My family moved to Virginia USA in August 2001, for a three-year NATO posting. Two weeks after our arrival the shocking attack of 9/11 took place. In the aftermath the whole of the USA came together perhaps as at no other time in its history, though the seeds of the divisions which are now in evidence were soon to be sown. At that time the USA felt suddenly vulnerable, the Special Relationship more meaningful than ever. As a British family we were welcomed with open arms wherever we travelled – we were even given a free pass into Disneyland to our children’s delight! And travel we did, at every opportunity; north, south, west and east. Not only did we wonder at the amazing variety in the landscapes, climatic zones, wildlife and population across the states, we also loved encountering live music in almost every region we visited, which helped us appreciate the cultural diversity and richness, some of which can be discerned in the programme that has been chosen for Portsmouth Baroque Choir’s concert on 4th July which celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Let’s start at the beginning; in 17th/18thC Virginia. We find ourselves in Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, excellent open-air museums where historical interpreters roam around in period costume giving one a real sense of the pioneers who began arriving and settling successfully from 1607 onwards to build new lives in the Americas. In the distance you hear pipes and drums, and as the music gets louder you see the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum band approaching along the dusty Main Street lined with clapboard ‘Georgian’ houses, in their 18th-century red uniforms and Tricorn hats. Their music has been preserved as a historical tribute to the American Revolution, and today local children from the age of 10 are encouraged to train for this remarkable band that marches every week in Williamsburg and performs their distinctive music widely. The atmosphere of 1776 is in the air!
Watch Fifes and Drums of Colonia Williamsburg.
Next, let us travel over the state border to deeply rural West Virginia, to the heart of Appalachia and the beautiful, hazy Blue Ridge mountains. It’s the Fall; leaves on the trees are blazing bright, bears are preparing for hibernation and Thanksgiving preparations are in full swing. We stumble across a village Hoe Down, practice intoning ‘Yee Ha’ and join in some energetic Appalachian clog dancing – think Riverdance mixed with Scottish reels; the clattering of clogs providing the percussion to tinny fiddles and banjos, as far away Celtic and Scandinavian heritage is celebrated. Piles of rustic hot dogs fuel hungry check shirt-clad dancers and we strangers from the old countries are welcomed into the fold. One can’t help thinking of Aaron Copland in these parts – we surely must have played some of his music in the car, along with nasal-toned Country and Bluegrass as we trundled through the mountains and hiked on the Appalachian Trail, trying to spot bears and eagles.
Watch Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers with Pete Seeger recorded at the Newport Folk Festival 1967.
It takes nearly three days to drive from our home in southern Virginia to Louisiana, via Chattanooga, and close to Memphis Tennessee. Our in-car soundtrack changes from twanging banjo mountain music to the iconic Chattanooga choo choo in all its brassiness, and then a brief burst of Elvis as we bypass Graceland, eager to catch our first sight of Mississippi paddle steamers at Natchez, eventually arriving in Bourbon Street, New Orleans for a jazz-infused Christmas. The French Quarter’s famous veranda fronted houses are all decked out in garlands and lights, the city brimming with seasonal cheer, with buskers on every corner. Don’t expect Silent Night and Away in a Manger here – trumpets and trombones blast all genres of jazz from every quarter but you might catch a snippet of Frosty the Snowman in this most tropical of States. When the balmy evening turns chilly it’s time to retreat into a fuggy basement club for shots of bourbon and seriously cool jazz, complete with earthy vocals…This is the sound of the deep South – reflecting all its complicated history.
Watch Kermit Ruffins Saints Christmas, New Orleans
In the dry desert heat of a Western Summer we explore the National Parks of the ‘Four Corners’ states; Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Here the atmosphere couldn’t be more different from the sultry humidity of the Southern states – this parched landscape with its giant red rock formations and deep canyons is ancient Navajo territory and on every stark horizon it’s easy to imagine the appearance of a Native American chief in full feathered regalia, on horseback. Incredibly, as we stop to buy water at a Navajo settlement we are invited to join their village ‘Pow Wow’. We feel really privileged to be included as we appear to be the only strangers in their midst and we are encouraged to join in the mesmeric chanting that accompanies their complex drumming sequences that build from a single beat to a full frenzied climax. It’s powerful and noble and a unique musical experience that courses through ones whole body. This Pow Wow it turns out, is a local school celebration and there follows a demonstration from the younger members of the community – they are impressive and committed; you feel and hope that their culture is in safe hands for the future. Away from the powerful drums their gentler songs and flute music are haunting, reflective and perfectly in tune with the endless landscape. We buy a CD at the village trading post and listen on repeat as we traverse mile upon mile of open desert studded with giant wind sculpted rocks. I’m sure I hear wistful Navajo echoes when I listen to the choral works of Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre.
Listen to Navajo and Sioux singers and drummers performing ‘Sun Dance’ from the album Red Road Crossing
There are many other places and occasions where we enjoyed music across the USA; in Puerto Rico, Hollywood, Disneyland and on Broadway, to name a few. I have tried to pick out a few musical encounters that felt distinctly regional, but American music can also be a melting pot of the many cultures and origins that have historically made up this vast nation.
Pru Bell-Davies May 2026
Portsmouth Baroque Choir performs American Choral Music: a celebration on the 250th anniversary of Independence Day at St George’s Whyke on July 4th 2026 at 7:30 pm. Tickets