
Julius P. Williams Composes Song for 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial Rededication The Boston Children's Chorus will perform the song, Heroes, at the rededication ceremony on June 1.
By
Colette Greenstein
May 12, 2022
Professor Julius P. Williams
Image by Dave Green
Julius P. Williams, a professor in Berklee College of Music's Composition Department, has written an original song that will be performed by the Boston Children's Chorus at the National Rededication of the Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 1, at 11:00 a.m. in front of the memorial, on Boston Common, opposite the Massachusetts State House. The event is free and open to the public.
In addition to his role as professor, Williams is the artistic director and conductor of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, a composer in residence with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and cover to maestro Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra. In 2019, the award-winning conductor was named the first African American president of the Conductors Guild, a global membership organization encompassing conductors of symphony, opera, ballet, choral, band, contemporary, and chamber ensembles. And in 2020, Williams was one of three Berklee professors commissioned to write music for the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Residence Composer Project.
On behalf of the Partnership to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial, I want to say how thrilled we are with Heroes, the composition that Julius Williams created for our national rededication of the memorial. It is stirring, powerful, and will be a perfect piece to set the stage for the ceremony, said Elizabeth Vizza, president, Friends of the Public Garden. We not only are celebrating the restoration of this memorial but are using the occasion as a call to action in the ongoing work of social justice and racial equity. We couldnt be happier with Williams's piece to dramatize this moment and inspire us to this cause.
The Partnership to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial, made up of the National Park Service, the City of Boston, Friends of the Public Garden, and the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, oversaw the 18-month restoration. The memorial honors the courageous efforts of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the first enlisted units of Black men fighting in the American Civil War, for their service and heroism.
I am honored and humbled to write a work that is so important to our history, said Williams. A regiment of African Americans who joined the army to fight for their right to exist as free people and demonstrated immense valor and bravery that can never be forgotten must always be commemorated.
During the course of his career, Williams has composed operas, symphonies, and chorus works for stage, concert hall, film, and television. The Bronx-born conductor and pianist has recorded 10 albums, and performed with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra of Croatia, the Costa del Sol Music Festival in Spain, and the Volvodanksa Symphony of Serbia.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
From left to right: Berklee President Erica Muhl; honorees Chuck Rainey, Lalah Hathaway, and James Newton Howard; and Berklee Provost Larry Simpson
Image by Mike Spencer
Berklee Honors Ringo Starr, Lalah Hathaway, James Newton Howard, and Chuck Rainey at Commencement The entertainment legends received honorary doctorates for their immeasurable impact on music, film and television, and popular culture.
Latest
Zitong (Selina) Zhang
Image courtesy of the artist
Can You Write an Uplifting Song About the Climate Crisis? Student Zitong (Selina) Zhang talks about the inspiration behind her new song Life, a meditation on climate change and its impact on our world.
Berklee City Music students on stage at the Berklee Performance Center
Image by Dave Green
Berklee City Music Receives Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts The $25,000 award will support City Music's High School Academy and Preparatory Academy programs.
Professor Julius P. Williams
Image by Dave Green
Julius P. Williams Composes Song for 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial Rededication The Boston Children's Chorus will perform the song, Heroes, at the rededication ceremony on June 1.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
North America Stories
25/04/2026
Mediagenix Sweeps 2026 NAB Awards With Wins for Product of the Year and Best of ...
25/04/2026
SCHOEPS Microphones Announces Desert Island Boom Set for NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 24, 2026
0 Comments
Compact modular set ideal for location sound ...
25/04/2026
Berklee Africana Studies Hosts Gospel Extravaganza 2026 The Signature Series event will honor three new inductees to the Berklee Gospel Hall of Fame and celeb...
25/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Siva Maja Gierszewska, who performs under the artist name Siva, shares how she found her songwriting confidence at Berklee.
April 24, 2026...
25/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/04/2026
Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the intellectual property of the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes from 1/...
24/04/2026
Daktronics has partnered with DCL (Design Communications, Ltd.) to design, manuf...
24/04/2026
Chyron has announced PRIME Translate, a workflow solution that produces live content simultaneously in multiple languages within the PRIME platform. The system ...
24/04/2026
Eutelsat has announced a new partnership with Co-op Cable, introducing an expand...
24/04/2026
Pitch Dublin, an indoor golf simulation and hospitality venue on Dawson Street i...
24/04/2026
G&D and VuWall have announced two senior leadership appointments, effective Apri...
24/04/2026
Victory , the free sports streaming service from A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC), has announced a multi-year agreement to become the exclusive local streaming ho...
24/04/2026
The former business major from Massachusetts has found his home in graphics and bug operation while contributing to live ESPN productions
In the live-sports-vi...
24/04/2026
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and Spectrum have announced a multiyear carriage agreement making MASN available to Spectrum customers in areas of southe...
24/04/2026
The NFL Draft is rebuilt from the ground up in a new city every year. The three-day fan festival is expected to draw 500,000 or more attendees, with millions fo...
24/04/2026
Diversified has continued expansion of its sports and media capabilities to supp...
24/04/2026
NAB reports that the 2026 NAB Show wrapped with more than 58,000 registered atte...
24/04/2026
Clear-Com has announced significant updates to its Arcadia Central Station and E...
24/04/2026
NAB reports that the 2026 NAB Show wrapped with more than 58,000 registered atte...
24/04/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
24/04/2026
B/R NFL Draft Live' refines the digital giant's productions around footb...
24/04/2026
Study highlights five pillars shaping modern fan engagement as broadcasters reth...
24/04/2026
The 2026 event, the first Draft with NFL Network under the ESPN umbrella, will b...
24/04/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
24/04/2026
Integral to the Draft production for three almost decades, the company tells the...
24/04/2026
Championing documentaries that illuminate and expand the artform is at the core ...
24/04/2026
The Peabody Awards spotlight excellent work that endures. This year's winner...
24/04/2026
The NASA 777 aircraft departs the L3Harris facility in Waco, Texas....
24/04/2026
WASHINGTON, April 23, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has closed a $1 b...
24/04/2026
In partnership with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., L3Harris Technologies is advancing autonomous aviation for the U.S. Marine Corps' Aerial Logistics Co...
24/04/2026
L3Harris' hC2 software, powered by Systematic SitaWare, strengthens battlefield decision-making by using open architectures to connect platforms, sensors an...
24/04/2026
Artist rendering of L3Harris' AERIS X next-generation airborne early warning...
24/04/2026
Recognition for incredible advances in broadcast and enterprise control...
24/04/2026
Dalet Takes Home The Best in Show Award for Dalia at 2026 NAB
Brie Clayton April 23, 2026
0 Comments
Media-aware agentic AI wins big for real-world ef...
24/04/2026
Calrec and Grass Valley Unlock Exceptional Choice and Flexibility for Broadcaste...
24/04/2026
Bitfocus Buttons wins NAB Show Product of the Year Award
Brie Clayton April 24, 2026
0 Comments
Recognition for incredible advances in broadcast and e...
24/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
24/04/2026
Media-aware agentic AI wins big for real-world efficiencies and time to value
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, to...
24/04/2026
Mediagenix wins for its Scheduling Optimization capabilities that help broadcasters and FAST operators move beyond traditional scheduling automation toward cont...
24/04/2026
Setplex today announced that it has taken home the NAB Show Project of the Year Award in the Distribution category for its innovative deployment with UVOtv. Dur...
24/04/2026
Media and post-production teams are invited to experience next-level resource planning, project management, and connected media workflows at Stand K59 in The Gr...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Partnership between ARRI and SmallHD brings new Hi-5 license
Configurable monitor overlays adapt to individual working styles
Supported by SmallHD monitors ru...
23/04/2026
Lighting Master Cronenweth ASC brings a unique look to each grid world with the help of Astera
Jeff Cronenweth on the set of Disney's TRON: ARES. Photo by...
23/04/2026
DP Chloe Smolkin ( The Late Show, Kidz Bop ) joins director Danielle Beckmann and writer/actor Raji Ahsan behind the camera for the heartfelt short comedy Dr...
23/04/2026
April 23rd, 2026 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2026 EXPANDS TRIBECA NOW, SPOTLIGHTING DIGITAL CREATORS
Tribeca Becomes First Major Film Fes...
23/04/2026
Back to All News
Strange Things Are Happening at McDonald's: The Tales From...