Like Minded Management is proud to announce that composer Chanda Dancy has been commissioned by Cincinnati's Summermusik and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra as one of five composers selected to create a new work for *Visions of Humanity and Unity*.
The ambitious concert project brings together five composers from diverse musical backgrounds to explore the shared American experience through newly commissioned orchestral works, celebrating connection, optimism, and the power of community.
For Dancy, whose acclaimed career spans film, television, and the concert stage, the commission marks both an artistic milestone and a personal homecoming. Born in Cleveland and raised in Houston, she will make her Cincinnati debut with family roots still deeply connected to Ohio.
"I found it to be such an intriguing concept and really quite the metaphor of what it means to be an American: people of different backgrounds and perspectives coming together to make beautiful music," Dancy said of the project.
Her new composition reflects a deeply personal perspective on hope and resilience.
"My piece highlights the hope, longing and boundless optimism of the American spirit," Dancy explains. "I come from a long line of optimists. No matter how things may seem in the moment, I have always held a firm belief that light and hope will always dispel any darkness. I know that our country and the souls that make up its fabric is resilient and the love we show one another has and shall continue to create an ever more perfect union."
While audiences around the world know Dancy for her award-winning scores for film and television, including projects for Sony Pictures, Netflix, and Amazon MGM Studios, orchestral composition has been central to her musical identity since childhood. Inspired by her grandmother, a classical pianist, singer, and educator, Dancy began composing orchestral music at just twelve years old before later studying violin performance and composition.
Her selection for *Visions of Humanity and Unity* represents a meaningful return to the concert hall, bringing together the classical foundation that first shaped her voice with the cinematic storytelling that has defined her career.
The world premiere will be presented by Summermusik and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra as part of the organization's upcoming concert season.