Evergreen Music Artists release 'America the Beautiful (250th Jubilee)' as a prayer for unity and healing

# What this release is

Evergreen Music Artists released "America the Beautiful (250th Jubilee)" to Christian radio and streaming platforms as a reworking of the familiar hymn. The recording pairs the hymn's established first three verses with a newly written fourth verse by Hope Toqe. That new verse shifts the song's focus toward a plea for grace, unity, healing, and renewal in light of current national divisions.

# Who performs on the track

# Musical approach and arrangement

# Historical and symbolic context

The brief account included with the release traces the hymn's origins to Samuel A. Ward's melody—composed on a ferry in New York Harbor—and Katharine Lee Bates' poem inspired by Pikes Peak. Bates' original verses already contain language framed as prayer (for mending flaws, refining character, and brotherhood). That prayerful orientation is the bridge used to justify and contextualize the new fourth verse asking for healing amid current divisions.

# Timing and significance of the release

The recording was made available on streaming outlets on September 11, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and released to Christian radio during 2026, the United States' 250th anniversary year. The release package links remembrance of those lost and service rendered on 9/11 with a larger appeal for unity and hope during the nation's semiquincentennial.

# About Evergreen Music Artists

Evergreen Music Artists is a nonprofit organization based in Bluffton, South Carolina. Kevin Toqe serves as CEO and Director of Pastoral Care. The organization frames this project as presenting the hymn as an ongoing prayer for what the country can become, rather than only a reflection on the past.

# What this means for listeners

Listeners should expect a version of the hymn that preserves its core lyrical and melodic identity while introducing a contemporary, faith-rooted plea for national healing. The presence of multiple lead voices and a children's choir signals an attempt to make the recording feel communal and intergenerational.

# Quick facts

• Title: America the Beautiful (250th Jubilee)
• Arranger and co-producer: Kevin Toqe
• Co-producer: Nicholas Harral
• New verse author: Hope Toqe
• Lead vocalists: Jared Kline, Kenny Munshaw, Mehki Key, Kevin Toqe
• Release to streaming: September 11 (streaming release date)
• Organization: Evergreen Music Artists (Bluffton, SC)