We Hold These Truths: UVU Wind Symphony Concert
See photos from the concert.
In partnership with the Center for Constitutional Studies and America250 Utah, UVU’s School of the Arts presented We Hold These Truths: Celebrating 250 Years of American Independence, a concert performed by UVU’s wind symphony April 20, 2026, in the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts on UVU Campus.
The event celebrated the 250th anniversary of American independence. Through a performance of patriotic musical works and portrayals of dramatic historical vignettes, attendees reflected on the nation’s founding principles of liberty, equality, and self-government, and were invited to consider their meaning today.
Led by conductor Chris Ramos, selections included music from William Schuman (New England Triptych), Aaron Copland (Lincoln Portrait), Samuel Augustus Ward (America the Beautiful), John Philip Sousa (Stars and Stripes Forever), and a 2024 composition from James Stephenson (Declaration).
Master of ceremonies was Matthew Brogdon, senior director of UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS), and the program narrative was written by Eleesha Tucker, a constitutional-literacy fellow at CCS.
The program also featured local performers portraying figures from U.S. history including George Washington (Charles Mosher), Susan B. Anthony (Melonie Cannon), and Frederick Douglass (Yahosh Bonner). Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert narrated Copland's Lincoln Portrait.