Volaré & Collegiate Chorale

Program

Volaré
Dr. Emily Pence Brown, conductor
Heather Goldman, pianist
Aaron Roos, graduate assistant

Creature Comforts

I. Twilight

Evening Rise | Native American Traditional, arr. Emily Pence Brown

Evening rise, spirit come, sun goes down when the day is done.
Mother Earth awakens me with a heartbeat of the sea.

Sleeping Heart | Troy Robertson (b. 1978)

Sleeping heart, the kingdom of a thousand years is yet a dream.
How long will some vain illusion hold you in its thrall?
Some would say this and no other, this world must be your all.
Still, there is a place, a place of refuge: Sleeping heart, sleeping heart.
If the child will not see reason, must we reason forsake?
If reason fails one thousand times, still love will take its place!
Sleeping heart.

The Embers Tell | Mattea Williams (b. 1997)

Once upon a time in a land so far away,
there was a young lass who stood in the tall grass
and not so far away stood a noblewoman.
“Darling little one, have you lost your way?”
She said, “I’ve lost my way home and I’m all alone.”
Said the girl to the noblewoman.
So the noblewoman hands the girl a stone
and points her way home. And with that, the old
noblewoman left. But the girl was
unimpressed and holding the stone she
laughed and said “What makes you so
noble? I’d like to know. What could I possibly need
with a stone?” Yet the stone she kept, though its value was
unclear to her and she set foot home.
The path, lined with a wooden fence,
was easy to follow but it was long and seemed never
ending. Once illuminated by the Blaze of sunlight.
As the day turned to deep, dark, night.
Now in the deep, dark, night,
all alone and filled with fright
the girl was unsure how to make it home.
Her fright became rage and with her hand she
peered through angry tears and cast away the stone.
The stone set off a spark and set fire to
the fence, lighting her entire
way home. Now knowing the
woman had given her flint,
She wished to retrieve the stone.
But she knew it was gone, and so she
carried on While the stone was
eroding away.

II. Creatures

Dolly Waits | Ryan Main (b. 1974)
Abigail Blank, soloist

Dolly’s silent. Dolly stares. Dolly listens. Dolly knows.
Dolly trips you on the stairs Dolly holds her frozen pose.
Dolly’s deadpan. Dolly’s cold. Dolly’s dusty. Dolly’s wax.
Dolly has no heart of gold. Dolly covers up her tracks.
Dolly’s antique. Dolly’s wise. Dolly’s hateful. Dolly’s mad.
Dolly opens her glass eyes, Dolly wants to hurt you …

Hexenlied (witch’s song) | Mendelsohn (1809-1847)

German (Original)
Die Schwalbe fliegt, der Frühling siegt,
und spendet uns Blumen zum Kranze!
Bald huschen wir leis' aus der Thür,
und fliegen zum prächtigen Tanze!
Ein schwarzer Bock,
Ein Hexenstock,
Der Ofenstab, die Rocken,
Sie schnappen uns flink
Wie Blitz und Wind Durch Brausewind zum Brocken! 

Um Beelzebub
Tanzt unsre Trupp',
Und küsset ihm die Klauen!
Ein Schwarm voll Geister
Ergreift unsre Arme,
Schwingt in dem Tanz Fackeln!

Und Beelzebub
Verspricht der Trupp'
Der Tänzerin Geschenk nach Geschenke:
Sie werden schön
In Seide geh'n,
Und scharren Töpfe voller Gold!

Ein feurig Drachen
Fliegt um die Dächer
Und bringt uns Butter und Eier;
Die Nachbarn sehen
Die Funken wehen
Und kreuzen sich fürchtend vom Feuer.

Die Schwalbe fliegt, der Frühling siegt,
[Die Blumen wetteifern an Blüh'n.]
Bald huschen wir leis' aus der Thür,
[Und lassen die Männer im Bette.]
Tally-ho zur prächtigen Tanz!

English Translation
Swallows are flying, Spring's triumphant,
Dispensing flowers for wreaths!
Soon we'll flit
Quietly outside,
And fly to the splendid dance!
A black goat,
A broomstick,
The furnace rake, the distaff,
Whisk us on our way,
Like lightning and wind, Through whistling gales to the Brocken! 

Our coven dances
Round Beelzebub
And kisses his claw-like hands!
A ghostly throng
Seizes our arms,
Waving firebrands as they dance!

Fair Weather Friend | Jennifer Lucy Cook (n.d.)
(Regional Premiere, ACDA commission)

You’re my fair-weather, fair-weather Fair-weather friend
When the wind was at my back And my ship came in
And we shared champagne And you wore my win
Those days, without a cloud But I can’t rely on you anymore
I remember, Remember, My fair-weather friend?
Then I stumbled in the spotlight And the Moon squared Mars And my wager lost,
So the sweetness sours My arm reached out for you
And only found the air Not my last breath or “till death,”
My fair-weather friend No, you’ll fare better -- where else?
With a fair-weather friend ‘Cause I trusted you in the summer
And I leaned on you in the spring
But when winter came You grew distant, cold I will never be, ever,
A fair-weather friend I’ll be there whether sunshine Or grey, bitter end
I’m no fair-weather, fair-weather, Fair-weather friend

III. Comfort

IV. Sunrise (Lauds) from Four Sacred Songs For The Night | Houston Bright (1916-1970)

The rising sun appears in gladsome light, and now the sweet new day dispels the night. Alleluia.
And all the world is robed in molten gold, which warms the earth and drives away the cold. Alleluia.
The hand of God hath wrought another day, and decked in the virgin morn in colors gay, Alleluia.
As leaf and flow’r revive in morning dew, so faith and hope and courage spring anew, Alleluia.
Then let us all rejoice and sing His praise who fashions all our nights and all our days. Alleluia.

Singkap Siaga | Tracy Wong (n.d.)
Louiya Anthony and Rue Stammen, soloists 

Singkap = to open, to reveal, quick change
Siaga = ever ready

By Night | Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
Aaron Roos, conductor

Deep in the tarn the mountain A mighty phantom gleamed,
She leaned out into the midnight, And the summer wind went by,
The scent of the rose on its silken wing And a song its sigh.
And, in depths below, the waters Answered some mystic height,
As a star stooped out of the depths above
With its lance of light.
And she thought, in the dark and the fragrance,
How vast was the wonder wrought If the sweet world
were but the beauty born In its Maker’s thought.
                                           - Harriet Prescott Spofford

~~~intermission~~~

Collegiate Chorale
Dr. Richard Schnipke, conductor
Heather Goldman, pianist
Grayson Abend, graduate assistant

Home, Healing, Hands

Home

Bonk’ Abaphandle | arr. Michael Barrett & Mbuso Ndlovu
Charles Ligus, percussion

Text
Bonk' abaphandle babizeni
Bonk' abaphandle bangene phakathi
Yiyo lendlela ivuliwe
Yiyo lendlela bangene phakathi

Translation
All those (that are) outside, call them in
All those (that are) outside, come inside
We have made a passage (for them), let them in
We have made passage (for them), come inside

The Blessing of Belonging | Paul Mealor
Ricky Jurski, clarinet
Aaron Roos, conductor

Text
When they ask you where you come from
there are things that you can say,
that will serve you for an answer
that will send them on their way.
You can give the easy story
that courtesy demands,
but you keep the truth for someone
who really understands.

Refrain
That it’s halfway to the mountain
and it’s halfway to the plain;
it’s halfway to everywhere
and halfway back again
Ie mae’n hanner ffordd I’r mynyrdd
As mae’n hanner ffordd I’r ddôl,
Mae’n hanner ffordd I bobman
a hanner ffordd yn ôl.
[Translation]
That it’s halfway to the mountain
and it’s halfway to the plain;
it’s halfway to everywhere
and halfway back again

There’s a special kind of freedom
when you know what can’t be named,
when you live without a label,              
when your truth will not be tamed,
when you will not tell a secret
even though you know you could,
for you know the strength of silence
when the border’s in your blood
               Refrain

It’s a love no cause can capture,
a belief no creed can claim.
It’s the blessing of belonging
that is deeper than a name.
So if they ever ask you
you know what you can say:
when you’re halfway from everywhere
home’s never far away.
               Refrain                

Papuri | Ily Matthew Maniano
Audrey Martin and Grayson Abend, soloists
Morgan Thompson and Charles Ligus, percussion

Text
Papuri sa Diyos
Papuri sa Diyos as kaitaasan
At sa lupa’y kapayapaan
Sa mga taong kinalulugdan nitya
Pinupuri Ka namin, dinarangal Ka naming,
Sinasamba Ka namin, ipinagbubunyi Ka naming
Dahil sa dakila mong angking kapurihan

Translation
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord in the highest
And may peace reign in Earth
Through His favored people
We praise You, we glorify You
We worship You, we honor You,
Because of you are great and worthy of praise

Healing

Laetentur coeli | William Byrd

Text
Laetentur coeli, et exultet terra.
Jubilate montes laudem,
quia Dominus noster veniet, et pauperum suorum miserebitur.
Orietur in diebus tuis justitia et abundantia pacis.
Et pauperum suorum miserebitur.

Translation
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.
Let the mountains be joyful with praise,
because our Lord will come, and will show mercy to his poor.

In your days, justice and abundance of peace shall arise.
And will show mercy to his poor.

The Caged Bird Sings for Freedom | Joel Thompson
Annie Swanson, soloist
Ricky Jurski, clarinet

Text
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet and tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings for freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings for freedom.
            ~Maya Angelou, “Caged Bird”
               from Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing

Hands

she took his hands | Nicholas Cline
Rue Stammen, soloist

Text
she took his hands
she said to him
have faith
I will be fine
I will be with you soon
          ~Emma Lozano, adapt. Nicholas Cline

Hands | Jocelyn Hagen
Isabella Olzak and Aaron Roos, soloists