Songs from extraordinary times

By Joseph To, Artistic Director, Magnolia Chorale

---

​As we celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed, our spring concert repertoire has a lot to say—and it says it honestly and from the heart through voices shaped by history, culture, struggle, and enduring hope. Although the pieces in our May 2 and 3 concerts—themed "Lift Every Voice and Sing"—come from many continents and generations, they tell similar stories of human longing for justice and peace.

Some of the works are rooted deeply in cultural memory and identity. In “yôtin” (The Wind) Sherryl Sewepagaham celebrates the wind in Woodland Cree language. In Cree tradition, the wind carries prayers to the Creator, and this piece moves like the wind itself—sometimes soft, sometimes fierce. Writing in Cree is part of Sewepagaham’s own journey of reclaiming her language and culture. Similarly, “Ana Tupa Tu” (Moonlight), arranged by Saunder Choi from a song by Bunun composer Biung Wang, reflects the Bunun people’s connection to their ancestors. The moon becomes a quiet companion—a source of comfort, guidance, and continuity across generations.

Other parts of the repertoire invite us to slow down and reflect. “Sweet Rivers,” arranged by Reginald Unterseher, is based on an old shape‑note hymn and uses flowing water as a symbol of rest, release, and peace beyond suffering. Bob Chilcott’s choral arrangement of “MLK”, originally written by the Irish band U2 in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. feels almost like a lullaby—tender, meditative, and full of longing for peace.
​
Some of the music expresses the painful reality of struggling to survive. “¡Ayúdame!” (“Help Me!”) by Venezuelan composer Carlos Cordero was written in response to the humanitarian crisis in his home country. The music is urgent and raw, capturing fear, grief, and desperation—but also the need to be heard. “Fierce Love” by Brandon Williams weaves the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Phyllis Wheatley with original text to illustrate how “fierce love” can be a powerful response to hardship.

We also hear history speaking directly to the present. Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight, based on a poem by Vachel Lindsay, imagines Lincoln wandering the streets, troubled by ongoing violence and injustice. Lost for decades and rediscovered only in 2009, the piece feels remarkably timely—asking what responsibility we carry toward one another in an unsettled world.
​
This program also highlights music that speaks directly to collective struggle and hope. “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often called the “Black National Anthem,” is both a prayer and a promise—giving thanks for survival while looking ahead with courage and faith. In “Freedom’s Plow,” composer Rollo Dilworth blends Langston Hughes’ words with the spiritual “Hold On,” reminding us that freedom is something we build together, through persistence, responsibility, and hope.
 
Taken together, these works remind us why choral music matters. It gives voice to memory, grief, prayer, protest, and hope. It invites us to listen—to one another, to the past, and to what the future might ask of us. And most of all, it reminds us that none of us sings alone.

---