one light-day away from Earth with its Golden Record time capsule in tow, we hope to send music out as widely as we possibly can. Here's to America at 250 and to finding shared moments of unity in music.
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