Liberty University celebrates nation’s 250th birthday at I Love America concert

In a stunning display of patriotism, the Liberty University School of Music hosted the I Love America: A Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary concert on Tuesday, where a packed crowd in the Center for Music and the Worship Arts, Concert Hall looked back on our nation’s founding and paid homage to a part of Liberty’s own history.

In 1975, Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell kicked off his “I Love America” rallies, traveling to state capitals around the country to unite conservative Christians around social and moral issues. He was joined by student music groups who performed patriotic music on the capitols’ steps. As the country celebrated its Bicentennial, the group traveled to 112 major cities through the fall of 1976. The rallies continued in 1979 and 1980.

In the same spirit of those rallies, music groups performed a variety of America-themed songs and compositions at Tuesday’s concert. The performance included students from Liberty University Symphony Orchestra, a 300-voice choir, and Chamber Singers, with Professor of Music Dr. Zachary Bruno conducting. The school’s E-41 bluegrass group and Shine a cappella group also performed.

The night opened with an energetic “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” from the Symphony Orchestra and “This Land is Your Land” from the choir, with solos featuring Professor and Coordinator of Commercial Music Dr. Mindy Damon and School of Music Associate Dean Dr. Paul Randlett.

Randlett, director of the Worship Choir, said this concert was a special experience. His father, Dr. David Randlett, a former professor who chaired the music and fine arts departments, worked closely with Falwell for 36 years and is listed as the producer/director on the original “I Love America” album.

When Randlett was 7 years old, he attended Falwell’s Bicentennial celebration on Liberty Mountain on July 4, 1976, where students who had gone on the first tour of the I Love America rallies performed. Randlett said using the “I Love America” name for the concert was special not only for him but also for many people who took part in those rallies.

“The intent (of the concert) is still the same (as it was then): celebrating the blessings of God on our country throughout our history and encouraging people to remember these blessings with gratitude for His goodness, faithfulness, patience, etc.,” Randlett said. “We wanted to be a strong voice expressing what a blessing it is to live in America, to celebrate our freedoms, and to give God glory for what He has done and is doing. There is no place I’d rather live than here.”

Aside from the music, the evening also featured pictures from the I Love America rallies and a message from Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Dr. Roger Schultz, who spoke on this part of Liberty’s history, the impact of Falwell’s messages throughout the country, and America’s history as a Christian land governed by Christian principles.

“Dr. Jerry Falwell was a pastor, an evangelist, and the founder of Liberty University,” Schultz said. “He was also an American patriot emphasizing our country’s great history and its great promise. That sense of patriotism is wrapped around the history of this university. In 1976, he organized a massive 200th birthday celebration for the nation here on Liberty Mountain. He would be thrilled to know that right here, 50 years later, we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.”

The concert also included a narration of the Declaration of Independence by U.S. Navy Chief Musician (Ret.) and School of Music Associate Professor Dr. Daryl Duff, and a video compilation that included an iconic speech from Ronald Reagan. The audience participated in the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem, and servicemembers in the audience were honored during the “Salute to the Armed Forces” medley at the end.

A variety of genres were featured in the concert. E41 sang “The Freedom Medley,” bringing bluegrass style to the patriotic event, and Shine performed a moving a cappella mashup of “God Bless America” and “God Bless the USA.”

The highlight of the night was the world premiere of Liberty Professor Jon Werking’s “Sound of America” suite, an original six-movement piece co-created by composer Kim Scharnberg. The piece featured the symphony orchestra and soloists LU Praise Director Patrick Shorts, Associate Professor Dr. Sherry Montgomery, and Thomas Road Baptist Church Teaching Pastor Charles Billingsley, with backup vocals from the choir. Werking also performed a solo on the piano.

“From a majestic orchestral theme to a folk ballad and a rocking gospel closer, the work is a reflection and celebration of all that’s original and exceptional in purely ‘American” music,” Werking said before the show. “We are so blessed to live in the greatest country in the world, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to express that through music and art. The piece is really a love song to America and to God for creating it.”

The piece culminated with the “Sound of America Song” as all three soloists and the choir joined together in a powerful and energetic finale to the suite.

The concert closed with the Symphony Orchestra performing “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

“We were honored to share an evening of music and memories with our Liberty family through ‘I Love America: A Celebration of America’s 250^th Anniversary,'” said School of Music Dean Dr. Stephen Müller. “We looked back on Falwell’s legacy and the love he had for our country and God, and we continued that legacy tonight through performing these patriotic favorites.”