Human history is full of war, murder, inequality, and countless other tragedies. The capacity
of humans to exploit and destroy each other seems boundless. For many of us, this constant war that humankind wages against itself is utterly maddening and painfully heartbreaking. And in the United States, it continues to get worse. Whether it’s violent police officers abusing their power, the increasing amount of savage gun violence that infects this country in general, violent white supremacists feeling empowered to publicly spread their hate, or the war against the middle and lower classes, as well as minorities, that Trump and his fiendish cohorts continually wage with their barrage of damaging policies. Like many of us who want justice, equality, and peace, it’s easy to feel frustratingly helpless. But no matter what, we must defy the horrors and continue to work for freedom and peace. We must look out for each other! Music is what I have most readily available to speak out against injustice, so using an American colloquialism that children are known to say, I stand defiant in the face of tyranny and say You’re Not The Boss Of Me!
You’re Not The Boss Of Me was commissioned by The Governor’s School, West. It was composed between late March and early June of 2018. It was conducted by Orlando Cela and premiered at The Governor’s School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on June 29th, 2018
