CHORALATIONS – April 13, 2025

Program Notes

*Canadian Composer

North Sky Chorale

ADIEMUS (Theme from “Songs of Sanctuary”) – Sir Karl Jenkins (b. 1944)

Sir Karl Jenkins conceived Songs of Sanctuary (ADIEMUS is the first movement) in the European classical tradition, but it was his intention that the vocal sound should be more akin to those heard in ethnic or world music. The “words” are invented; in the respect the work is a vocalise. Songs of Sanctuary was originally composed for female voices, strings, and percussion. This SATB version with piano is arranged by Jenkins himself.

Jenkins is among the most performed living composers. Together with his global ‘cross-genre’ phenomenon Adiemus (1995), his best-known work is The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (2000), which has received 3000 performances around the globe since its millennium premiere. He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours. His music is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes and he is a Decca Records recording artist (with an unprecedented Lifetime deal.) In 2023 his music was played at the Coronation of King Charles III. [bio info from karljenkins.com]

ariadiamus lateh ariadiamus da,
aria natus lateh adua.
aravareh tueh vateh, aravareh tueh vateh,
aravareh tueh vateh latea.

anamana cooleh raweh, anamana cooleh ra,
anamana cooleh raweh akala,
anamana cooleh raw akala – ayacoo aheh!
aya doo ayeh.

yakama yamayakaya mema

AFTON WATER – traditional melody, arr. Paul Ayres
Text from Sweet Afton by Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Paul Ayres studied music at Oxford University, and now works freelance as a composer & arranger, choral conductor & musical director, and organist & accompanist. He was born and bred in west London – where he still lives (with one wife, three children, one dog, an indeterminate number of cats, and two dozen boxes of music, paperwork, letters, books and CDs, which have been on the verge of being “really sorted through, maybe next week” since 2006). His works have been awarded prizes in composition competitions in Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, and he has received over one hundred commissions from musical groups of all shapes and sizes. Most of Paul’s output is choral, vocal, small-scale instrumental, and music for theatre. He genuinely finds as much joy in writing a very simple arrangement of, say, a nursery rhyme for beginner violinists as in constructing a large-scale score for professional performers. A particular creative interest of Paul’s is exploring the interplay between popular styles and baroque/classical forms, and his works frequently use cross-reference, numerical patterns, and humour. Go to www.paulayres.co.uk to find out more.

Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braces,
Flow gently, I’ll sing thee a song in thy praise.
My Mary’s asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.

How pleasant thy bands and green valleys below,
Where wild in the woodlands the primroses blow.
There oft, as mild ev’ning sweeps over the lea,
The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me.

Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides,
And winds by the cot where my Mary resides.
How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave,
As gath’ring sweet flowrets she stems thy clear wave.

Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes,
Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays.
My Mary’s asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.

BEATI QUORUM VIA – Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Text from Psalm 119:1

The piece BEATI QUORUM VIA comes from a set of three motets that were published in 1905, but probably date from 1892. It is in six parts with divided sopranos and basses used antiphonally and homophonically.  The meditative text from Psalm 119 shows Stanford at his most lyrical. The melodic strength of each individual vocal part is evident in the always moving “ambulant” (literally “walking”), yet it unifies at one pointin the stunningly beautiful homophonic (and structurally central) “Beati” (“how beautiful”).

Charles Villiers Stanford was one of the leading musicians of his generation and had a profound effect on the development and history of English music as a performer, conductor, composer, teacher and writer.
Born in Dublin to a musical family, his musical gifts were recognized early. He studied piano and the violin privately and subsequently the organ with Robert Prescott Stewart at Christchurch and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals in Dublin. Today he is largely remembered for his songs and religious music as well as his influence on several generations of composition students at the Royal College of Music. These include Sir Arthur Bliss, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Wood and more.

Beati quorum via integra est,
Qui ambulant in lege Domini.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.

BUTTERFLY – Mia Makaroff (b. 1970)

Mia Makaroff is a Finnish music educator, choral conductor and composer. Her speciality is well-wrought choral music that finds its inspiration in rhythmic music (mostly ethno/pop). Makaroff’s music has been made famous by the Finnish a cappella group Rajaton. BUTTERFLY originally written for Rajaton’s six singers. It is an achingly beautiful song about love and the transience of life written with the lightest of touches,

Sweet is the sound of my new born wings
I stretch them open and let them dry.
I haven’t seen this world before,
but I’m excused, I’m a butterfly.

Sweet is the touch of your newborn wings,
we fly in circles, we play with the sun.
We haven’t seen this world before,
so far, so bright, so blue the sky.

Love me, love me on the leaves
before we say goodbye.
Love me, kiss me with the breeze,
you will be my lullaby.
Tomorrow I’ll die.

Sweet is the wind as it gently blows
the day away and the nighttime comes.
Great are the wonders that silence shows,
I fall asleep and I dream of the sun
and my butterfly.

STICK WITH LOVE – Aaron Manswell*
Text from a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
solos:

Aaron Manswell is a composer of soulful music, painting vivid pictures to contemporary themes using an assorted palette. A native of Toronto, Ontario, his songs have been premiered and recorded across North America by ensembles including the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and Choral Arts Initiative – a Southern California-based choir who featured his song “Stick with Love” on their 2024 album Tapestry of Becoming which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums chart. This song made him the winner of the 2022 Grand Philharmonic Choir Canada-wide Composition Contest and the runner-up for the 2023 American Choral Directors Association Brock Prize for Student Composers. In February 2023, he was a featured artist for the Canadian Opera Company’s Showcase Series, delivering Off-Spring Live: a concert of his works reflective of his simultaneous relationship with Classical, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel music. He is a music producer and keyboardist for multiple award-winning Canadian Pop artists. As a film composer, he has written original scores for films premiered at the Toronto and Montreal Black Film Festivals. As an educator, he is the former Wind Band Conductor at Crawford Adventist Academy, leading the concert bands to top festival prizes and live recordings. Manswell has earned music composition degrees from Oakwood University and the University of Memphis and is currently the composer-in-residence for the MacMillan Singers at the University of Toronto where he is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition.

I have decided to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.
I have realized that hate is just made of some thing related mainly to fear.
Don’t be afraid when you don’t understand.
Search and you’ll find the truth.
Then when you’ve found it, release all your fear to make room for love.
I have decided to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.

THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS – Matt Podd
Text from May Night and There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

This composition was commissioned by the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and features works by the late American lyric poet Sara Teasdale. Movement one serves as a prelude to the more substantial second movement, though either movement could be performed individually, without the other.

The musical setting in the first movement strives to enhance Teasdale’s “over-brimmed” excitement with the newness of springtime, with lush and evocative harmonies. It should be sung with a strong sense of awe and optimism.

The accompaniment in the second movement is meant to evoke the percolating excitement of nature’s awakening, while still embracing the overall tone of Teasdale’s less-than-rosy reflection on Springtime. Both the poem and the piece explore darker themes than might typically be associated with the season of rebirth.

For a piece with themes of war and human annihilation, it is not intended to project a defeatist message. The musical setting uses blurred textures and unusual harmonies as an attempt to enhance the profound beauty in Teasdale’s poignant depiction of humankind’s relative smallness. The piece ultimately celebrates the inevitable and un-grieving return of spring in the wake of human extinction. The percolating accompaniment returns after the piece’s climax to signal the cyclical return of the beauty of springtime despite even the darkest possibilities.

Matt Podd is a pianist, composer, arranger, and music director based in New York City, specializing in jazz, gospel, pop, musical theatre, and choral music. He has worked on stage and behind the scenes as a pianist, arranger, and orchestrator for such world-class acts as Barbra Streisand, Dave Matthews, Reneé Fleming, Joshua Bell, the Boston Pops, New York Pops, Philadelphia Pops, the National Symphony Orchestra, and many other artists, choirs, and orchestras. His arrangements and compositions have been heard across America and throughout the world including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Symphony Hall, PBS, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jazz
at Lincoln Center, the White House, and beyond. Matt works closely with his twin brother Adam Podd on countless musical projects and endeavors, including their band Mimi & the Podd Brothers. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Ithaca College.

The spring is fresh and fearless, And every leaf is new,
The world is brimmed with moonlight, the lilac brimmed with dew.

Here in the moving shadows I catch my breath and sing. My heart is fresh and fearless And over-brimmed with Spring.

There will come soft rains and smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night And wild plum trees in tremulous white.
Robins will wear their feathery fire, Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird, nor tree, If mankind perished utterly;

And spring herself, when she woke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.

LCBI Concert Choir

HE IS MINE (NI WANGU) – Lloyd Larson, arr. Hal Hopson
Swahili Text

A Swahili Song from Kenya set for choir by Lloyd Larson and arranged by Hal Hopson.  The song features Jessica Flath on piano, and Angel Sohdi on Djembe. We will sing this song in English and Swahili. The sopranos and altos each have a verse which comes from Romans chapter 8.

LUX BEATA TRINITUS – Ola Gjeilo

Featuring Suzannie Hofer on piano and Cassidy Ireland on Flute.   The latin text is from a hymn attributed to St. Ambrose.notes

O LUX beata Trinitas,
et principalis Unitas,
iam sol recedit igneus,
infunde lumen cordibus.

O TRINITY of blessed Light,
O Unity of sovereign might,
as now the fiery sun departs,
shed Thou Thy beams within our hearts.

Te mane laudum carmine,
te deprecemur vespere:
te nostra supplex gloria
per cuncta laudet saecula.

To Thee our morning song of praise,
to Thee our evening prayer we raise;
Thee may our glory evermore
in lowly reverence adore.

St. Joseph High School Choir

SONG TITLE – Composer/Arranger
notes

Lyrics

SONG TITLE – Composer/Arranger
notes

Lyrics

SONG TITLE – Composer/Arranger
notes

Lyrics

SONG TITLE – Composer/Arranger
notes

Lyrics

Valley Christian Academy

A FLOWER REMEMBERED – John Rutter

Composed in memory of the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, A Flower Remembered is a poignant and deeply moving work by John Rutter. With a simple yet evocative melody, lush harmonies, and a flowing accompaniment, the piece conveys a sense of sorrow, remembrance, and ultimately, hope. The text speaks of love and loss, reflecting on the beauty of a life that, though fleeting, leaves a lasting impact. Rutter’s signature lyricism and sensitivity shine throughout, making this piece not only a tribute to those lost but also a meditation on resilience, remembrance, and peace.

A flower remembered can never wither
Forever blooming as bright as day
It’s fragrance lingering like music softly playing
A gentle voice that saying
I’ll never fade away

I hear the echoes of many voices
Sometimes they’re distant, sometimes so clear
Through all the sounds of life they seem to whisper
Will you remember?
Will you remember?
Will you remember?

The birds fly homeward across my valley
Toward the mountains all white with snow
The birds are gone now
The mountain snows have melted
But still I see their beauty
These scenes of long ago

The birds still fly in other valleys
The snows have turned to flowing streams
All things must pass, but memories are lasting
We will remember
We will remember
We will remember
We will remember
We will remember

TYGER – Elaine Hagenberg
Text by William Blake

English poet and painter William Blake’s “The Tyger” was published as part of his 1794 collection entitled Songs of Experience. He wrote the poem as a response to “The Lamb” from 1789’s Songs of Innocence. A philosophical man, Blake believed in the contrary nature of humanity and of life – good and evil, meekness and aggression, heaven and hell, innocence and experience. However, he saw these “contraries” as facets of the same truth, rather than opposing forces: The same God as fashioned the Lamb also brought forth the Tyger. 

From Hagenberg: “While contrasting with the lyrical style of my other compositions, Tyger springs from the same source of inspiration: poetry. William Blake’s words leap off the page, and I wanted to create a musical experience that does the same. A tiger is thrilling and suspenseful by nature, reflected in the piece’s unexpected meter changes and articulation. Powerful unison writing in the vocal line allows for active collaboration with the piano, where one can hear pouncing accents and a growling left hand. Capturing the beauty of nature permeates all my work, and that beauty often has a “fearful symmetry” – the serenity of its scenery, and the fierceness of its inhabitants.”

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

BE STILL MY SOUL – Jean Sibelius, arr. C. Rand Matheson

C. Rand Matheson (b. 2003) is a high school senior at St. Michael Albertville High School in St. Michael, MN. At STMA Rand has been very active in the music department and is entering his third year as a member of the renowned STMA Concert Choir, a group known throughout the Midwest for their consistently engaging performances and high quality of musical output. He also serves as the current president of the choir and has been the tenor 2 section leader for the past two years. He currently studies both private voice and composition with Brandon Berger and plans to pursue a degree in music after graduating high school.

The text is by Katharina von Schlegel, and was written in 1752 in German. It was translated to English in 1855 by Jane Borthwick. 

A timeless hymn of comfort and trust, Be Still, My Soul carries a message of peace through life’s trials. Set to a melodic section of the tone poem Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, this arrangement by C. Rand Matheson brings fresh warmth and depth to the classic text. With flowing harmonies and expressive phrasing, the choral setting gently builds, mirroring the soul’s journey from sorrow to hope. The soaring climax reminds us of God’s unfailing presence, leading to a quiet and reassuring conclusion. This arrangement offers both a reflective meditation and a profound expression of faith in God’s steadfast care.

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain. 

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on;
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone.
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. 

Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe an blessed we shall meet at last. 

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side.
Be still, my soul.

MERCY TREE – Michael Neale and Krissy Nordhoff, arr. Joseph M. Martin

Made popular by Lacey Sturm in a notable Billy Graham documentary, this contemporary anthem features a Celtic-style melody that adapts beautifully for choir. The text references Luke 23:The music builds through each verse that retells the narrative of Christ’s crucifixion and subsequent victory. The final chorus, “Death has died, love has won, hallelujah!” is a sublime musical moment celebrating final victory over death and the grave.

Joseph Martin’s arrangement of Mercy Tree masterfully weaves rich harmonies and expressive dynamics to highlight the song’s powerful message of redemption. With its contrasting somber narrative, soaring choruses and stirring text, this piece invites both singers and listeners to reflect on the ultimate triumph of grace.

On a hill called Calvary
There stands an endless mercy tree
Every broken weary soul
Find your rest and be made whole

Stripes of blood that stain its frame
Shed to wash away our shame
From the scars, pure love released
Salvation by the mercy tree

In the sky between two thieves
Hung the blameless prince of peace
Bruised and battered, scarred and scorned
Sacred head pierced by our thorns

“It is finished,” was His cry
The perfect Lamb was crucified
His sacrifice, our victory
Our Savior chose the mercy tree

Hope went dark, that violent day
The whole earth quaked at Loveʼs display
Three days silent in the ground
This body born for heavenʼs crown

But on that bright and glorious day
When heaven opened up the grave
Heʼs alive and risen indeed!
Oh praise Him for The Mercy Tree

CHORUS:
Death has died, Love has won
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Jesus Christ has overcome
He has risen from the dead

One day soon weʼll see His face
And every tear Heʼll wipe away
No more pain or suffering
Oh praise Him for The Mercy Tree

CHORUS (2x)

On a hill called Calvary
There stands an endless mercy tree

INTERVAL (10 minutes)

Combined Choirs

I SING BECAUSE I’M HAPPY – Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932), arr. Kenneth Paden, adapted Rollo Dillworth (b. 1970)
TEXT by Civilla D. Martin (1866-1948)

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.

I’m so happy, yes! I’m so happy, yes I am!
For his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me!

ALL THINGS NEW – Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
TEXT by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879), adapted from Revelations 21:5-6

Elaine Hagenberg’s music “soars with eloquence and ingenuity” (ACDA Choral Journal). Her compositions are performed worldwide and frequently featured at American Choral Directors Association conferences, All-State festivals, Carnegie Hall, and other distinguished international concert halls around the globe.

Light after darkness, gain after loss,
Strength after weakness, crown after cross,
Sweet after bitter, hope after fears,
Home after wand’ring, praise after tears.

Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end
He is making all things new
Springs of living water shall wash away each tear.
He is making all things new.

Sight after mystery, sun after rain,
Joy after sorrow, peace after pain,
Near after distant, gleam after gloom,
Love after loneliness, life after tomb.

Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end
He is making all things new
Springs of living water shall wash away each tear.
He is making all things new.

SERVANTS OF PEACE – K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)
TEXT: James Quinn based on a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226)
Organ: Janet Wilson
Brass:

K. Lee Scott is widely considered one of America’s top composers of church music. His hymns appear in eight hymnals, and he has published more than three hundred compositions. His compositions include anthems, hymns, and works for solo voice, organ, and brass, plus major works including a Christmas Cantata and Te Deum. He has been published by more than a dozen publishers. In 1995, he was commissioned by the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and Choristers Guild to compose a hymn setting for their convention in San Diego. In addition to his compositional success, Scott is internationally known as a teacher, musician, and conductor. He has taught on the music faculties at the University of Alabama School of Music, the Samford University School of Performing Arts, and The the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Music. He is a frequent guest conductor and clinician in the United States, Canada, and internationally.

Servants of Peace is based on the Prayer of St. Francis.  “Where there is hate, may we sow love, where there is hurt, may we forgive, where there is strife, may we make one”.

Lord, make us servants of your peace:
where there is hate, may we sow love;
where there is hurt, may we forgive;
where there is strife, may we make one.

Where all is doubt, may we sow faith;
where all is gloom, may we sow hope;
where all is night, may we sow light;
where all is tears, may we sow joy.

Jesus, our Lord, may we not seek
to be consoled, but to console,
nor look to understanding hearts,
but look for hearts to understand.

May we not look for love’s return,
but seek to love unselfishly.
For in our giving we receive,
and in forgiving are forgiv’n.

Dying, we live, and are reborn
through death’s dark night to endless day.
Lord, make us servants of your peace,
to wake at last in heaven’s light.

KAHKIYAW OSKÂYAK (ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE) – Sherryl Sewepagaham*
Sherryl Sewepagaham is Cree-Dene from the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta. She is a former elementary music teacher and director of two Indigenous children’s choirs. Sherryl was also a 23-year member of the Indigenous women’s trio, ASANI and earned a 2006 Juno nomination and a Canadian Folk Music Award win in 2010. Sherryl is a singer-songwriter and composes songs in Cree for children and choral arrangements for children, youth and adult choirs. Sherryl is a strong advocate for language revitalization through the arts and the preservation and creation of Cree language songs with the traditional hand drum and rattle.

Kahkiyaw Oskâyak (All the Young People) was commissioned by Ottawa’s OrKidstra’s social development program for their end-of-year, virtual celebration in 2019. Kahkiyaw Oskâyak honours the younger generation and blesses and guides our future leaders in their journey as they sing in unity.

Kahkiyaw oskâyak otâh askihk Mamaw nikamowak
All the young people on this earth, sing together!