Overview:
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Orchestra hosted the fifth annual "Together We Sing" event, celebrating Black music, leaders, and the Black community. The event featured gospel music and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, with the Clark Sisters as the headliners. Honors were given to community leaders, including Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Almas Muscatwalla, Timothy Powers, Roland G. Parrish, and Chris Arnold. The event emphasized the importance of unity and the enduring rhythm of resilience, reverence, and unity that defines Black music and culture.
The stars were out to celebrate Black music, Black leaders, and the Black community at Together We Sing at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Orchestra. Industry names in gospel music and in the Dallas community congregated at the Symphony in conjunction with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Project Unity.
This marks the event’s fifth year, conductor Leon Lacey highlighted.
Many of Dallas’s best and brightest lined up on the blue carpet of Together We Sing to share their thoughts about the evening of powerful praise music to come. Overall, the Symphony Hall was aglow with the spirit of community, faith and fellowship.
Newly appointed Interim Dallas Fire Chief Justin Ball spoke to the positive synergy present at the event.
“It’s great how everyone gets together united for events like this. [We always] show up to everything to build relationships in the community,” Ball shared.
A Gospel Legacy Reimagined
Pastor Richie Butler, founder of Project Unity, has teamed up with the likes of Gospel greats like Erica Campbell and Marvin Sapp in previous years, but this summer’s Together We Sing headliner was certainly a crowd favorite.
The legendary, Grammy Award-winning Clark Sisters headlined the night of gospel music and fellowship. The Clark Sisters joined the 200-voice Unity Choir and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to reimagine legendary gospel hits. A host of community awards were also presented during the evening.
Honoring Excellence
Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Chief Impact Officer of Engage2Learn, Former Superintendent of Dallas ISD was honored with the Project Unity Legacy Award. An Oak Cliff native, Dr. Hinojosa shared a bit about his appreciation for community and music in light of Black Music Month.
“Growing up in Oak Cliff is very special in my heart, and I used to listen to Al Green all the time, and it just kind of, it was a kind experience, a combination of soul music and gospel music,” Dr. Hinojosa shared.
“I still listen to that music today, R&B music, because it is inspiring and it tells a story. And it’s so great to be in this beautiful facility with all these other award winners to celebrate unity together. And I never apologize for believing in racial equity, and I don’t back off from it at any point.”
Additionally, Almas Muscatwalla, Co-founder of Faith Forward Dallas received the Project Unity Activism Award. Timothy Powers, Senior Counsel at Hayes Boone received the Project Unity Advocate Award.
To add to the array of the evening’s achievements, Roland G. Parrish, President and CEO of Parrish Restaurants, Founder of Parish Charitable Foundation received the 95th Linz Award in acknowledgement of his humanitarian endeavors and active role in the community.
The late Grammy Award-winning musical legend and Dallas native Shaun Martin was also honored during the evening. Martin’s family was present for the concert and honored thusly. Additionally, the late Quincy Jones was honored with a tribute performance.
Faith, Music, and Memory
On the eve of Juneteenth, there was a palpable energy of honoring Black music, gospel, and their connection to the culture. Many of the evening’s attendees reflected the spirit of unity.
In the spirit of the evening, WFAA’s Dia Wall shared some words about the Black community’s deeply-rooted connection to all genres of music.
“Black music means a lot to me and my family. It’s like the soundtrack of every Black home, especially in the South,” Wall shared.
“Whether that’s gospel, blues, jazz, [or] funk, we all have those foundational songs. So, for me, music is just so critical to our experience, our history and how we share stories from generation to generation.”
Community changemakers, including Jenny Suh of Jenny Beauty Supply, found deep personal sentiment in the joyous events of the evening.
“I am a Christian. I’ve been going to Church since I was born. Gospel music makes me feel so happy and it inspires me.”
Bridging the Gap:
Together We Sing co-chair T. Dupree Scovell echoed the sentiment of unity present at the Symphony Wednesday night. In addressing the organization’s mission statement, he shared:
“The opportunity is really trying to bridge the gap between folks that look like me and folks that look like you. And it’s unfortunate to call it sides. But, in the wake of George Floyd, there was a unique window in time to be able to bring people together.
Now, what’s most important about this work persisting is the window after. Moments like that usually shrink fairly quickly, as we’ve seen. It’s like the pendulum is swung and all of a sudden, ‘DEI’ is a bad word.
What’s important about what we’re doing is that we’re going to persist through that. We’re going to keep doing the hard work. This is what we’re here for. So that’s kind of awesome.”
Dallas Mavericks Inclusion Ambassador Chris Arnold also spoke with DW on the blue carpet to share his personal connection to Black Music Month.
“It’s outstanding. It’s a month to reflect and also appreciate what we have now. [Exercising] more reflection is to let those that don’t know all the different genres of Black music get in touch,” Arnold shared.
“In fact, just this last year, with Beyonce doing her country music that just showed you that. So, guess what? There are things that you didn’t know that had Black roots involved in it. I just like the fact that Black Music Month in June [gives you] an opportunity to appreciate all kinds of aspects of Black music. And that’s including R&B and hip hop and not just the current [music].”
The Testimony of a Timeless Sound
Many of the featured artists for the evening launched their musical careers with the help of the Church. In celebration of Black Music Month, Maestro Leon Lacey shared a few words of encouragement for any aspiring musicians.
“If you’re like me, and you love music, and even if you love God as well, it’s something that you will never run away from. [You’ve] got to stick with it,” Lacey shared.
“And when time seems slow, you have to psych yourself up and encourage yourself mentally and say, ‘This is also a part of the process of making music and becoming successful in music.’”
Butler emphasized the reason for the occasion. When asked about the show’s overarching message in terms of a sermon, here’s what the Pastor had to say:
“If this were a message tonight, God gives us more than a second chance. He always gives us another chance. Things are going to happen for you, but we keep going. We keep getting chances. It’s like when you’re a teenager, young adult, and you’re an adult, and you get a chance to do life as a senior citizen, and then you get to retire in it, and you just keep walking on out the next phase. You never die. You just keep going.”
As the final notes rang out through the hallowed halls of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Together We Sing stood as more than just a concert—it was a testament to the enduring rhythm of resilience, reverence, and unity that defines Black music and Black culture.
Looking for more orchestral arrangements from talented members of our musical community? Join Conductor Leon Lacey for his Black Tie Symphony at IBOC on August 8th.