a change is gonna come

palaver strings | nicholas phan featuring farayi malek

A Change Is Gonna Come celebrates the rich legacy of American protest songs, from beloved anthems to new commissions. Our arrangements of 1960s classics explore the sonic palette of strings and voice, with nods to the iconic originals as well as today’s cultural landscape, and the sound worlds of film scores, contemporary chamber music, fiddle, gospel, and more. These songs reflect on individual experiences of oppression and call us to join the collective work of liberation. A Change Is Gonna Come confronts our past and present and celebrates the act of protest as one of our most precious rights.

credits / Recorded September 2023 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center (Rockport Music). Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Alan Bise. Produced by Alan Bise, Domenic Salerni, Nicholas Phan, and Palaver Strings, with input from Errollyn Wallen. Liner notes by Lysander Jaffe. Graphic design by Fiona Hilton. Album artwork by Harry Scales. Photography by Christina Wnek. The full album and the Protest Songs commission by Errollyn Wallen were made possible by the Tippet Rise Fund of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation and the Crewe Foundation.

violin / Teagan Faran, Bree Fotheringham, Maya French, Grant Houston, Kate Knudsvig, Abby Swidler

viola / Brianna Howard, Lysander Jaffe, Elizabeth Moore

cello / Matthew Smith, Nathaniel Taylor, Kamyron Williams

bass / Nate Martin

vocals / Nicholas Phan, Farayi Malek

  • Palaver Strings

    strings

  • Nicholas Phan

    vocals

  • Farayi Malek

    vocals