During the early months of the pandemic, pianist Min Kwon felt like her hands were tied.
That’s when she got the idea for a project that would celebrate America’s diversity and creativity.
Those reimagined versions, performed by Kwon, are set to stream online for free beginning July 4.
She calls the projectAmerica/Beautiful.
“We have heard it from inaugurations, to football games, to every iconic composer.
Singers have sung it, from Ray Charles, to Beyonce to Jennifer Lopez.
It’s a song that’s very accessible.”
For this project, she commissioned composers whose music she found compelling.
“For example, I’m even playing Persian-style classical music where the piano had to be tuned differently.
And I’m singing, like, [a] Jewish chant.
To perform dark, dramatic pieces, Kwon visited the catacombs of a cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
For more hopeful pieces, she performed in a bright meadow field with “amber grains.”
“‘Sea to shining sea’ and ‘spacious sky’ – I wanted to capture all of that.”
But she allowed for flexibility in case they were inspired to go over time.
The pieces range from two to 11 minutes.
Not all of the variations sound like the longstanding tune they’re based on.
Some are confusing and chaotic.
Kwon hopes this project will help Americans reflect on difficult times, as well as find energy and hope.
FromJuly 4to 7, prerecorded performances of the variations will stream online at 3 p.m.
ET along with interviews with the composers.
