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Of Love and Loss

This Is Nothing but Thy Love | Patrick Vu
          Aaron Roos, baritone

Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love,
O beloved of my heart,
This golden light dances,
It dances upon the leaves,
These idle clouds sail across the sky,
This passing breeze leaves its coolness upon my forehead,
The morning light has flooded my eyes;
This is thy message to my heart.
Thy face is bent from above,
Thy eyes look down on my eyes,
And my heart has touched thy feet.

Reincarnations | Samuel Barber
     1. Mary Hynes

She is the sky of the sun!
She is the dart of love!
She is the love of my heart!
She is a rune!
She is above the women
of the race of Eve,
as the sun is above the moon!
Lovely and airy
the view from the hill
that looks down from Ballylea!
But no good sight is good,
until you see
the blossom of branches
walking towards you, airily.    

3. The Coolin'

Come with me, under my coat,
and we will drink our fill
of the milk of the white goat,
or wine if it be thy will.
And we will talk,
until talk is a trouble, too,
out on the side of the hill;
And nothing is left to do,
but an eye to look into an eye,
and a hand in a hand to slip;
and a sigh to answer a sigh;
And a lip to find out a lip!
What if the night be black!
And the air
on the mountain chill!
Where all but the fern is still!
Stay with me, under my coat!
and we will drink our fill
of the milk of the white goat,
out on the side of the hill!                                                   

Arise Beloved | Rosephanie Powell
          Alejo Goenaga, conductor

Arise! Arise! Arise, my love!
Arise, beloved, fair one, come away;
For lo, the winter is passed.
Beloved, come away.
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 ‘til it pleases.
As the gazelles and does of the field,
So is my beloved.
Arise, beloved, fair one, come away;
Arise, my love! Arise!

Non è tempo | Marco Cara

Non è tempo d’aspettare
Quando s’ha bonazza e vento
Non è tempo d’aspettare
Quando s’ha bonazza e vento
Che si vede in un momento
Ogni cosa variare
Non è tempo d’aspettare
Quando s’ha bonazza e vento

Now is not the time for waiting
When the weather is fine and breezy
Now is not the time for waiting
When the weather is fine and breezy
When in an instant
Everything can change
Now is not the time for waiting
When the weather is fine and breezy

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 | J.S. Bach  
     Soloists   
          Jake Grafitti, tenor
          Logan Gutierrez, baritone
          Laney Mitchell, soprano
          Karla Kunk, mezzo-soprano
          Zachary Flasch, baritone

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit.
In ihm leben, weben und sind wir, solange
er will.
In ihm sterben wir zur rechten Zeit, wenn er
will.

Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken, daß wir
sterben müssen, auf daß wir klug werden.

Bestelle dein Haus; denn du wirst sterben
und nicht lebendig bleiben!

Es ist der alte Bund: Mensch, du mußt sterben!
Ja, komm, Herr Jesu

Ich hab mein Sach' Gott heimgestellt
Er mach's mit mir wie's ihm gefällt
Soll ich all hier noch länger lebn
Nicht wider strebn
Seim Willn tu ich mich ganz ergebn.

In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist; du
hast mich erlöset, Herr, du getreuer Gott.

Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein.                    

Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin
In Gottes Willen,
Getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn,
Sanft und stille.
Wie Gott mir verheißen hat:
Der Tod ist mein Schlaf worden.

Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit
Sei dir, Gott Vater und Sohn bereit',
Dem Heilgen Geist mit Namen!
Die göttlich Kraft
Mach uns sieghaft
Durch Jesum Christum, Amen.

God's time is the best of all times.
In him we live, move and are, as long as he wills.
In him we die at the appointed time, when he will

Ah, Lord, teach us to consider that we must die,
so that we might become wise

Put your house in order;
for you will die and not remain alive!

It is the ancient law: human, you must die!
Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

I have brought my affairs home to God,
he does with me as it pleases him,
if I should live yet longer here,
I shall not struggle against it;
rather I do his will with total devotion.

Into your hands I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, Lord, faithful God

Today you will be with me in Paradise

With peace and joy I depart
in God's will,
My heart and mind are comforted,
calm, and quiet.
As God had promised me:
death has become my sleep.

Glory, praise, honor, and majesty
be prepared for you, God the Father and the Son,
for the Holy Spirit by name!
The divine power
makes us victorious
through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Bach (Again) Come Sweet Death | J.S. Bach, arr. Sandberg

Come, sweet death!
Come, soothing rest.
Come and lead me homeward.
I am weary of life and longing.
Come, I am waiting for thee,
Come now, and set me free!
My eyes at last are gently closing now.
Come, blessed rest!

In Remembrance | Jeffery Ames
          Phoebe Saboley, horn

Lux aeterna, luceat eis, domine
Let perpetual light shine on them, O Lord                 
Turn to me and be gracious,
For my heart is in distress.
O God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?
My tears linger at night,
But joy comes in the morning light.
Lord, in your infinite mercy,
Grant them rest, rest forever more.

Sweet Rivers | Shawn Kirchner

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 heavenly 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.
O! Come, my Savior, come away, and bear me through the sky,
Nor let thy chariot wheels delay, but quickly draw thou nigh.
Then I shall join the angel throng and circle ‘round thy throne;
I’ll sing through the age song, and joy to be thine own.
 

~~intermission~~
 

My Spirit Sang All Day

Dawn and Dusk (Fajar dan Senja) | Ken Steven (b. 1993)
Text: Vocables by Ken Steven
          Laney Mitchell, soprano

The door | Andrew Maxfield
Text: Poem by Miroslav Holub, translated from Czech by Ian Milner

Go and open the door.
          Maybe outside there’s
          a tree, or a wood,
          a garden,
          or a magic city.

Go and open the door.
          Maybe a dog’s rummaging.
          Maybe you’ll see a face,

or an eye,
or the picture
          of a picture.

Go and open the door:
          If there’s a fog
          it will clear.

Go and open the door.
          Even if there’s only
          the darkness ticking,

          even if there’s only
          the hollow wind,
          even if
                     nothing
                               is there,
go and open the door.

At least
there will be
a draft.

I Will Lift Mine Eyes | Jake Runestad (b. 1986)
Text: Psalm 121

I will lift mine eyes unto the hills.
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of the heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved.
He who keeps you will not slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is they keeper
The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil.
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From this day forth forever more.

My Spirit Sang All Day | Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)
Text: Poem by Robert Bridges
          Kourtney Hill, conductor

My spirit sang all day
O my joy.
Nothing my tongue could say,
Only my joy!

My heart an echo caught
O my joy,
And spake, Tell me thy thought,
Hide not my joy.

My eyes gan peer around,
O my joy -
What beauty hast thou found?
Shew us thy joy.

My jealous ears grew whist;
O my joy -
Music from heaven is’t,
Sent for our joy?

She also came and heard;
O my joy,
What, said she, is this word?
What is thy joy?

And I replied, O see,
O my joy,
‘Tis thee, I cried, ‘tis thee:
Thou art my joy.

They Are Mother | Jennifer Lucy Cook (b. 1988)
Text: Jennifer Lucy Cook
          Kourtney Hill & Aria King, sopranos
          Phoebe Saboley & Annie Swanson, mezzo-sopranos

What shall I call this force I know
Who do I come to when I wonder
The space that holds me when I’m low
More than a parent, friend, or lover

They are Mover
They are Maker
They are Mother, mm
They are Mother, mm

They are the breath I see in cold
The ready muscle in the sprinter
They are the glitter and the gold
The steady heat lamp in the winter

They are Mover
They are Maker
They are Mother, mm
They are Mother, mm

They nod and know
They need nothing
They’re god and grow
They bleed blessings
They nod and know
They need nothing
They’re god and grow
They bleed blessings

They are solitude
They are multitude
They are gratitude
Gratitude

Laugh lines around the all-seeing eye
And I can lean into the sky
Laugh lines around the all-seeing eye
And I can lean into the sky

What shall I call this force I know
Who do I come to when I wonder

They are Mover
They are Maker
They are Mother, mm
They are Mother, mm
They are Mother, mm
They are Mother, mm

A Chain is Broken | Dominick DiOrio (b. 1984)
Text: Poem by Khashayar Tonekaboni (pen name Terry Pinaud)
Sung in Persian and English
          B. Michael Perry, tenor

Gham daaram, Maadar                                                     
Kojayee, Pédar?                                                                                        
Gharibeh-am keh dar                                       
Beyneh gharibeh-haast

I’m sad, Mother
Where are you, Father?
I’m a stranger
Among strangers

Deerooz, baa ham boodeem                      
Deerooz, khandeh                                                                                  
Chehreh-ye Maadar, keh feda kardeh                     
Khaterehi tanha beyneh sedaahaast

Yesterday, we were together
Yesterday, there was laughter
Mother’s countenance and her sacrifice
Are but memories among the voices

Cheh meegooyand?                                                                              
Cheh meeporsand?                          
Beh cheh meekhandand?                                                       
Gom-shodeh injaa tanhaast                                                                     

What are they saying?
What are they asking?
What makes them laugh?
He who is lost is here alone

Do they understand?
A smile and
A nod and
A barrier is crossed

And I see unity
Of ideas, of thoughts that brings
Laughter at laughable things
Together, engendering trust

A new world is at hand
New faces, new expressions
Together in diverse collections
An ocean of love and lust

For freedom stands
Facing me, embracing me
Carrying, chasing me
From maybe to must

Certainty replaces
Trepidation and fear
Friends and lovers are here
Laughing, crying, their faces embossed

With joy, with pain
Still, a chain is broken
And moods are spoken
But with freedom comes a cost

Dear to bear the burden of
Standing on both feet and
Shouting to the world, taking a stand
I am no longer tossed

On the waves of will
Of others.  I’ll speak
For me and mine, no longer meek
And for the globe in whose crust

Is baked the love of all
Sometimes hidden
Some forbidden
But never is Mother thrust

In the dark of hate
For long when all the I’s
Proclaim Earth’s anthem never dies
Singing the stories of each of us.

True Colors | arr. Matthew Brown
Text: Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly
          Ellie Lewis, soprano
          Aaron Roos, conductor

You with the sad eyes,
Don't be discouraged,
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage.

In a world full of people,
You can lose sight of it all,
And the darkness there inside you
Makes you feel so small.

But I see your true colors
Shining through,
I see your true colors,
And that's why I love you.

So don't be afraid to let them show,
Your true colors,
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow.

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy,
Can't remember when
I last saw you laughing.

If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear,
You call me up,
Because you know I'll be there.

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through,
I see your true colors,
And that's why I love you.

So don't be afraid to let them show,
Your true colors,
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow.

Hold On! | Stacey Gibbs (b. 1962)
Text: Traditional Spiritual
          Madelyn Shepherd, soprano

Oh yes.
Keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Nora, Nora, let me come in,
De doors all fastened an’ de winders pinned.
Keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Nora said, “You done los’ yo’ track, well,
You can’t plow straight an’ keep-a lookin’ back.”
Jus’ keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Brothuh, hold on,
Oh sistuh, hold on,
Keep yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

If you wan’ to get to heaven, let me tell you how,
Jus’ keep-a yo’ han’ on de gospel plow.
Keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

If dat plow stays in-a yo’ han’
Lan’ you straight into de Promise’ lan’.
Jus’ keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Mary had a golden chain
An’ every link spelled my Jesus’ name.
Keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Keep on climbin’ an’ don’ you tire
‘Cause every rung goes high’r an’ high’r
Keep-a yo’ han’ on-a de plow,
Hold on, jus’ hold on.

Jus’ hold, jus’ hold,
Brothuh hold, sistuh hold,
Jus’ hold on!

Homeland | text and music by Grace Coberly (b. 1999)

Dear lover, dear friend, see how gentle the night
that warms us from the cold.
When we met, I could swear I had known you before
in a lifetime gentler still.

This is our homeland, our haven in the woods —
familiar shadows, a sky we call our own.
And surely someday, we all will meet again.
In music, we’ll never be alone.

If the night falls too fast, I will seek out the sun
and paint it in the sky.
If the monsters return, I will drive them away
to keep you safe with me.

I will love you until the time I leave you.
But even though the distance grows,
we will never be apart.

This is our homeland, our haven in the woods —
familiar shadows, a sky we call our own.
And surely someday, we all will meet again.

When we’re centuries old and our voices are gone,
we will all come home.

***********************************************

Audience members are reminded to silence electronic devices before the performance.