Featuring world-renowned guest composer and conductor Michael Barrett from South Africa in an extraordinary citywide choir collaboration, this concert is a powerful celebration of community, growth and musical storytelling. As Portland State University’s choral program has expanded, this performance reflects the deep roots and far-reaching branches of our shared choral ecosystem. Highlights will include many of Michael Barrett's best-known arrangements of South African music, like "Indodana" and "Inkosi Namandla," plus Ethan Sperry's new arrangement of the Oscar-winning Bollywood song "Naatu Naatu" from RRR and Coty Raven Morris's new composition "Tapestry of Stars."
PSU’s Chamber Choir, Rose Choir and Thorn Choir are joined by a massed choir of 200 of the finest high school singers from across the Portland area, including students from these high schools: Grant, Lincoln, Sam Barlow, Camas, Rex Putnam, Gresham and Cleveland. This concert will be a once-in-a-generation gathering of voices across ages and experiences. Expect music that challenges and uplifts—music that reminds us how, when voices come together, our shared soil becomes something profoundly alive.
View the full 2025-2026 Choir Season, Make Our Garden Grow.
Learn more about the Portland State University School of Music & Theater Choirs.