Ritz Chamber Players | Lift Ev'ry Voice

Ritz Chamber Players Lift Ev'ry Voice

Lift Ev'ry Voice, Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 7:30 PM 

Join the Ritz Chamber Players this February for Lift Ev'ry Voice, a powerful concert celebrating Black History Month and the 125th anniversary of the Black National Anthem, Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing. Jacksonville's own James Weldon Johnson - a civil rights activist, leader of the NAACP, and a local principal - initially wrote the song as a poem. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music to lyrics.  

The iconic hymn was first performed on February 12, 1900, by a choir of 500 students at the then-segregated Edwin M. Stanton School in Jacksonville, FL. Lift Ev'ry Voice, honors the resilience and aspirations of Black Americans and became a beacon during the Civil Rights Movement. This concert will pay tribute to its enduring legacy and the brothers' profound contributions to music and history.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Terry Concert Hall, Dolphin Drive, Jacksonville, United States