Of Thee I Sing | An Expansion of Charles Ives’ Variations on “America"

"Of Thee I Sing" brings together 100+ Juilliard musicians, forming a virtual orchestra of those studying at the Lincoln Center campus along with their fellow students located around the world in the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021.

Created in collaboration with David Robertson, Juilliard’s director of conducting studies and distinguished visiting faculty, and Creative Associate Kurt Crowley, Of Thee I Sing presents an extended performance of Charles Ives’ Variations on “America.” Using the orchestral arrangement of former Juilliard president William Schuman as a foundation, Robertson and Crowley developed custom-fit interludes that add context to the breadth of American music—organ hymns, jazz riffs, lyrical speech—and illustrate the reality that an orchestra, like America, is made up of a group of individuals across a diverse spectrum.


As we celebrate Independence Day weekend after this year of great change and reckoning, this piece draws together and celebrates a group of remarkable musicians, in spite of the disparate rhythms of each individual’s remote location. Juilliard presents a piece that explores American experiences, and enables each participant and listener to reflect on the “thee” in the phrase Of Thee I Sing.


Featuring students from Juilliard Orchestra, Juilliard Jazz, and the Composition, Conducting, and Organ Departments

Co-created by David Robertson, Director of Conducting Studies and Distinguished Visiting Faculty, and Kurt Crowley, Creative Associate

Conducted by David Robertson

Music production and additional arrangements by Kurt Crowley


Watch the performance on this page at the scheduled date and time, then afterward on demand in the Juilliard media gallery: https://www.juilliard.edu/school/news...

Juilliard’s creative enterprise programming, including the Creative Associates program, is generously supported by Jody and John Arnhold.

President’s initiatives at Juilliard are generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.


Juilliard’s livestream technology is made possible by a gift in honor of President Emeritus Joseph W. Polisi, building on his legacy of broadening Juilliard’s global reach.


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