Chorus Performs World Premiere to Mark America’s 250th Anniversary April 26 Concert Celebrates Liberty, Equality, Justice, and Hope Brecksville-Broadview Heights — March 31, 2026 — Be among the first to hear a moving new work about democracy when the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Community Chorus presents “The Spirit of Freedom” at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School Auditorium. Tickets are available online and at the door ($10 general admission, $30 VIP reserved seating). The location is handicap-accessible and has free parking. The program travels through 250 years of U.S. history through songs that tell the story of our nation’s founding principles and highest aspirations, highlighted by the premiere of a new composition commissioned by the Chorus. “A Declaration . . . If You Can Keep It” was composed by Paul Ferguson, Artistic Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University especially for the Chorus, with support from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The four-part work incorporates the words of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King Jr. The Chorus will be accompanied by professional musicians. “This suite reflects the Declaration of Independence as a living document as interpreted from various perspectives throughout American history,” Ferguson said. Artistic Director Brian Suntken said, “This concert is a milestone for our chorus, which continues to grow in musical talent and sophistication. We look forward to sharing this celebration with our audience.” The program also includes well-known folk songs, popular tunes, and patriotic anthems. The well-regarded Brecksville-Broadview Heights Chorus, founded in 1991, includes singers from throughout Northeast Ohio. For more information, visit bbhcommchorus.org or Facebook. ### Media contact: Pat Thomas / pathomas07@roadrunner.com or 561-307-3120 Brecksville-Broadview Heights Community Chorus Concert: “The Spirit of Freedom” Date and time: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, 2026 Tickets: $10 general admission. Available online and at the door. Location: Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School Auditorium, 6376 Mill Road, Broadview Heights, Ohio More information: bbhcommchorus.org. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 2 ### More about Paul Ferguson Well-known throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond, Paul Ferguson has been director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University since 1988. A graduate of the University of Akron and the Eastman School of Music, Paul has traveled with the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller bands as lead trombonist and arranger and currently fills those functions with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. He was principal trombonist of the Canton Symphony from 1989-98 and has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Apollos’ Fire, the Cleveland Chamber Brass, the New Hampshire Festival Orchestra and others. In 1995, Paul was the recipient of the Gil Evans Fellowship in Jazz Composition. He has two recordings – “Blue Highways,” recorded with the RIAS Big Band of Berlin, and “Friends,” recorded with his own orchestra. ### More about Brian Suntken Now in his first full year as Artistic Director, Brian is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and holds a certificate from the Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris, France; and a Master of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary in New York. For nine years, Brian produced a television series, Music from the Buckeye State, for Hudson Community Television. From 2007-2013, Brian taught at Tri-C Community College, Cleveland, in its Encore Series, on opera and classical music. He was lecturer for seven seasons with Opera Carolina in Charlotte. ### More about the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Community Chorus Founded more than 35 years ago, the Chorus draws singers from throughout Northeast Ohio. As a not-for-profit community chorus, its mission is to provide singers the opportunity to experience high-quality choral music and to share that love of music with others through outreach, education, and performance events. To learn more, support the chorus, or join us, go to www. bbcommchorus.org.