“Freedom Rising” was written in commemoration of the 150 anniversary of Quantrill’s raid on the unsuspecting town of Lawrence, Kansas where the residents bravely fought to defend their town from the forces of pro-slavery western counties. Opening with a dark and haunting woodwind choir, the composition quickly journeys into the raging battle that took place that fateful August day in 1863. The slower middle section is a powerful hymn expressing the hope of all townspeople for a successful defens...