Music by Sharneisha Joyner & Taleya Jordan

Text by Taleya Jordan

2-Part Treble Chorus + String Orchestra

Why Canʼt You Just Sing is a two-part vocal work for flexible voicing (adaptable for SA, SATB, TB, ST, SB, AB, ST on Part 1 and AB on Part 2, and other configurations) and string orchestra. The piece is inspired by The United States v. Billie Holiday and explores the enduring tension between artistic expression and institutional power. Structured as a dialogue, Part I represents Billie Holiday, while Part II embodies the voice of the United States itself. Rather than functioning as a traditional duet, the two vocal lines exist in opposition, alternating for much of the work and rarely aligning. This separation emphasizes the imbalance of power and the refusal of each voice to fully yield to the other. The parts converge only briefly—most notably at the climax— marking the moment of greatest conflict between the artist and the system attempting to silence her.

Musically and textually, Billie Holidayʼs voice is characterized by confidence, wit, and expressive freedom. Her material features playful rhythmic gestures and a sense of ease that resists containment. In contrast, the United States is portrayed through stark, restrained writing, relying heavily on sustained tones and rigid rhythmic values that evoke authority, control, and bureaucracy. Why Canʼt You Just Sing was created collaboratively by Sharneisha Joyner (composer) and Taleya Jordan (lyricist). Together, the work invites performers and audiences to reflect on whose voices are deemed acceptable, whose are policed, and what it means to sing freely in the face of systemic pressure.

Commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association and the American String Teachers Association for the Garden of American Heroes initiative of The New Canon Project. This initiative was made possible with support from the National Endowment of the Arts.

Purchase includes the full score, choral scores and instrumental parts.

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