WSMA State Honors Concerts

- And now it is my distinct privilege to introduce you to the 2023 WSMA High School State Honors Mixed Choir and their distinguished conductor, Dr. Andrew Last.

[cheers and applause] ["Portones Abiertos y Rostros Brillantes"] - Claro, claro, claro que estoy contento, contento No estuvieras t?

Ah!

Claro que estoy contento Cuando miro a portones abiertos y veo A portones abiertos Y veo un jardn lleno de vida De buena salud Y de sonrisas de rostros brilliantes Enciende mi espritu Nunca, nunca, nunca antes Habia estado, estado tan exitado de estar vivo Y en el resplandor de paz que crece Se que cuando Me entrego al dormir Y el oceano de noche Acnese mis suenos Suenos, suenos Puedo, puedo, puedo estar en solamente Solamente en un estado de ser Ah!

Comple, completamente abierto Abierto, abierto [cheers and applause] - Gosh, it's good to be with you tonight.

I have had such a great time with these incredible, incredible musicians.

And I have been fortunate enough to be able to know them, and get to know them, for the last several months.

We got together in June and made some incredible music.

And they kind of set the bar pretty high at that summer camp.

They worked their tails off.

They were willing to dive in deep into the music that I presented to them.

And I challenged them on two things when they returned.

I said, one, I'd like you to make sure that you return with your music memorized.

Check, and then the other thing is, and I don't know if you've noticed this, but they're not standing in sections.

They're standing quartets, so none of them are standing next to their same part.

And that is a certain level of musicianship right there, especially when it's not an ensemble that you sing with during the normal school year.

So they have done exceptional work in that area.

And I am so glad and happy to share and showcase their talents with you tonight.

You did not come to hear me speak.

You came to hear them sing, so we'll continue our next piece in the program.

The next piece is written by a former high school student of mine, which was fun to kind of share with them, especially since they're at this age.

His name is James Deignan.

And James is a Luther grad, from the school in which I teach.

And so it's been fun to have that connection with him.

And this is a piece that I think James would share with people, as he wrote this piece, that he struggled with some mental health things when he was in high school, and he wanted to write this piece to kind of invite students and to invite the singers to be present in the moment.

What you need is here.

And that's kind of what we hear in this Wendell Berry text.

So "What We Need Is Here."

- Hm, ah, mm Ooh Hm, ah, mm Hm, ah, mm Do do do - Geese appear high over us Pass, and the sky closes Abandon, as in love or sleep, holds them to their way Clear in the ancient faith - What we need is here Geese appear high over us and pass And the sky closes Abandon, as in love or sleep, holds them to their way Clear in the ancient faith What we need is here - And we pray not for new heaven or earth But to be quiet in heart and in eye - And we pray not for new heaven or earth But to be quiet in heart and in eye And we pray not for heaven or earth But to be quiet in heart and in eye And we pray not for heaven or earth But to be quiet in heart and in eye And we pray not for heaven or earth But to be quiet in heart and in eye Clear, clear Clear - What we need is here - Hm, ah, mm Ooh Hm, ah, mm Ooh Hm [cheers and applause] ["Let Their Celestial Concerts All Unite"] Let their celestial concerts all unite Let their celestial concerts all unite Ever to sound His praise, to sound His praise To sound His praise, ever to sound His praise In endless blaze of light To sound His praise To sound His praise In endless blaze of light Let their celestial concerts all unite Let their celestial concerts all unite To sound His praise Ever, ever, ever to sound His praise in endless blaze of light To sound His praise To sound His praise in endless blaze In endless, endless blaze of light Let their celestial concerts all unite Let their celestial concerts all unite Let their celestial concerts all unite In endless blaze of light To sound His praise, to sound His praise In endless blaze of light Let their celestial concerts all unite Let their celestial concerts all unite [vocalizing] To sound His praise In endless blaze of light Ever to sound, to sound His praise In endless blaze of light In endless blaze of light Let their celestial concerts all unite Ever to sound, to sound His praise In endless blaze of light In endless blaze of light Let their celestial concerts all unite Ever to sound His praise In endless blaze Of light ["KwaMashu"] Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Tiwiwi wiwi Tiwiwi Tiwi Tiwiwi wiwi Tiwiwi Tiwi Tiwiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwi Tiwi Tiwiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwi Tiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Tiwiwiwiwi Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Wen' usebenza KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu maye Kusethe kwinima KwaMashu KwaMashu ["Arise, Beloved"] Arise Arise Arise, arise Arise, arise My love Arise, beloved, fair one, come away Arise, beloved, fair one, come away For lo, the winter is past Beloved, come away Arise, arise Beloved, come away Arise, arise Arise, beloved, fair one, come away Arise, beloved, fair one, come away For lo, the winter is past Beloved, come away Arise, arise Beloved, come away Arise, arise Come, the rain has gone, the flowers appear The birds are singing Come, your hand in mine We'll taste of the grapevines And hear the turtle doves Their voices sing of joy and love Hush, do not awaken, love Do not arouse till it pleases As the gazelles and does of the fields So is my beloved Arise Arise Arise, arise Arise Arise, arise Arise Arise, arise Arise, beloved, fair one, come away Arise, my love Arise, beloved, fair one, come away Arise, my love Arise, my love Arise, my love Arise, my love Arise, my love Arise, arise Arise, arise, arise, arise Arise ["Where Riches Is Everlastingly"] [vocalizing] Into this world this day did come Jesus Christ, both God and man Lord and servant in one person Born of the blessed Virgin Mary I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity [vocalizing] He that was rich without a need Appeared in this world in right poor weed To make us that were poor indeed Rich without any need truly I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity [vocalizing] A stable was his chamber, a crib was his bed He had not a pillow under his head With maiden's milk that babe was fed In poor clothes was wrapped the Lord Almighty I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity A noble lesson here is taught To set all worldly riches at naught I pray that we may be thither brought Where riches is everlastingly I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity I pray you be merry and sing with me in worship Of Christ's nativity [applause] This next piece in the program is entitled "Love: Then and Still."

And it's written by a Missouri composer named Susan LaBarr, and those of you who have a little bit of background in choral music, you may recognize the lyricist's name on it, Charles Silvestri.

And choral directors may recognize that name, as Charles has oftentimes collaborated with Eric Whitacre on many, many pieces that he's written.

But this piece is a much more personal kind of reflection of Charles.

Charles lost his wife several years ago and wanted to write a piece of poetry, that then Susan set to text.

And Susan sets this beautifully.

It really programmatically kind of tells the story about their wonderful, happy family that they had, at the start of the piece, until hearing that something was not quite right in the middle.

And then, as we all have to do when we lose someone that we are close to or we love, we have to figure out how life continues.

And Susan writes so beautifully, and sets this text so beautifully, in ways that you may not even understand when you hear it.

But there's a moment in which Susan writes about the family of four becoming a family of three.

And on that moment, the melody line ends not on the tonic, or the root, or the first-scale degree, but she ends the melody intentionally on the third-scale degree to kind of highlight that moment that now it becomes a family of three.

So really listen to the text, and if you can-- I'm not sure if the text is in the program or not, but if it is, follow along as we sing "Love: Then and Still."

- We were married in late September Among the changing leaves Crimson banners in the courtyard Heralding our union We were so happy then The music we shared brought us together Brought us together A duet most unlikely Work and home and son and daughter Busy in joy and love How simple it seemed then But who could have known What fate awaited, awaited Our little family of four?

A spectre came And dwelt among us And robbed us of our joy And then we were only three But time has passed and wounds have healed Leaving scars behind But scars remind us, remind us Of what was and what yet may be That we loved, that we loved, that we loved That we loved, that we loved, that we loved That we loved, that we loved, that we loved That we loved And love you still [applause] - Just a quick thank you-- a public thank you-- to our wonderful section leaders that you were introduced to earlier, and especially our collaborative pianist for the week, Kira.

Would you help me give Kira a round of applause?

[cheers and applause] I hope all of you parents, grandparents, friends, family of these young singers know I would be honored to work with them any time-- any time--again.

And I work at a college.

And if any of you need a place to kind of land in the next four years, I know a guy that probably can get you a scholarship.

So see me afterwards, and I'd love to be able to talk with you and maybe snag your sons and daughters for the next four years of their singing experience.

We're gonna close tonight with a piece by Shawn Kirchner, who is an Iowa native, who now is composer-in-residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

And this is his setting of "Sweet Rivers."

[bright piano music] - Sweet rivers of redeeming love Lie just before mine eyes Had I the pinions of a dove I'd to those rivers fly I'd rise superior to my pain With joy outstrip the wind I'd cross o'er Jordan's stormy waves And leave the world behind A few more days, or years at most My troubles will be o'er I hope to join the heav'nly host on Canaan's happy shore My rapt'rous soul shall drink and feast In love's unbounded sea The glorious hope of endless rest Is ravishing to me Oh, come, my Savior, come away And bear me through the sky So quickly draw thou nigh Then I shall join the angel throng And circle round thy throne I'll sing through all the ages long And joy to be thine own Joy to be thine own Joy to be thine own Joy to be thine own Joy to be thine own Joy to be thine own To be thine own Sweet rivers of redeeming love Lie just before mine eyes Had I the pinions of a dove I'd to those rivers fly I'd rise superior to my pain With joy outstrip the wind I'd cross o'er Jordan's stormy waves And leave the world behind I'd cross o'er Jordan's stormy waves And leave the world behind Leave the world behind Sweet rivers of redeeming love Sweet rivers of redeeming love Sweet rivers of redeeming love Lie just before mine eyes [cheers and applause]