For the last 9 months, I have been blessed to found and lead a wonderful new semi-professional choral ensemble in the heart of DFW, the MidCities Chamber Singers. What a ride this has been for me, personally, to start an ensemble, go through all the necessary paperwork to create a new 501(c)3 organization, recruit singers, promote and market the group, plan artistic and musical activities, all while doing my full-time role at Riverside and working on my PhD. Yes, I’m a glutton for punishment. But it has been so incredibly rewarding. (If you would like to see some clips of our year, you can subscribe to our YouTube Channel)
A week from this coming Saturday, we will have our Season Finale Concert, entitled “We Sing of Peace.” When I chose this theme several months ago, who could have possibly guessed it would come on the heels of the tragedy in Syria and what seem to be indications of global conflict in Afghanistan, China, and in the Korean Peninsula. While I wouldn’t wish for these conflicts in any way, we have an opportunity to sing into this incredible tumult with incredible music of peace, shalom, the brotherhood of humankind, and love.
We will premiere a brand new piece by our composer-in-residence, Christopher Teichler, of an Emily Dickinson poem, “If I Could Stop One Heart from Breaking.” Her poem reads,
“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.” (Source)
If our music can do just what this poem speaks of, then our work as an ensemble will continue to have a purpose. And this noble purpose, to speak with music into the troubled, peaceless, hurting corners of our world with a language that transcends the barriers that separate us needlessly, is at the heart of what this ensemble is all about.
Among other pieces by Aaron Copland, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Morten Lauridsen, Durufle, Palestrina, and many others, we will sing the incredible poem found inscribed on the wall of a Cologne, Germany Nazi Concentration camp, and beautifully set by Randall Stroope, Inscription of Hope.
“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.
I believe through any trial,
there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering
and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter,
to know someone’s there
But a voice rises within me, saying hold on
my child, I’ll give you strength,
I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.
I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love
even when there’s no one there
But I believe in God
even when he is silent
I believe through any trial
there is always a way.
May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happiness
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace….”
Join us and walk away truly moved and blessed by this wonderful evening of beautiful singing.