Kamala Harris speeches inspire a hopeful new musical work

Candace Forest will never forget two speeches given by Kamala Harris in 2020 — the first, when Harris was announced as Joseph Biden’s running mate, and the second, which the soon-to-be vice president gave at the Democratic Convention. Harris’ words were not just a call to engagement — for Forest, they were an inspiration for her work as a composer.

The result of that inspiration was “Kamala’s Hope,” which the San Francisco Girls Chorus will perform this weekend at the SFJAZZ Center. It’s a featured piece on the ensemble’s season-opening showcase, conducted by artistic director Valérie Sainte-Agathe, which also includes the world premiere of “I See You, I Hear You, I Believe You” by Ursula Kwong-Brown, along with new and recent works by Angélica Negrón, Amy X Neuburg, Pamela Z, and Matthew Welch.

Forest, who was born in Ohio and has lived in San Francisco’s Noe Valley for more than three decades, has worked in folk, jazz, and classical music. She also describes herself as a longtime champion of equal rights. Hearing Harris’s campaign speeches, and witnessing the candidate’s subsequent election as the first Black woman vice president, Forest says she was thrilled.

It was cellist Emil Miland, she explained in a recent interview, who suggested the piece that became “Kamala’s Hope.” Miland, a longtime member of the San Francisco Opera orchestra, urged her to write a new work in tribute to the vice president. “Emil and I have been friends for years, and he’s championed my music,” she said. “He and Kamala were both born in Oakland!”

Forest composed the first version of the score for solo voice, organ, and cello. It premiered a few years back on a concert series at San Francisco’s Mission Dolores, with Miland, soprano Shawnette Sulker, and keyboardist Jerome Lenk.

But Forest felt that the work wasn’t complete. “It did begin as a trio, but as soon as I started it I could hear those young women’s voices,” she said. “And if you’re in San Francisco, the Girls Chorus has those young women’s voices. I’ve been to many of their concerts, and I knew what they could do.”

She re-fashioned the work, adding the chorus to the trio score. This weekend’s concert, with Sulker, Miland, and Lenk joined by chorus, marks the revised score’s debut.

Forest is clearly pleased that the premiere is being given by the SF Girls Chorus; the Grammy-winning ensemble has sung with the Philip Glass Ensemble, the Kronos Quartet, Opera Parallèle, and many others, including annual engagements with the San Francisco Opera and Symphony.

Sulker, notes Forest, has been an ideal soloist from the work’s inception. The soprano has performed in a range of roles throughout the Bay Area. Earlier this summer, she took on the leading role of Cleopatra in West Edge Opera’s “Julius Caesar,” and was one of the stars at Herbst Theatre in the recent Robert Sims-directed “Majesty of the Spiritual.”

“Her voice is so beautiful, and her technique is amazing,” said Forest. “She makes it seem effortless. We met many years ago, and I’ve always wanted to write for her. She’s also really fun to work with — and she feels passionately about justice.”

Having set Harris’ words to music, Forest says she’s still struck by their power.

“The buildup to the core of the piece, where she’s calling for respect and dignity, is just amazing. Then she lays out that vision — that we’re all deserving of compassion, no matter where we come from, no matter who we love. I choke up just thinking of it. It’s so precise, succinct and profound.”