As the strings began the chords of “We Shall Overcome,” the packed sanctuary of Humber Valley United Church grew noticeably still. Beneath the swell of Western orchestration, the recorded voice of Martin Luther King Jr. rang out – “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we’re free at last.”
In that moment, the language of the European symphony carried the history of Black struggle and hope, fusing two different traditions on the same stage.
That fusion was thanks to Corey Butler’s Hymns to Freedom event, which happened on Feb. 1, presented by the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by Matthew Jones, the concert launched Black History Month through Butler’s vision and production. The event aspired to build a bridge between Western classical music and African American spirituals and storytelling, rooted in generations of resilience.
Butler, who is a Jamaican-born musician and classically trained from a young age, found the intersection of traditions deeply personal. He had long noted the absence of Black cultural storytelling in traditional orchestral spaces. With Hymns to Freedom, he united two art forms on a stage where it has not always been visible
“I love reggae music and calypso, and I think they're all art forms that deserve to be heard and to be experienced,” Butler said. “It's definitely served as a foundation on which I've built the rest of my musical career.”
Butler hoped the message the audience took from Hymns to Freedom was that human beings were better together. “I'm hoping that, again, just because I look different from you, just because I have a different opinion from you, doesn't mean that we can't thrive in community together,” he said.
“It's our differences when they come together that's actually what makes the symphony of life that much more interesting,” Butler said.
For Jones, it was a reminder that even within the rigid classical framework, there is room for reinterpretation. It was a way for generational struggles to find new resonance through familiar instruments.
Under Jones’s direction, the orchestra moved from the structured precision of European strings into the emotional cadence of spirituals born in bondage. Violins and cellos, traditional instruments long associated with European concert halls, became the backdrop for stories such as Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The classical tone carried the emotional weight of a generation of storytellers and their struggle for freedom.
“There is a poignant moment for the orchestra where we perform just the strings alone, a piece dedicated to the story of Moses,” Jones said. “And for me and for the orchestra, it's our moment to sort of take our instrument and showcase its quality, its emotional depth.”
The performers Jackie Richardson and Shakura S’Aida recounted the stories of their youth, listening to stories similar to those of Harriet Tubman. Both singers grew up with these stories and shaped their understanding of identity and resilience. With the orchestral backdrop, their childhood memories were elevated from personal recollections to collective history.
Both performers said they were still hoping and dreaming for “A society where every person will respect the dignity and worth of humanity, a society where we’re better together.”
Spirituals born in hardship were once sung far from the formal stages of classical music. On Feb. 1, those songs found a new resonance beneath the sweep of a full orchestra in Etobicoke, reminding listeners that history is not a distant memory. It is felt, heard and carried forward.
“We're all from different backgrounds, we all have a story to tell,” Butler said. “And it's important that we tell that story. And so I encourage people in the audience to, regardless of where you're from, tell your story. I'd love to hear it.”
