Carla & Keyes commemorate the birth of a new nation in final Yorktown 250 concert

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — After the fighting ends and the guns fall silent, what comes next?

Musicians and history educators Carla Lynne Hall and Jim Keyes will explore that question in “A New Nation: Music of Victory & Freedom,” the fourth and final concert in the Town of Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission’s four-part Yorktown 250th commemoration concert series. The free performance will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown, 2880 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights.

The previous concerts explored America’s founding documents, Yorktown’s role in the American Revolution, and the Benedict Arnold-Maj. John André conspiracy. This concluding concert turns to the Revolution’s denouement: the end of the war, the return home, the departure of British forces and Loyalists, and the challenge of transforming 13 former colonies into a self-governing nation.

Through original compositions, historical storytelling, musical theater and familiar American songs, Hall and Keyes will trace the journey from battlefield victory to the uncertain beginning of the United States.

The program will include “Coming Home,” a new original song by Keyes that imagines a soldier returning to peaceful life after years of war. Another planned original, “Evacuation Day,” will tell the story of British forces and Loyalists leaving New York as Americans reclaimed the city.

The concert will also revisit selections from earlier Yorktown 250 programs, including “Life, Liberty and Happiness,” “Merci, France” and “What Do You Know About Rochambeau?” These songs recall the revolutionary ideals, international alliances and decisive contributions that helped make American victory possible.

Together, the songs ask the central question facing the former colonies: Winning independence was an extraordinary achievement, but what would the new nation do with its freedom?

Hall and Keyes perform as Carla & Keyes, creating original musical programs that bring history to life through songs, storytelling and historical context. Their work has explored figures and subjects including Benedict Arnold and John André, Ona Judge, Revolutionary War spy Liss, Madam C.J. Walker, and the people and events that shaped the Hudson Valley and the nation.

“A New Nation: Music of Victory & Freedom” will be presented Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown, 2880 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. Admission is free.

The guns fall silent. A nation finds its voice.

Information provided by Lynn Briggs