From the Home Front to the Pacific
In this immersive musical program, Cece explores the sounds that defined a generation. Moving beyond a simple tribute, she examines the music of the Second World War period (late 1930s to 1945) to tell the story of a nation on the battlefield — and a nation in transition.
World War II galvanized a country still emerging from the Great Depression. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States embarked on a war effort that found a role for everyone: While men shipped off to fight in Europe and the Pacific, families back on the home front bought war bonds and saved every scrap of metal. The music captured it all: the optimism and resolve of those determined to do their duty, the melancholy and longing of the families they left behind.
The Music of the World War II Era combines servicemen’s favorites, sentimental singalongs and Great American Songbook hits with Cece’s customary insightful research, making for an epic musical journey through a nation facing a global crisis … and in the process, perhaps, becoming more united in a way they never had before.