It’s pretty commonplace for a composer to revisit a work and make a few edits here and there – maybe extract a few excerpts to make a shorter suite like Copland did with Appalachian Spring or when Mozart adjusted his Oboe Concerto into a Flute Concerto. But to reimagine a work eight times?? That’s impressive!

Valerie Coleman’s Umoja has taken many forms since its original premiere as a women’s choral work over 20 years ago. Since then, Coleman has rearranged Umoja for wind quintet, flute choir (a flutist herself), flute quartet, wind trio, brass quintet, string quintet, and finally…orchestra!

Umoja (oo-MOH-juh) is a Swahili word meaning “unity.” It is the first of seven principles celebrated during the African holiday Kwanzaa. As a principle of Kwanzaa, Umoja emphasizes the importance of unity in the family, community, and nation. (If you read our blog on the Shaker people, you’ll recognize similar values reflected in their culture and music!)

“This version honors the simple melody that ever was but is now a full exploration into the meaning of freedom and unity,” says Coleman.

With an expansion and sophistication to the short and sweet melody, the orchestral version begins with sustained ethereal passages that float and shift from a bowed vibraphone (percussion using a bow!), supporting the introduction of the melody by solo violin. Here, the melody is sweetly singing in its simplest form with an earnest reminiscent of Appalachian-style music (perfect for its pairing with Appalachian Spring).*