Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 - 7 PM - Roosevelt High School Auditorium
Robyn Starks Holcomb, Mason Meyer and Randi Van Der Sloot, Conducting
Kelci Kooistra, Teacher Candidate 

FRESHMAN CHORUS

Out of the Mist, Above the Real (An Irish Cantata)

1. Who But I?

Daniel Brewbaker  Words after Amergin
Amy Morrison, Piano | Lily Kamnikar, Maggie Kamnikar, violin

Out of the Mist, Above the Real,” an Irish Cantata, resulted from the confluence of several cultural and personal journeys…The cantata and the poems on which it is based express a search for ancient origins, a passionate yearning to find the most distant, primal, earthly, and heavenly progenitor of existence.

Who But I?” is set to an incantation by Amergin, presumed by legend to have been the first Druid priest/poet to arrive on Irish shores. His origins lie in the ancient Irish mists of time. The words invoke the myriad forms through which consciousness and the all-pervading anima mundi, the soul of the world, are made manifest, and their embodiment by the speaker/singer through a mystical transformative power known as “Shape-shifting.” The uilleann pipes represent this primal cry of original genesis. The children represent the power of knowledge and experience, and man’s unity with nature. (Daniel Brewbaker)
​
I am Wind upon the Sea,
I am Wave of the Ocean,
I am Murmur of the Billows,
I am Ray of Golden Sun,
I am Hawk above the Cliff,
I am Wild Boar in Valour,
I am Point of Lance in Battle,
I am Stag of Seven Tynes.
Who but I can throw the Light upon the Meeting of the Mountains,
Who but I will cry aloud the Ageless Phases of the Moon,
Who but I can know the place where Sun returns at Time of Rest?
Who but I?

SANSA KROMA
Felicia A. B. Sandler  Folk Song
Amy Morrison, Piano | Percussion Alaina Farnsworth, Lily Kamnikar, Maggie Kamnikar, Trinity Tague
Esta Nishimwe, Sydney Venekamp, Shayne Stephens-Hartman, Soloists
​
Sansa Kroma is based on Akan folklore from the tribes of Ghana. It is as well known among African children as Twinkle, Twinkle is in American culture. It recounts the story of an imaginary hawk, Sansa Kroma. One day Sansa Kroma was soaring high in the sky when she noticed a flock of orphaned eagle chicks. She hovered above them, then snatched them up and carried them back to her nest where she raised them as if they were her own. The moral of the song is, in African villages when a child is orphaned someone in the village, if not the whole village will provide for the child. During the apartheid period in South Africa, people used to flee their homes; some were forced to leave their children behind. These exiled sang Sansa Kroma because they held to the belief that their children would be cared for.

Sansa kroma 
​Ne na woo aw 
​Che che kokoma​

Sansa, the hawk
You are an orphan
And so you snatch up baby chicks

INTERMEDIATE MIXED CHORUS

LOCUS ISTE
Anton Bruckner

Locus iste had its premiere at the dedication of the Votive Chapel of the newly built Linz cathedral, in the same service as the Mass in E minor. Bruckner had been appointed organist at the old cathedral in 1856, and the Bishop, Josef Franz Rüdiger—a highly conservative but very humane man—had soon become an important artistic and spiritual father-figure. The text celebrates a sacred place: for liturgical purposes this would have been the new cathedral, but Bruckner may well have been thinking of St Florian—his true spiritual home, to which he often returned in later years (especially at times of crisis). As in the symphonies, the proportions of Locus iste are carefully calculated. Take the silence before the final ‘a Deo factus est’: where most composers would be content to put a simple pause, Bruckner preserves his proportions by carefully measuring out five beats. Elegant symmetry is as vital here as in a great medieval cathedral—or, indeed, in the chaste but reassuringly contained environs of St Florian.

CHEROKEE ALL MY TRIALS
Music by Norman Luboff, arranged by James Green
Nicole Decker, Flute. Elaine Hanson, Shaker. Soloist: Alex Brenner

 Note from the composer: During the infamous Nunna dual Tsuny (Trail Where They Cried), or "Trail of Tears" in 1838-39, the Cherokee people sang Christian hymns in their native language while incarcerated in stockades and being marched westward. During the terrible trek, it was a large burden for the mothers. They tried to remain strong and resilient to give hope to the young, all the while struggling with their own pain and death. Singing was one fo the ways the mothers offered comfort. Not only didd the songs help to locate their kin during the Trail of Tears, the songs gave comfort and hope to the grieving. In my attempts to help keep the Cherokee Language alive, I often search for songs/hymns that were used during the Trail of Tears. Many of those hymns are still used today by the CHerokee people. In talking with my dear friend and colleague Gunilla Luboff (former publisher, Walton Music), she suggested that I considered adapting and arranging her late husband, Norman Luboff's, arrangement of All My Trials. Norman Luboff was a choral music icon and the thought of working with his music truly excited me. Not only was Norman the founder of Walton Music Publications, he was an amazing composer. He was also a great conductor and toured the world with his "Norman Luboff Choir.: Today, his music is as fresh as it was when he created it. His version of All My Trials was released in 1972 and is still a top selling anthem from the Walton Music catalogue. Gunilla personally delivered to my house Norman's arrangement of All My Trials. While working with Norman's arrangement, I closely studied the text. It quickly became apparent to my why Gunilla suggested this spiritual for a Cherokee arrangement. The words for All My Trials fir perfectly for the Cherokee People, especially the mothers. Knowing that I would need help with the translation, I immediately contacted my friend and collaborator Kathy Sierra. Kathy is Language Coordinator for the Cherokee National Youth Choir and the CHerokee Nation. Her response was very fast! The Cherokee Nation had already used the Bahamian Spiritual All My Trials. This truly put my worries to rest. I was free to dig deep and create this arrangement. Kathy has been a great support for me making sure that my use if the language is accurate. What a relief that the CHerokee Nation also felt that All My Trials was worthy of being used. Although CHerokee history is filled with stories of success, resilience, and flexibility in the face of adversity, use of the Cherokee language has been on the decline for generations. I am honored to have the support of the Cherokee Nation and I thank them for allowing me to do my part to help keep the language alive. 

I AM THE RIVER
By Amy Bernon

Soloists: Kevlyn Kennedy & Aidan Pace. Small group: Jasmine Heng, Alyssa Harmeier, Josie Varney, Alex Brenner, Jonah Foutz, Dimitri Piacentino, Aboch Ayuel, Anthony Groon, Raydon Hastings, Preston Spaans. 

ROOSEVELT VOCAL JAZZ

DREAM
by Russell Robinson

COFFEE IN A CARDBOARD CUP
Arranged by Kevin Robinson

"Coffee! To go!" is an apt metaphor for how people living in a fast-food nation have lost the ability to exchange a smile, a friendly hello, or a casual conversation with a stranger, making this lyric a humorous, yet poignant comment on the hurried nature of modern society. 

RIDERCHOR

RAINBOW 'ROUND MY SHOULDER
By Robert de Cormier
Percussion: Karter Benson-Garr, Brock Krueger, Elaine Hanson

In the years following the end of the American Civil War, a period of rebuilding and legal and social restructuring known as "Reconstruction" took place. The Reconstruction period saw formerly enslaved people elected to state and national office, schools for African-American children were built, 80% of African-American men were registered to vote, and for the first time land ownership was made possible for those who had been previously enslaved. Reconstruction came to an abrupt end, however, with the 1877 compromise which saw that Rutherford Hayes was elected to the presidency, but that Reconstruction as a body of policy would come to an end. The end of Reconstruction brought about the beginnings of Jim Crow laws in the South, which included laws against vagrancy, unemployment, and other unequally enforced laws which disproportionately targeted African-Americans. People convicted, justly or otherwise, of such crimes were often sentenced to work as laborers on chain gangs, digging ditches, clearing timber, and working fields as leased workers to various companies and agencies. "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" is based upon one of the many work songs sung by members of these chain gangs. The unusual percussion of chains and a hammer and anvil invoke the sounds which would might have accompanied these men as they toiled in their work. 

CARRICKFERGUS
​Arranged by Mark Sirett

The Irish folks song Carrickfergus was sometimes known as The Sick Young Lover. The ballad as it evolved is most likely a combination of two songs, one Irish and one English. The Irish song Do Bhi Bean Uasal, from the mid-18th century, was especially popular in Clare and Limerick. In the years that followed, various English verses from different sources were added to it. The line "In Kilkenny it is reported on marble stones there as black as ink" refers to a time in the 19th century when the Irish were fearful of the religious intolerance of their English rulers. They used to lightly inscribe religious text on tombstones in black in, so it could be "erased" when the need arose to avoid being identified as Catholic. The third verse text "...'til I get a drink. I am drunk today, but then I'm rarely sober..." is a metaphor for being "love-drunk", unable to reasonably go about one's day as a result of being so madly in love, or, conversely, so heartbroken, that even living and waking feel like a desperate effort. 

A-ROVIN'
by Norman Luboff
​Laila Šumič, accordion

 This spirited sea chanty depicts the life of a sailor living their life from port to port, unable to find love but basking in the memory of every fair maiden they meet. 

​

MELODIA

FLIGHT
​Song of Solomon, music by Richard Nance
Soloists: Brianna Porter, Paige Langston, Emma Lebert, Paris Bauer, Mandy Dierks, Alexandra Brenner, Brynlee Hanson, Alexa Brockmueller

This exquisite setting of a love poem from the "Song of Solomon" features soaring vocal lines, dynamic contrasts and a sweeping accompaniment for piano and French horn. The Romantic nuance of the work is masterfully handled and its depth of expression is perfectly suited to the meaningful text. 

HARMONY
By Pink Zebra
Soloists: Alyza Pike

"I am you are me...." This innovative original uses a clever text and pop-style music to create an environment of togetherness among members of the choir. Community - that's what it's all about!

CHORALE

THE ROSE
by Ola Gjeilo

DIRAIT-ON
by Morten Lauridsen

From the composer: In addition to his vast output of German poetry, Rilke (1875-1926) wrote nearly 400 poems in French. His poems on roses struck me as especially charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. These poems are primarily light, joyous and playful, and the musical settings are designed to enhance these characteristics and capture their delicate beauty and sensuousness. The final piece, Dirait-On, is composed as a tuneful chanson populaire, or a folksong, that weaves together two melodic ideas first heard in fragmentary form in preceding movements. 

Abandon entouré d'abandon,
tendresse touchant aux tendresses...
C'est ton intérieur qui sans cesse
se caresse, dirait-on;

se caress en soi-même, 
par son proper reflet éclairé.
Ainsi tu inventes le thème
​du Narcisse exaucé

Abandon surrounding abandon,
tenderness touching tenderness...
Your oneness endlessly
caresses itself, so they say:

self-caressing
through its own clear reflection.
Thus you invent the theme
of Narcissus fulfilled

AN AFRO-CELTIC DIDDLE
by Michael Coolen

This song utilizes Irish traditional rhythms juxtaposed with African counter-rhythms. The word "namu", sung first by the altos, comes from the Senegambian region of West Africa. When traditional storytellers begin reciting important oral history stories, there is often a person sitting next to them who says "namu!" to reinforce that the storyteller got it correct. 

CONCERT CHOIR

NYON NYON
by Jake Runestad

From the composer: Nyon Nyon is an exploration of the effects that one can produce with the human voice. I created original words to achieve varieties of colors and mixed and matched them within the ensemble to produce a diverse sonic landscape. Incorporating effects similar to a flanger, wah-wah pedal, drum and bass, and synthesizers turns the choir into a full-fledged vocal orchestra.

SUNDAY
​by Stephen Sondheim, arranged by Mac Huff

From Stephen Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George, this song closes Act I. A powerful affirmation of love, art and inspiration, the ideas expressed are those every artist must confront. Sondheim was one of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theatre, and the world lost the composing giant just this past November, 2021.

ALLELUIA
by Algirdas Martinaitis
Soloists: Trever Knutson and Pearl Wigg

Algirdas Martinaitis’ musical nvocation is a meditation which incorporates musical traits characteristic of his native Lithuania: repetitive rhythms and cross-rhythms, vocal imitation, and prominent intervals of a second—neighbor tones that create momentary dissonance. Beginning with a chant-like melody passed through a call and response form, from soloist to ensemble, the piece builds to an elaborate, shimmering texture at once dynamic and trance-like.

SOON WE WILL BE DONE
by Kyle Pederson

PROGRAM NOTES WRITTEN BY KYLE PEDERSON:
To me, spirituals are the most powerful type of music.  Spirituals were birthed and rooted in the experience of chattel slavery in the United States—and arose out of, as Arthur C. Jones asserts, "deeply meaningful, archetypically human experiences, relevant not only to the specific circumstances of slavery but also to women and men struggling with issues of justice, freedom, and spiritual wholeness in all times and places.”
When I sang this spiritual growing up, I was struck by both the withering sorrow and expectant hope throughout. The melody and emotion has stuck with me since.  When approaching my own arrangement, I hoped to honor the voice of the original writers and their experience of slavery, and I also sought to extend a voice to people today who are suffering from injustice, racism, and oppression in multiple forms. I hoped an appropriate way to honor the experience of the original writers might be to invite the contemporary listener to envision and commit to a better, more just world today----a world of inclusion, radical kindness, compassion, love, and grace--a world where we have the courage to champion the inherent dignity and value of all people, a world where we will be done with all the ways we deny a person's worth.  A world where "heaven has come to earth.”
In this arrangement, spoken word is incorporated throughout, intended to heighten the intensity of the performance, and meant to give a sense of immediacy to the challenge for the choir and audience to work together for justice, equity, and wholeness. Spoken word has often been used as the language of protest—and I include it intentionally as a way of giving voice to the choir members (and listener)—where all can stand in solidarity against oppression and injustice. If desired, choir members are encouraged to write their own spoken word text that speaks to issues of inequity and injustice in their own communities.
I am writing this program note not long after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, MN on May 25, 2020. As a Minneapolis area resident for the past 25 years, I want and need to take a more active role in working towards justice in my community. All proceeds received from the sale and performance of Soon We Will Be Done will be directed to ISAIAH--a multi-racial, state-wide, nonpartisan coalition of faith communities fighting for racial and economic justice in Minnesota. You can read more about the phenomenal work ISAIAH is doing here (https://isaiahmn.org). 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Tim Hazlett, Steve Moore, Lance Lutjens, Mark Hofer, Katie Heavlin, Roosevelt High School Administration; Chandra Shanks and Karla Walnofer, Activities Office Support; Dawn Hemmelman, Trudi Hanson, Brett Miller, Front Office; Dave Vandenberg and the RHS Custodial Team; Nicole Decker and Jacob Mahowald, RHS Band Department; Kristopher Ohrlund, RHS Orchestra Department; Randy Hanzen, RHS Theatre and Fine Arts Department Chair; Student leaders for assisting with lighting and stage managements - thank you!
Neverending thanks and appreciation to the parents who make this all happen. From ticket sales, volunteer recruitment, ushers, as well as stage set up and tear down, we appreciate you BEYOND words.

ROOSEVELT CHOIRS 2021-22 

INTERMEDIATE MIXED CHORUS
Allen, Lyric
Ament, Nevaeh
Anawski, Kelynn
Ayuel, Aboch M
Barnes, Dominic
Basche, Gabrielle
Baxa, Bridger
Beard, Rorie
Beintema, Jenna
Bennett, Sarah
Blechinger, Kennedy
Boerema, Charles
Brenner, Alexandra
Buckmaster, Matthew
Bulick, Cierra
Cordell, Isabella
Cox, Hailey
Ensz, Michael
Foutz, Jonah
​Gray, Ruby
Groon, Anthony
​Haas, Kayleigh
Hanson, Elaine
Harmeier, Alyssa
Hastings, Rayden
Heng, Jasmine
Herrera Flores, Sofia
Hirschman, Hannah
Iliev, Daniel
Jensen, Galexy
Johnson, Bailey
Johnson, Rachel
Julson, Jayden
Kamnikar, Lily
Keegan, Trevan
Keiser, Jaren
Kennedy, Hailey
Kennedy, Kevlyn
Kirking, Hayden
Kruse, Tiffany
Kuhl, Avery
​Mann, Claire
​McIntyre, Layne
Meyer, Brianne
Nagy, Taya
​Odenbrett, Hunter
Pace, Aidan
Palcovic, Bam
Patel, Rut
PauloRamos, Yenifer
Pesce, Aidan
Piacentino, Dimitri
Pringle, Hailee
Roseland, Emma-Grace
Schaefer, Claire
Schlueter, Lauren
Schnabel, Anna
Sharkey, Karl
Sieh, Hunter
Simms, Adrian
Slowey, Isaac
Smith, Kaleb
Smith, Mason
Somchaleun, Sophia
​Spaans, Preston
Staples, Tanner
​Stevens, Payton
Tarnowski, Hailey
Trevor, Caleb
Turner, Gabriel
VandenHeuvel, Jada
Varney, Josephine
Whetzel, Kiante
White, Elaine
Wilde, Lillian 

FRESHMAN CHORUS
Andrews, Destiney
Butcher, Madisen
Canady, Amilee
Esta, Nishimwe
Fisher, Brooklynn
Grau, Sadie
Gue, Katelyn 
​Hasty, McKhia
Hoier, Savannah
​Howell, Lauren
Kramer, Savanna 
Kuchenreuther, Emma
Lee, Nadia
Lundin, Abigail
Morton, Wonderful TeTe
Oleson, Hailey
Olson, Kera
​Peskey, Katarina 
Petersen, Aubree
Steever, Keira
Stephens-Hartmann, Shayne
Stewart, Brittany
Tetzlaff, Lily
Thoresen, Alexis
​Vander Velde, Landri
Vaughn, Journey
Venekamp, Sydney
Woods, Savannah​

CHORALE
Ades, Brock
Arndt, Hayden
Bauer, Paris
Baxa, Taetum
BensonGarr, Karter
Boerema, Aubree
Cisneros, Carson
Cole, Aubree
Cooper-Dumke, Trayven 
Dahle, Megan
Deilke, Claire
Dzwonek-Parlet, Morgan 
Eitreim, Aeriel
Erickson, Landan
Ewing, Lucas
Folsland, Lena
Gukeisen, Arica
Hanson, Brynlee
Hirsch, Jaymisen
Johnson, Madilynn
Kafka, Zachary
Konrady, Logan
Kost, Ryan
Kreger, Alayna
Kusler, Joshua
Nelson, Riley
Olsen, Jessalynn
Parish, Jaiden
Pederson, Camille
Pike, Alyza
Reimer, Hunter
Schroeder, Kaleb 
Sommervold, Brynn
Stevens, Karsyn
Stevens, Paige
Swier, Kobe
Tarbox, Jaquelynn 
Weigandt, Rachel

CONCERT CHOIR
Andree, Abigail
Anema, Tyson
Benz, Emma
Blake, Morgan
Brockmueller, Alexa
Daiker, Jacob
Dierks, Mandy
Ewing, William
Farnsworth, Alaina
Folgar, Alexander
Glover, Collin
Hanna, Riona
Hazlett, Jackson
Holtman, Lily
Hora, Cody
Husman, Zachary
Johnson, Josephine
Kamnikar, Maggie
Knutson, Toby
Knutson, Trever
Kovalenko, Kathryn
Kruger, Brock
Kuenzi, Evan
Langston, Paige
Lebert, Emma
Lottman, Emma
Mooney, Trista
Moores, Cody
Muilenburg, Cory
Mulhair, Elly
Ng, Linus
Nguyen, Tina
Pederson, Jaden
Peek, Ethan
Petersen, Faith
Peterson, Grayden
Porter-Schaaf, Brianna
Poust, Gavin
Raanes, Regan
Sailor, Megan
Schlueter, Paige
Schnabel, Haley
Schroeder, Kolin
Smith, Emma
Smith, Kynleigh
Soto, Trinity
Spicer, Abby
Stevens, Gabriel 
​Svenningsen, Annika
Swanson, Emma
Sykes, Dashawn
Tabbert, Selah
Tague, Trinity
Tjaden, Alex
VanEde, Dawsen
Ver Steeg, Ayden
Vostad, Jacob
Wigg, Pearl 

​

CHAMBER
​​Folgar, Alexander
​Hazlett, Jackson
Holtman, Lily
Hora, Cody
​Johnson, Josephine
Knutson, Trever
Kuenzi, Evan
Mulhair, Elly
Sailor, Megan
​Smith, Emma
Smith, Kynleigh
​Stevens, Gabriel 
​Svenningsen, Annika
​VanEde, Dawsen
​Vostad, Jacob
Wigg, Pearl 

MELODIA
​Bauer, Paris
​Blechinger, Kennedy
​Brenner, Alexandra
Brockmueller, Alexa
Dierks, Mandy
Eitreim, Aeriel
Erickson, Rebecca
Hanna, Riona
Hanson, Brynlee
Kamnikar, Maggie
Langston, Paige
Lebert, Emma
Lottman, Emma
Mooney, Trista
Pike, Alyza
Porter-Schaaf, Brianna
Schlueter, Lauren
Smith, Kynleigh
Spicer, Abby
Tabbert, Selah
Tague, Trinity

RIDERCHOR
Anema, Tyson
BensonGarr, Karter
Boerema, Charles
Cisneros, Carson
​Cooper-Dumke, Trayven
​Daiker, Jacob
​Erickson, Landan
Ewing, Lucas
Ewing, William
Glover, Collin
​Husman, Zachary
​Kafka, Zachary
Knutson, Toby
Konrady, Logan
Kost, Ryan
Kruger, Brock
Kusler, Joshua
Moores, Cody
Pace, Aidan
Palcovic, Bam
Pederson, Jaden
Peterson, Grayden
Poust, Gavin
Reimer, Hunter
Schroeder, Kolin
Sharkey, Karl
Simms, Adrian
Smith, Kaleb
Spaans, Preston
Sykes, Dashawn
Ver Steeg, Ayden