Watertown band students will perform "A Mother of a Revolution" at a local church after the Watertown school board voted to remove the instrumental piece from the high school's spring concert due to its ties to LGBTQ+ history.
Church organizers say roughly 20 Watertown High School band students, along with musicians and students from neighboring communities, will perform the piece at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church Wednesday night at 7:30. Composer Omar Thomas will conduct the performance.
Because the event is not associated with the Watertown Unified School District, the community gathered all the instruments and musicians from those willing to help.
Watch: Watertown church community to host 'A Mother of a Revolution' performance
David Morstad has been a resident of Watertown for 50 years. He is part of the congregation and one of the organizers for the performance.
"We all say the words out loud together that we celebrate God's grace in Jesus Christ, we accept all unconditionally, and we grow in God's call to serve the world," said Morstad.
The church's mission of "accepting all unconditionally" is the main driver behind its decision to host the performance.
"It's important, certainly, as a faith community, to be able to stand up and say you are loved. This is a community in which you can find some belonging. I think it's a little puzzling that some people find it odd. 'Wait, there's a church that's doing this?' Yeah, that's what we're called to do," said Morstad.
Pastor Carina Schiltz welcomes the music and its significance.
"We are a reconciling in Christ congregation, which is a special designation for churches who go through a process to be intentionally welcoming of LGBTQ people."
"A Mother of a Revolution" is an instrumental piece composed by Omar Thomas to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and a transgender activist named Marsha P. Johnson.
At a meeting last week, the school board argued the music violates their controversial issues policy by indoctrinating students and endorsing violence.
Schiltz said she hopes the performance sets a new tone.
"If people could look at this performance and see and experience love, that's when we know we're doing something good, something connected, something beautiful, and we listen to the music, and we hear so much more than notes, we can see each other in our full humanity. That's got to be love," said Schiltz.
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