When Phyllis Adams and Leila Bolden stood in the middle of Washington National Cathedral on Thursday to sing President Jimmy Carter home with a stirring rendition of “Amazing Grace,” it was a song that was eight years in the making.
For the two Atlanta women — one a Delta flight attendant and the other a retired piano teacher — it was what they called a blessing.
“I feel like I just witnessed heaven on earth,” Adams said. “I pray it was reasonable. I pray that God was honored.”
For Adams, a coloratura soprano, and Bolden, who accompanies her on piano, it started in 2017. The two have been performing together for more than 20 years as a group called Song Rise to Thee.
They perform inspirational and sacred music including hymns, anthems, African American spirituals and original compositions in a classical style.
In 2017, the nonprofit Carter Center invited them to perform at the Human Rights Defenders Forum. The Carters loved them. So, about a year later, Adams and Bolden got a call to perform at another Carter-related event.
The event fell through, but Adams and Bolden were told that something else might happen.
In 2020, as preparations for Carter’s funeral intensified, they got a call. They would perform “Amazing Grace” at President Carter’s funeral. Whenever that happened.
“God has done this,” Adams said. “They really loved us and suddenly, we got the call. We had no idea this was coming. We were speechless. We have never done anything like this before.”
Credit: Dwayne Sullivan Photography
Credit: Dwayne Sullivan Photography
The two started practicing immediately, coordinating with the White House Orchestra. Adams met with a voice coach through Zoom every Wednesday.
“After that, we just waited until the time,” Adams said.
Bolden, 71, who has taught piano for decades, admits that despite all of their preparations, she was a bit nervous performing in front of the world for Carter and in front of President Joe Biden and four former presidents.
“But I kept it under wraps,” Bolden said. “I feel honored, and I really wanted to minister to the family and honor God. It was a blessing to be a part of the ceremony. A once in a lifetime moment.”
Credit: Dwayne Sullivan Photography
Credit: Dwayne Sullivan Photography
On Thursday after the D.C. funeral, Adams and Bolden found themselves in the airport waiting for a flight back to Atlanta to beat the storm. Adams said her phone has blown up and she can hardly keep up with the hundreds of text messages from people who saw their performance.
“Most people would be honored by that, but we didn’t want to make it about us. This moment was about President Carter,” Adams said. “We wanted to keep it in the spirit of comforting the family. Whenever someone told us that they were praying for us, we said no, pray for the Carter family.”
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