The excellent Voices of Liberty a cappella group is now a little bit more visible thanks to new signage installed at The American Adventure. In fact, in talking with Cast Members at the show, this is the first signage installation that the Voices of Liberty has ever enjoyed during their 40+ years at the park. Here’s a closer look at the signage and the 11:15am performance today!
New Voices of Liberty Signage Installed at EPCOT
The new Voices of Liberty sign can be found to the left of the entry doors to The American Adventure. A sign for The American Adventure show remains in place to the right of the entryway. Here’s a look at both signs, along with a little bit more info on the decision to install a Voices of Liberty sign!
For anyone who has ever witnessed the Voices of Liberty in person, you won’t be surprised to hear that guest scores for the a cappella group are excellent. That said, awareness of the group isn’t as high. Thus, new signage was born. The new sign features members of the Voices of Liberty, in their old costumes, with the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross flag. The sign also features all of the showtimes for the group.
And here are a few photos from today’s 11:15am performance!
The Early History of the Voices of Liberty
When EPCOT opened its doors on October 1, 1982, guests were greeted by something they likely never expected to find at a Disney theme park: a world-class a cappella ensemble performing American folk songs in the marble rotunda of The American Adventure. More than four decades later, the Voices of Liberty remain one of the most beloved entertainment offerings at Walt Disney World, but the group’s path to becoming an EPCOT institution was anything but guaranteed.
The group was founded and originally led by arranger and composer Derric Johnson, who was brought on to write, staff, and produce the show ahead of the park’s opening. Johnson had a background in a cappella performance with his group Re’Generation, but the format was virtually unknown in commercial entertainment at the time. In fact, when Johnson arrived in Florida, the head of Entertainment was openly skeptical. “A cappella will never work,” Johnson recalled being told. “It’s not enough to mount a show or a concert.” He was handed a six-month contract.
That skepticism nearly extended to the group’s most iconic song. During an early rehearsal at The American Adventure, while construction workers were still laying the marble floor, Johnson led the group through a soft, delicate arrangement of “Shenandoah.” Park music staff warned him it would never work in a live show setting, too quiet and too slow for the EPCOT atmosphere. Then something unexpected happened: the saws stopped, the hammers went silent, and every worker in the building leaned over the balcony to listen. “Shenandoah” went on to become the most-requested song in the group’s history.
The contract extension, however, came courtesy of an even more remarkable moment. President Ronald Reagan, visiting The American Adventure, was mid-exit when the Voices of Liberty launched into “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” He stopped cold. “Nobody walks while ‘Battle Hymn’ is being sung,” he reportedly said, and listened through to the end, visibly moved.
An executive came back and told the group, “All that man wanted to do in the last four hours was talk about Voices of Liberty. He’d never heard anything like it.”
The next day, Johnson received a call: the contract was being extended, and the group was being expanded to handle 16 shows per day instead of eight.
From the beginning, Johnson built the Voices of Liberty around connection, not just performance. The group pioneered the meet-and-greet format at Walt Disney World, with singers stepping into the crowd after shows to shake hands and meet guests. Some of those guests kept coming back for decades, eventually bringing their own children to experience the same show that had moved them years before.
The Voices of Liberty continue performing at EPCOT today, still rooted in the philosophy Johnson instilled from day one: “We want you to feel good. You want people to carry something away.”
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