PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts

Good evening. My name is Teresa Schroepfer, and I'm a retired choir director from Ashwaubenon High School in Green Bay. As chair of the Wisconsin School Music Association High School State Honors Music Project, it is my honor to welcome you to this first-ever virtual performance of the 52nd WSMA High School State Honors Ensembles. Tonight, we will feature all five High School State Honors Ensembles in virtual performance. Each group will present a select piece or pieces from their programmed honors repertoire. The recordings of the virtual performances and tonight's compilation video will be posted on both the WSMA and PBS Wisconsin websites next week. And now, it is my pleasure to introduce Laurie Fellenz, executive director of WSMA to welcome you on behalf of the association. Good evening. My name is Laurie Fellenz, and as the executive director of the Wisconsin School Music Association and Wisconsin Foundation for School Music, I'd like to welcome you to the first-ever virtual performance of the 52nd WSMA High School State Honors Ensembles. The year 2020 has been like no other in the history of our association, our state, our country, or our world. Since March, we've experienced rapid changes in Wisconsin's educational landscape and in our service to schools and students. We've also worked hard to adjust to these changes through responsive action. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, our beacon has been our youth. Although where they experience learning may currently look vastly different than usual, the fundamental need for a quality music education as part of a well-rounded school experience has never changed. WSMA has found a way through this all to still offer a virtual solo festival in spring 2020 that included support for students who had not yet completed their own district festival experience and a state solo festival, which collectively served over 5,000 students. As we considered the scenarios for the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project, canceling was not an option. Rather, we've continually asked the question, "What is still possible and what would be of value for our students?" As you will see tonight, the High School State Honors Project team, led by Victoria Donahue, WSMA Program Director, Teresa Schroepfer, High School Honors Project Chair, their incredible administrative team, and our exceptional honors coaches and conductors. There was so much that was still possible, and there were new experiences unique to this year's format that provided students with a rich opportunity to learn, connect, and achieve. Their creativity and focus was unparalleled, and on behalf of myself and our board of directors, I extend the deepest gratitude to the entire staff of the High School State Honors Music Project. There's another group of people I'd also like to thank, and that's our WSMA staff, who've worked tirelessly since March to ensure our programs are still viable. We've had to invent new systems and structures to support these programs as well as others, and their dedication to the work of WSMA has been monumental. Finally, I'd like to share with you a message about the unsung heroes connected to our association. The Wisconsin Foundation for School Music, its donors, and their work on the WSMA State Honors Music Project endowment. This endowment has helped keep tuition as low as possible despite rising costs to WSMA. Thank you to all the donors who've contributed toward the Honors endowment and helped sustain and perpetuate the State Honors Music Project. Tonight, we invite everyone who is able to consider a donation to the endowment. For more information on this effort, please visit your program. Thank you for joining us for this unprecedented event and enjoy the performances. Thank you, Laurie. The purpose of the High School State Honors Music Project is to acknowledge and bring together some of Wisconsin's finest high school musicians for an incredible musical experience working with accomplished peers, outstanding coaches, and distinguished conductors. For more information, please refer to the digital program. A link is provided in the comment section of this video and on our website. The High School State Honors virtual camps this past summer were certainly unique, and we believe successful due to advanced planning, a high degree of cooperation, and a coordinated effort by all. This evening, you will hear the results of the effort put forth by the students, coaches, and conductors. However, we all know that there are many more stakeholders in this project. First, we would like to thank the parents and guardians of the Honors Ensemble members for supporting their children in all of their musical endeavors and for supporting the music program in their school district. Due to the pandemic this year, this support has required an especially heroic effort on the part of families that has not gone unnoted. This concert is your accomplishment as well. Please accept our acknowledgement. We would also like to acknowledge the past and present music teachers of our State Honors students. Thank you for your inspiration, patience, guidance, and expertise in molding these fine student musicians, even under extraordinary circumstances. This concert is your accomplishment as well. The performances you are about to experience are the product of three years and hundreds of hours of work. The driving force behind this project is the administrative team. This team is responsible for the organizational work behind all five High School State Honors ensembles. Joining me on the administrative team are the chair-elect of the Honors Project, Sarah Hafenstein, orchestra director at Watertown High School. Operations Director Tim Kozlovsky, band director at Pulaski Community Middle School. And head of the administrative team, Victoria Donahue, WSMA Program Director and High School Honors Music Project Coordinator. The ensemble coordinators, section coaches, and accompanists have played a vital role in the success of tonight's virtual concert. These 29 music educators were selected for the State Honors Music Project based on their reputation for excellence in music education. They generously volunteer their time and talents to this project so that these young musicians will have the best experience possible. A listing of Honors staff can be found in the program on page 34. We thank and commend them for their flexibility, creativity, and determination. Finally, it is my distinct privilege to introduce the 2020 WSMA High School State Honors conductors for tonight's program. In performance order,

they are

Thomas Dickey, Axel Theimer, Michael Dease, Lauren Fowler-Calisto, and Pamela Bustos. To learn more about the 2020 State Honors conductors, please refer to pages 6 and 7 in the program. And now, the premiere of the 2020 State High School Honors Music Project virtual performances.

Thomas Dickey

So Emma Lou Diemer's "Festival Overture" was actually written nearly 60 years ago for an all-state orchestra, essentially, in Virginia. And it was really quite popular, well-received at the time, but then it really quickly fell out of favor amongst in orchestras, and consequently, it was never recorded. And so this is essentially the first recording project of Emma Lou Diemer's "Festival Overture." She's a living woman composer. This piece was written 60 years ago. And we are giving the first recorded performance.

"Festival Overture" by Emma Lou Diemer

sprightly string and woodwind music

Thomas Dickey

"Festival Overture" by Emma Lou Diemer

Thomas Dickey

gentle flute solo

Thomas Dickey

"Festival Overture" by Emma Lou Diemer

Thomas Dickey

rousing ending

Axel Theimer

Well, if you would have had the opportunity to be part of the Zoom meetings that we had with the composers, it was phenomenal the way they acted and reacted with the students, and also the engagement of the students with their own questions and their own comments, especially the opportunity with Jim Papoulis, who engaged all of us in writing a composition together. And asking them about their feelings, about their ideas about the key, about the mood and so on, I think, and as different as the three composers were, it was also amazing to see their similarities, how they approach composing, and how they are affected by the text and by their own emotional response to the meaning of the words.

"Justice" by WSMA High School State Honors Treble Choir with Jim Papoulis

dramatic piano music

Axel Theimer

History is calling us Loneliness is finding us I will not be silent As we hear the cries When I hear hands up When I hear I can't breathe I will not be silent anymore I will rise, I will stand I will lift my voice For justice is calling me Freedom will lead us to unity We won't stop 'til we all find Justice is calling me Freedom will lead us to unity We won't stop 'til we all find justice

"I Arise Today" by Matthew Emery

gentle piano music

Axel Theimer

I arise today Through the strength of heaven The light of the sun The radiance of the moon

violin solo

Axel Theimer

The splendor of fire The speed of lightning The swiftness of the wind

gentle violin and piano music

Axel Theimer

I arise today I arise today I arise today I arise today Through the strength of heaven (I arise today) The light of the sun (I arise today) The radiance of the moon

gentle violin and piano music

Axel Theimer

I arise today The depth of the sea The stability of the earth The firmness of the rock I arise today I arise today I arise today I arise today I arise today Through the strength of heaven (I arise today) The light of the sun (I arise today) The radiance of the moon (The radiance) (I arise) Through the strength of heaven I arise today (The light of the sun) I arise today (The splendor of fire) The speed of lightning (The light of the sun) The radiance of the moon I arise today I arise today I arise today I arise today (I arise) Today In every heart there is a place A place that shows us who we are In every heart there is a place That finally I can see In every heart there is a place A place that shows us who we are In every heart there is a place That finally I can see If I hear my heart I will know it's true If I listen when it calls In every heart there is a place That finally I can see Look around and you will see it You will see that you will find it (Look around) The time has come for you to see We are the voices and we will be heard Finding a voice that will free us We are the voices and we will be heard As we finally see Who we are (Who we are) (Who we are) Only what we feel What we feel There is only one way we can be And that is standing up For who we are inside We stand up tall So we can feel the unity of who we are inside (Of who we are inside) We stand up tall So we can feel the unity of who we are inside (Of who we are inside) There is only one way we can be And that is standing up for who we are inside I know who I am I am breathing the fire of my soul (Who we are) I am breathing who I am inside (I know who I am) I am breathing the fire of my soul I can feel the fire in my soul I can feel the fire in my soul I can feel the fire in my soul I can feel the fire in my soul I can feel the fire Look around and you will see it (You will see) Look around and you will find it (Look around) The time has come for you to see We are the voices and we will be heard Finding a voice that will free us We are the voices and we will be heard As we finally see now We are the voices who will be heard finally We are now the voices We are now the voices We are voices finding out That we have what we need right in our hearts Now is the time to believe (Hearts) We are heard

Michael Dease

So in virtual learning, through online platforms, we often think about the challenges. There's not the in-person vibe and ambience. You don't get to hear a natural, authentic-type sound, but there's a lot of benefits too. We don't talk about those as much, and I think we should. One of them is that the online platforms let us share content immediately. So you can hear what's on the computer; you don't have to wait. If a playlist is made, everything is coming right at the student right away and you're immediately immersed in the art. And that's something that, as we did our master classes, we could play, we could share video, we could share audio, we could write comments, everybody's notes were immediately transferred to each other, so in those ways, the information is starting to be at your fingertips, literally. Whenever you want, however you want, you can replay it, you can record your classes, and in this way I think online learning is special and unique in a way that is very beneficial to us all.

"Three Blind Mice" by Sara Jacovino

lively jazz music

Michael Dease

trumpet solo

"Three Blind Mice" by Sara Jacovino

trombone solo

Michael Dease

"Three Blind Mice" by Sara Jacovino

blaring ending

"Groove's Grove" by Steve Davis

swanky jazz music

Michael Dease

saxophone solo

trombone solo

saxophone solo

trombone solo

saxophone solo

saxophone solo

trumpet solo

bass solo

Michael Dease

"Groove's Grove" by Steve Davis

ending note

Lauren Fowler-Calisto

I think what surprised me the most is that we were able to find this really common, strong bond. We had been so hungry for creating choral music in an ensemble environment ever since the COVID shutdown that we didn't realize how much we needed each other as musicians and as human beings. And I think for that reason it really created an extraordinarily strong bond

between us

the staff, the students, and myself. I think that even I was surprised by how closely we all related and how much we were able to find each other in this really beautiful space, and I'm not quite sure how that happened. I think it was a combination of working with three very different composers and having them talk with us so that we were able to dive so much deeper into the text than we would in a normal choral environment. And I think it was also the fact that Jake Runestad, the composer of "We Can Mend the Sky" was able to work with us and find this beautiful space where we were talking about the reason that he created this particular composition and talking about the plight of refugees in America and the words, and through this diving deep into the text, we all were able to find a way to connect that I didn't think any of us were aware of and that we had really been missing while we were in lockdown. And frankly, by the time that we were done with the last run-through of "We Can Mend the Sky," we could actually hear each other sing even though none of us could hear each other sing. It was so beautiful, and I don't think I'll ever forget, at the very end when we finished "We Can Mend the Sky," and everybody in the choir just lifted up their hands and did a beautiful heart. And I had to turn off my camera for a minute because it just made me so emotional. As I'm getting right now, so it was pretty amazing.

"Dlamn" by David Mooney

percussion

between us

O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn a' tsleibhe (O thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn a tlayve) Dlamn farraige, dlamn farraige (Thulamawn farrige, thulamawn farrige) Dlamn, dlamn, dlamn, dlamn (Thulamawn, thulamawn, thulamawn, thulamawn) O dlamn na farraige is dlamn a' didigh (thulamawn na farrige iss thulamawn a jethy) dlamn farraige dlamn farraige dlamn dlamn dlamn dlamn O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) O chuir m scala chuici go gceaninn cor d (O kur may shkayla hicky go gyanownn keer thee) 'S 'n scal a chuir chugham go raibh a ceann cortha (Shane Skayle a kur she hugum go row a kyaun keer ha) O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) La la la la la (Ah) La la la la la (Ah) La la la la la (Ah) La la la la la (Ah) 0 chuir m scala chuici go gceaninn bd d (O kur may shkayla hicky go gyan owinn keer thee) 'S 'n scal a chuir s chugham nach sufeadh s 'gceann rmha (Shane skayle a kur she hug um go row a kyaun keer ha) O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) Ah

descending

between us

Ah 0 chuir m scala chuici go gceaninn long d (O kur may shkayla hicky go gyanowinn lung thee) 'S 'n scal a chuir s chugham nach rachadh s i gcontirt (Shane shkale a kur she hugum knock rocka she i gunthoorch) O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) Ta ceann bu ir ar a' diamn Gaelach (Thaw keown bwee ore err a thulamawn Gayluck) T dh chluais mhaol' ar a' dlamn Maorach (Thaw gaw kloosh wail err a thulamawn Mwayrock) O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) La la la la (Ah la la la la la) La la la la (Ah la la la la la) La la la la (Ah la la la la la) La la la la (Ah la la la la la) Ta brga bretha dubha ar a' dlaman Gaelach (Thaw brogabraha thooha err a thulamawn Gayluck) Ta bairad agus tris ar a' dlamn Gaelach (Thaw baraytheawgus throosh err a thulamawn Gayluck) O dlamn na binne bui, dlamn Gaelach (Thulamawn na binya bwee, thulamawn Gayluck) Dlamn farraige, bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn! (Thulamawn farrige, bar a vee in Airinn!) Aw

descending

between us

aw La la la la la la la la la la la La la la la la la la la la la la La la la la la la la la la la la la la la La la la la la (Ah) La la la la la la la la la la la

"Ego sum panis vivus" by Blaz Strmole

between us

Ego sum panis vivus qui de caelo di descendi (qui de caelo di descendi) descendi (descendi) descendi (descendi) descendi (descendi) Si quis mandu caverit si quis mandu caverit si quis mandu caverit ex hoc pane Vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet vivet Ego sum panis vivus vivus (Ego sum panis vivus) vivet vivet (Ego sum panis vivus) vivet vivet (vivus) vivet vivet in aeternum (in aeternum) vivet vivet vivet vivet (vivet vivet) vivet vivet (vivet vivet) vivet (in aeternum) in aeternum (in aeternum) Amen (amen) Amen (amen)

silence

"Mend the Sky" by Jake Runestad

between us

In my dream I saw A world free of Violence hunger suffering A world filled with love Now awake this world I beg, let my dream come true

guttural chanting in Somali

between us

Soo baxa (Let's go) Naftu orod bay kugu aamintaa (To save your life, run with all your might) If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky Oo Oo If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky Oo If we come together Come together Oo We can mend We can mend Oo A crack in the sky Oo If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky Oo If we come together Come together

percussion

between us

We can mend We can mend

tempo and volume accelerating

between us

If we come together We can mend We can mend A crack in the sky (If we come together) We can mend a crack in the sky If we come together We can mend A crack in the sky If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky (improvised groove)

vocalizing

between us

If we come together Come together If we come together A crack in the sky (If we come together) If we come together We can mend a crack in the sky If we come together We can mend A crack in the sky If we come together O We can mend O A crack in the... Sky

Pamela Bustos

One of the things that I've done as a music educator from my beginnings of middle school band director, I always commissioned a lot of pieces. This piece wasn't commissioned by us but I've worked with this composer. But I also realized that my students needed to see the world beyond their communities and this piece allows them to engage with folk songs of another country and what those mean to that culture that they can take back to their own communities and begin to maybe think about the opportunities that lie for them to learn so much about humanity through music in from countries that they've never maybe even heard of.

"Suite No. 2 for Band Mvts 3 & 4" Victoriano Valencia Rincon

Pamela Bustos

finale notes

Pamela Bustos

Thank you for allowing your child to be part of this experience. Even though, again, we did not have the opportunity to have the shared room experience but it really shows again the importance of music in our lives and having the opportunity to experience music together, explore music together, and explore different ways how we can respond to it and allow ourselves to respond to it and therefore, be forever changed because we had the experiences. So, thank you. I would share my most sincere and heartfelt thanks. It was-- not to be cliche, but-- a wonderfully special opportunity. The connections that-- Even though we were miles apart, we made some really genuine connections. We laughed. I almost cried several times. And we got to make great music-- all in just a couple of days. I know it's an experience that I'm going to take with me throughout my career for the rest of my days, and I hope that the parents will, as well. I hope that the parents are aware of how music plays into their children's development an appreciation and that they have these opportunities to grow beyond their school music programs and to see where they are amongst their colleagues. Parents are so important to students' lives, and not just in music, but I'm going to talk about music right now because music is so important to all of us. I know for a fact that all of our ensemble directors and coaches and staff feel the same way. And it really begins at home. Students need help. They need guidance. They need support. They need financial support. They need mentorship and guidance. They need private lessons. They need good instruments. They need to go to band trips. They need to make recordings. They need to read music. They need to have a practice space. And they can't have any of that without support, mentorship, and guidance at home. That's where the parents come in. So, parents, we love you, we thank you. We're grateful for you on behalf of our students, and our students and your children are, too. I think the most important thought that I want to impart to our students, their incredible parents, and our staff, is thank you. I'm just not sure any of us envisioned even a year ago that we would be in this kind of space where we would not be able to make music as a composite whole but instead using technology from all of our different individual spaces. I'm not quite sure if anybody understood how difficult a process this would be. But through that difficulty, we would come together in such a beautiful and amazing way. And so, we have all grown incredibly throughout this progress, but the process itself would not have happened without the support of those parents and students and staff who worked from their homes diligently. Many of them while still on summer vacation, out on campsites to make this work for all of us. And I think you'll be just as pleased as I am with the final product. But what's most important is that we came together in passion and love to create beautiful music. Even though we were still separate, we were still one.