Artistic Director
Joy Jenkins
Joy is delighted to be working with the lovely people of Harmony Chorale. She has been working and singing in the Metro Denver Choir communities since graduating with her Master's in Music from University of Kansas in 2000. She worked in the GALA community as Associate Director of the Denver Women's Chorus and Director of Take Note! from 2002-2012. She currently works as Music Director at the Highlands United Methodist Church as well as working for her menagerie of animal bosses at her urban farm in Lakewood.
Joy Jenkins
Joy is delighted to be working with the lovely people of Harmony Chorale. She has been working and singing in the Metro Denver Choir communities since graduating with her Master's in Music from University of Kansas in 2000. She worked in the GALA community as Associate Director of the Denver Women's Chorus and Director of Take Note! from 2002-2012. She currently works as Music Director at the Highlands United Methodist Church as well as working for her menagerie of animal bosses at her urban farm in Lakewood.
Accompanist
Yuen Kim
Korean pianist Yueun Kim has a deep passion for sharing unique musical experiences with communities across the country. Prior to her recent move to Denver, she held various positions including an assistant director of the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, a collaborative pianist at Rice University, and the artistic director of the Live at Kawai concert series. When not at the piano, she enjoys exploring the Rockies and programming.
Yuen Kim
Korean pianist Yueun Kim has a deep passion for sharing unique musical experiences with communities across the country. Prior to her recent move to Denver, she held various positions including an assistant director of the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, a collaborative pianist at Rice University, and the artistic director of the Live at Kawai concert series. When not at the piano, she enjoys exploring the Rockies and programming.
OUR SINGERS
SOPRANOS
Jennifer Abeyta
Kelly Baker
Diva Eytcheson
Lauren Grenz
Ashley Howard
Cat Miller^
Suzette Stoks
Naomi Umstot^
Nancy Woods
ALTOS
Lisa Anselme
Caroline Gordon
Hayley Griffen
Katherine Hovis
Sarah Prime
Mel Roeder^
Stephanie Vigil
Susan Wilson-Madsen^
TENORS
Cody Brown
Roy Reents
Lisa Sisneros
Jan Skuderna
BASSES
Joseph Browder
James Halpenny
Bill Inama
Jared Kellerman^
Adrian Vigil
^Board Members
Mel Hester^ - non-singing board member
Monica Rabino^ - chorus coordinator
SOPRANOS
Jennifer Abeyta
Kelly Baker
Diva Eytcheson
Lauren Grenz
Ashley Howard
Cat Miller^
Suzette Stoks
Naomi Umstot^
Nancy Woods
ALTOS
Lisa Anselme
Caroline Gordon
Hayley Griffen
Katherine Hovis
Sarah Prime
Mel Roeder^
Stephanie Vigil
Susan Wilson-Madsen^
TENORS
Cody Brown
Roy Reents
Lisa Sisneros
Jan Skuderna
BASSES
Joseph Browder
James Halpenny
Bill Inama
Jared Kellerman^
Adrian Vigil
^Board Members
Mel Hester^ - non-singing board member
Monica Rabino^ - chorus coordinator
Shenandoah
American Folk Song / arr. James Erb
The song "Shenandoah" appears to have originated with American and Canadian voyageurs or fur traders traveling down the Missouri River in canoes and has developed several different sets of lyrics. Some lyrics refer to the Oneida chief Shenandoah and a canoe-going trader who wants to marry his daughter. By the mid 1800s versions of the song had become a sea shanty heard or sung by sailors in various parts of the world. The song is number 324 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
And hear your rolling river,
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
‘Way, were bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
I long to see your smiling valley,
And hear your rolling river,
I long to see your smiling valley,
‘Way, we’re bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
‘Tis sev’n long years since last I saw you ,
And hear your rolling river,
‘Tis sev’n years since last I saw you,
‘Way, we’re bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
And hear your rolling river,
O Shenando’, I long to see you,
‘Way, we’re bound a way,
Across the wide Missouri,
O Shenando’, O Shenando’,
O Shennando’, O Shenando’.
Idumea
arr. Richard Bjella
Arlette Townsend-violin
William Hinke-viola
Susan Wilson-Madsen-cello
""Idumea" (1991 Sacred Harp, page 47b) is the Latin form of the Biblical name Edom, which means "red." It is a hilly land south of the Dead Sea that is now in Jordan and includes the ancient city of Petra. When Moses wanted to enter the land of Canaan via Edom, the rulers of Edom wouldn't let him. The tune was used effectively at the beginning of Cold Mountain, the 2003 American Civil War drama, accompanying pictures of the Battle of the Crater, one of the most horrible battles fought anywhere in the nineteenth century. The tune, written by Ananias Davisson (1780-1857) from Shenandoah County, Virginia, is one of the most haunting and popular Appalachian minor songs in Southern shape note circles. The lilt of the tune fits so well that it could have been written specifically for Charles Wesley's words. I have tried to enhance the text by changing the character rather dramatically on each verse. The phrase "What wil become of me?" is especially moving. The phrase at the end, "To see the flaming skies," is also terrifying and I have tried to allow that text to come off the page with the 'flames' appearing in the women's voices."
-Richard Biella
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
A land of deepest shade,
Unpierced by human thought,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot!
Soon as from earth I go
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be!
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be!
Waked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
Old Joe Clark
arr. Dwight Bigler
Gloria Price Moser-spoons
"Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murdered in 1885. The "playful and sometimes outlandish verses" have led to the conjecture that it first spread as a children's song and via play parties. There are about 90 stanzas in various versions of the song. The tune is based on an A major scale in the Mixolydian mode, but moreover has definite hints of a complete blues scale, namely, the flatted 3rd and 5th.
Old Joe Clark he had a mule,
Name was Morgan Brown,
And ev’ry tooth in that mule’s head
Was sixteen inches round
Old Joe Clark had a yellow cat,
She neither sang nor prayed.
Stuck her head in the buttermilk jar,
And washed her sins away.
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say.
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
I went up to the mountain top
Ahuntin’ sugar cane.
Stuck my foot in a holler log
And out jumped Liza Jane!
I asked my girl to marry me,
What do you think she said?
“Time enough to marry you
When all the rest are dead!”
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Old Joe Clark he had a house,
Fifteen stories high
And ev’ry story in that house
Was filled with chicken pie!
I went down to Old Joe’s house,
He invited me for supper,
I stumped my toe on the table leg
And stuck my nose in the butter, butter, butter!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
I say! And Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares a way!
Round and Round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I way!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Eighteen miles a mountain road
And fifteen miles of sand,
If I ever travel this road again,
I’ll be a married man.
Wish I was a sugar tree
Standin’ in the town,
Ev’ry time a pretty girl passed,
I’d shake some sugar down.
I wish I had a sweetheart,
I’d set her on the shelf,
And ev’ry time she’d smile at me,
I’d get up there myself!
Oh!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Round and round
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a way!
Away! Away! Hey!
Hard Times
by Stephen Foster, arr. Nick Johnson
William Hinke-viola
Susan Wilson-Madsen-cello
Monica Rabino-guitar
"Hard Times (Come Again No More) begins as a simple expression of empathy for those who are less fortunate: the timeless struggle against poverty and inequity. As the piece unfolds, the voices grow more empowered and show resilience, perseverance, and determination. Ultimately the song offers a universal message, sung by a chorus, which reminds us that together we can get through the difficult times that Inevitably visit our lives. When I was asked to work on this project, I wanted to discover my love for the song In a new light. To me, it serves as a reminder that the human condition isn't as complex as ii sometimes may feel. Every person has a different set of challenges they face. I modernized the roots of this beautiful song In the hopes that the listener would be inclined to remember that everybody's roots begin in the ground." -Nick Johnson
Let us pause in life’s pleasure and count its many tears,
While we are sup sorrow with the poor;
There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh Hard times come again no more,
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have linger’d around my cabin door;
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oo,oo
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,
There are frail forms fainting at the door;
Though their voices are silent,
Their pleading looks will say,
Oh hard times come again no more.
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have linger’d around my cabin door.
Oh hard times come again no more.
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times come again no more.
There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more.
De Colores
arr. Vicente Chavarria
Monica Rabino-guitar
This simple and unpretentious folk song goes back several hundred years. The tune is reminiscent of Spanish folk songs of the 16th and 17th centuries, though it is unknown exactly when it crossed the Atlantic. By the 20th century, it was one of the most well-known Mexican folk songs around the world. Perhaps most famously in the US, it became the unofficial anthem of the United Farm Workers movement in the 1950s and '60s, particularly during César Chávez's leadership. The text appears easy enough for a child to learn, yet in truth it is an appreciation of the beauty of the earth and the simple things in life that unite us all as one humanity. This arrangement was commissioned by Joshua Habermann and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale in the spring of 2012 for the celebration of the Centenary of Statehood of New Mexico.
De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera.
De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.
De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
De colores, de colores brillantes y finos se viste la aurora.
De colores. De colores son los mil reflejos que el sol atesora.
De colores, de colores se veste el diamante que vemos lucir.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Canta el galla, canta el gallo con el quiri quiri quiri quiri quiri.
La gallina, la gallina con el cara cara cara cara cara.
Los polleulos, los polleulos con el pío pío pío pí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
A mí, a mí, a mí.
HARMONIX
Telling Stories
by Tracy Chapman, arr. Tilo Gutjahr
In "Telling Stories," Tracy Chapman explores the concept of storytelling and the fine line between reality and fiction. The song delves into the ways in which individuals shape their own narratives and how storytelling can serve various purposes in our lives.
There is fiction in the space between
The lines on your page of memories
Write it down but it doesn't mean
You're not just telling stories
There is fiction in the space between
You and reality
You will do and say anything
To make your everyday life seem less mundane
There is fiction in the space between
You and me
There's a science fiction in the space between
You and me
A fabrication of a grand scheme
Where I am the scary monster
I eat the city and as I leave the scene
In my spaceship I am laughing
In your remembrance of your bad dream
There's no one but you standing
Leave the pity and the blame
For the ones who do not speak
You write the words to get respect and compassion
And for posterity
You write the words and make believe
There is truth in the space between
There is fiction in the space between
You and everybody
Give us all what we need
Give us one more sad sordid story
But in the fiction of the space between
Sometimes a lie is the best thing
Sometimes a lie is the best thing
Oh the best thing
Is the best thing
Sun Giant
by Fleet Foxes, arr. Thom Edinger
Sun Giant transports you to a world where the sun’s golden rays illuminate a lush forest, and every note feels like a gentle breeze through the trees. It paints a vivid picture, and as you listen, you can almost see the vibrant colors and hear the sounds of nature. Arranged by our own late great Sun Giant, Thom Edinger, who captivated us all with his talent and warm nature. We miss you.
What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead in the winded breeze
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead when the sun breaks free
As a giant torn from the clouds
What a life indeed when that ancient seed
Is a berry watered and plowed
What a life
What a life
What a life
What a life
What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead in the winded breeze
What a life I lead in the spring
INTERMISSION
Big Yellow Taxi
by Joni Mitchell, arr.
Jared Kellerman-soloist
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell in 1970.
"I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart […] this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song."The song is known for its environmental concern – "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot" and "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now" – and sentimental sound. The line "They took all the trees, and put 'em in a tree museum / And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
They took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum.
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Hey farmer, farmer, put away that D.D.T. now.
Gie me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees.
Please.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Late last night I heard the screen door slam.
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Shoo bop
Shoo bop, bop
Turn, Turn, Turn
by Pete Seeger, arr. Roger Emerson
Small Group - Mel Roeder, Sarah Prime, and Naomi Umstot
Legendary and iconic Pete Seeger was a singer who sustained the folk music tradition and who was one of the principal inspirations for younger performers in the folk revival of the 1960s. Turn, Turn, Turn is taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, written and sung during times of uncertainty.
To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven.
To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
Times, They are A-Changin'
by Bob Dylan, arr. Adam Todd
Suzette Stoks-soloist
Dylan recalled writing the song as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem of change for the moment. In 1985, he told Cameron Crowe, "This was definitely a song with a purpose. It was influenced of course by the Irish and Scottish ballads ...'Come All Ye Bold Highway Men', 'Come All Ye Tender Hearted Maidens'. I wanted to write a big song, with short concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. The civil rights movement and the folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time."
Come gather 'round, people, wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
And you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changin'
The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
And the first one now will later be last
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changin'
For the times, they are a-changin'
Jolene
by Dolly Parton, arr. Ed Aldcroft
Monica Rabino-guitar
According to Parton, the song was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch around the time they were newly married. In an interview, she also revealed that Jolene's name and appearance are based on that of a young fan who came on stage for her autograph.
In 2019, the podcast Dolly Parton's America had an episode addressing the question of whether the narrator's focus on Jolene's beauty and desirability is indicative of her own attraction to Jolene. A musicologist wrote and performed a fourth verse which makes this interpretation explicit; when the podcast's hosts played audio of this performance for Parton, she responded that this was "another take on it".
Do-do doo do do-do,
Do-do doo do do-do
Do-do doo do do-do
Oh Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene
He talks about you in his sleep
There's nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
You don't know what he means to me, Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again,
He’s the only one for me, Jolene.
I had to have this talk with you,
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Do-do doo do do-do,
Do-do doo do do-do
Do-do doo do do-do
Jolene.
White Winter Hymnal
by Fleet Foxes, arr. Alan Billingsley
Over the years, Robin Pecknold, who writes for and performs with Fleet Foxes found different meanings in the song’s lyrics. The general feeling of ‘White Winter Hymnal’ was meant to invoke innocence, as Pecknold explained to Mojo in 2009. After growing up with his friends, Pecknold eventually saw everyone take different paths in life, some of which were negative.
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
Closer to Fine (sing-a-long)
by The Indigo Girls
Guitar Group-Lisa Sisneros, Lauren Grenz. and Monica Rabino
"Closer to Fine" is a folk single by Indigo Girls, an American songwriting duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The song primarily speaks to the search for meaning in life. "Closer to Fine" was reviewed favorably, and appeared in the 2023 film Barbie.
The song does not directly answer the question of meaning, instead advising to take life less seriously – one lyric reads "it's only life, after all". In an interview with The New York Times, Saliers said she felt that the song advised making life a little better by seeking small pieces of knowledge from a wide variety of sources, instead of looking for a universal truth in one place.
I'm tryin' to tell you somethin' 'bout my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all, yeah
Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety 'til I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores
And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine,
The closer I am to fine,
And I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-Grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free
I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine,
The closer I am to fine,
I stopped by the bar at three A.M.
To seek solace in a bottle, or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
And I came in seeking clarity
I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
We go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountain
Yeah, we go to the Bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival, we stand up for the lookout
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine.
American Folk Song / arr. James Erb
The song "Shenandoah" appears to have originated with American and Canadian voyageurs or fur traders traveling down the Missouri River in canoes and has developed several different sets of lyrics. Some lyrics refer to the Oneida chief Shenandoah and a canoe-going trader who wants to marry his daughter. By the mid 1800s versions of the song had become a sea shanty heard or sung by sailors in various parts of the world. The song is number 324 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
And hear your rolling river,
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
‘Way, were bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
I long to see your smiling valley,
And hear your rolling river,
I long to see your smiling valley,
‘Way, we’re bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
‘Tis sev’n long years since last I saw you ,
And hear your rolling river,
‘Tis sev’n years since last I saw you,
‘Way, we’re bound away,
Across the wide Missouri.
O Shenando’,
I long to see you,
And hear your rolling river,
O Shenando’, I long to see you,
‘Way, we’re bound a way,
Across the wide Missouri,
O Shenando’, O Shenando’,
O Shennando’, O Shenando’.
Idumea
arr. Richard Bjella
Arlette Townsend-violin
William Hinke-viola
Susan Wilson-Madsen-cello
""Idumea" (1991 Sacred Harp, page 47b) is the Latin form of the Biblical name Edom, which means "red." It is a hilly land south of the Dead Sea that is now in Jordan and includes the ancient city of Petra. When Moses wanted to enter the land of Canaan via Edom, the rulers of Edom wouldn't let him. The tune was used effectively at the beginning of Cold Mountain, the 2003 American Civil War drama, accompanying pictures of the Battle of the Crater, one of the most horrible battles fought anywhere in the nineteenth century. The tune, written by Ananias Davisson (1780-1857) from Shenandoah County, Virginia, is one of the most haunting and popular Appalachian minor songs in Southern shape note circles. The lilt of the tune fits so well that it could have been written specifically for Charles Wesley's words. I have tried to enhance the text by changing the character rather dramatically on each verse. The phrase "What wil become of me?" is especially moving. The phrase at the end, "To see the flaming skies," is also terrifying and I have tried to allow that text to come off the page with the 'flames' appearing in the women's voices."
-Richard Biella
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
A land of deepest shade,
Unpierced by human thought,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot,
The dreary regions of the dead,
Where all things are forgot!
Soon as from earth I go
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be!
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be!
Waked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
Old Joe Clark
arr. Dwight Bigler
Gloria Price Moser-spoons
"Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murdered in 1885. The "playful and sometimes outlandish verses" have led to the conjecture that it first spread as a children's song and via play parties. There are about 90 stanzas in various versions of the song. The tune is based on an A major scale in the Mixolydian mode, but moreover has definite hints of a complete blues scale, namely, the flatted 3rd and 5th.
Old Joe Clark he had a mule,
Name was Morgan Brown,
And ev’ry tooth in that mule’s head
Was sixteen inches round
Old Joe Clark had a yellow cat,
She neither sang nor prayed.
Stuck her head in the buttermilk jar,
And washed her sins away.
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say.
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
I went up to the mountain top
Ahuntin’ sugar cane.
Stuck my foot in a holler log
And out jumped Liza Jane!
I asked my girl to marry me,
What do you think she said?
“Time enough to marry you
When all the rest are dead!”
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Old Joe Clark he had a house,
Fifteen stories high
And ev’ry story in that house
Was filled with chicken pie!
I went down to Old Joe’s house,
He invited me for supper,
I stumped my toe on the table leg
And stuck my nose in the butter, butter, butter!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
I say! And Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares a way!
Round and Round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I way!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Eighteen miles a mountain road
And fifteen miles of sand,
If I ever travel this road again,
I’ll be a married man.
Wish I was a sugar tree
Standin’ in the town,
Ev’ry time a pretty girl passed,
I’d shake some sugar down.
I wish I had a sweetheart,
I’d set her on the shelf,
And ev’ry time she’d smile at me,
I’d get up there myself!
Oh!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Round and round
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares away!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Round and round I say!
Round and round,
Old Joe Clark!
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a
Dance your cares a way!
Away! Away! Hey!
Hard Times
by Stephen Foster, arr. Nick Johnson
William Hinke-viola
Susan Wilson-Madsen-cello
Monica Rabino-guitar
"Hard Times (Come Again No More) begins as a simple expression of empathy for those who are less fortunate: the timeless struggle against poverty and inequity. As the piece unfolds, the voices grow more empowered and show resilience, perseverance, and determination. Ultimately the song offers a universal message, sung by a chorus, which reminds us that together we can get through the difficult times that Inevitably visit our lives. When I was asked to work on this project, I wanted to discover my love for the song In a new light. To me, it serves as a reminder that the human condition isn't as complex as ii sometimes may feel. Every person has a different set of challenges they face. I modernized the roots of this beautiful song In the hopes that the listener would be inclined to remember that everybody's roots begin in the ground." -Nick Johnson
Let us pause in life’s pleasure and count its many tears,
While we are sup sorrow with the poor;
There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh Hard times come again no more,
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have linger’d around my cabin door;
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oo,oo
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay,
There are frail forms fainting at the door;
Though their voices are silent,
Their pleading looks will say,
Oh hard times come again no more.
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary.
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have linger’d around my cabin door.
Oh hard times come again no more.
‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times come again no more.
There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more.
Oh hard times come again no more.
De Colores
arr. Vicente Chavarria
Monica Rabino-guitar
This simple and unpretentious folk song goes back several hundred years. The tune is reminiscent of Spanish folk songs of the 16th and 17th centuries, though it is unknown exactly when it crossed the Atlantic. By the 20th century, it was one of the most well-known Mexican folk songs around the world. Perhaps most famously in the US, it became the unofficial anthem of the United Farm Workers movement in the 1950s and '60s, particularly during César Chávez's leadership. The text appears easy enough for a child to learn, yet in truth it is an appreciation of the beauty of the earth and the simple things in life that unite us all as one humanity. This arrangement was commissioned by Joshua Habermann and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale in the spring of 2012 for the celebration of the Centenary of Statehood of New Mexico.
De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera.
De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.
De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
De colores, de colores brillantes y finos se viste la aurora.
De colores. De colores son los mil reflejos que el sol atesora.
De colores, de colores se veste el diamante que vemos lucir.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Canta el galla, canta el gallo con el quiri quiri quiri quiri quiri.
La gallina, la gallina con el cara cara cara cara cara.
Los polleulos, los polleulos con el pío pío pío pí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí.
A mí, a mí, a mí.
HARMONIX
Telling Stories
by Tracy Chapman, arr. Tilo Gutjahr
In "Telling Stories," Tracy Chapman explores the concept of storytelling and the fine line between reality and fiction. The song delves into the ways in which individuals shape their own narratives and how storytelling can serve various purposes in our lives.
There is fiction in the space between
The lines on your page of memories
Write it down but it doesn't mean
You're not just telling stories
There is fiction in the space between
You and reality
You will do and say anything
To make your everyday life seem less mundane
There is fiction in the space between
You and me
There's a science fiction in the space between
You and me
A fabrication of a grand scheme
Where I am the scary monster
I eat the city and as I leave the scene
In my spaceship I am laughing
In your remembrance of your bad dream
There's no one but you standing
Leave the pity and the blame
For the ones who do not speak
You write the words to get respect and compassion
And for posterity
You write the words and make believe
There is truth in the space between
There is fiction in the space between
You and everybody
Give us all what we need
Give us one more sad sordid story
But in the fiction of the space between
Sometimes a lie is the best thing
Sometimes a lie is the best thing
Oh the best thing
Is the best thing
Sun Giant
by Fleet Foxes, arr. Thom Edinger
Sun Giant transports you to a world where the sun’s golden rays illuminate a lush forest, and every note feels like a gentle breeze through the trees. It paints a vivid picture, and as you listen, you can almost see the vibrant colors and hear the sounds of nature. Arranged by our own late great Sun Giant, Thom Edinger, who captivated us all with his talent and warm nature. We miss you.
What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead in the winded breeze
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead when the sun breaks free
As a giant torn from the clouds
What a life indeed when that ancient seed
Is a berry watered and plowed
What a life
What a life
What a life
What a life
What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead in the winded breeze
What a life I lead in the spring
INTERMISSION
Big Yellow Taxi
by Joni Mitchell, arr.
Jared Kellerman-soloist
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell in 1970.
"I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart […] this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song."The song is known for its environmental concern – "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot" and "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now" – and sentimental sound. The line "They took all the trees, and put 'em in a tree museum / And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
They took all the trees, put ‘em in a tree museum.
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Hey farmer, farmer, put away that D.D.T. now.
Gie me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees.
Please.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Late last night I heard the screen door slam.
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.
Shoo bop, bop, bop
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
Shoo bop, bop, bop
Shoo bop, bop
Shoo bop
Shoo bop, bop
Turn, Turn, Turn
by Pete Seeger, arr. Roger Emerson
Small Group - Mel Roeder, Sarah Prime, and Naomi Umstot
Legendary and iconic Pete Seeger was a singer who sustained the folk music tradition and who was one of the principal inspirations for younger performers in the folk revival of the 1960s. Turn, Turn, Turn is taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes, written and sung during times of uncertainty.
To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven.
To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
To everything (Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (Turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose under heaven
Times, They are A-Changin'
by Bob Dylan, arr. Adam Todd
Suzette Stoks-soloist
Dylan recalled writing the song as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem of change for the moment. In 1985, he told Cameron Crowe, "This was definitely a song with a purpose. It was influenced of course by the Irish and Scottish ballads ...'Come All Ye Bold Highway Men', 'Come All Ye Tender Hearted Maidens'. I wanted to write a big song, with short concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. The civil rights movement and the folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time."
Come gather 'round, people, wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
And you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changin'
Come mothers and fathers throughout the land
And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changin'
The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
And the first one now will later be last
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changin'
For the times, they are a-changin'
Jolene
by Dolly Parton, arr. Ed Aldcroft
Monica Rabino-guitar
According to Parton, the song was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch around the time they were newly married. In an interview, she also revealed that Jolene's name and appearance are based on that of a young fan who came on stage for her autograph.
In 2019, the podcast Dolly Parton's America had an episode addressing the question of whether the narrator's focus on Jolene's beauty and desirability is indicative of her own attraction to Jolene. A musicologist wrote and performed a fourth verse which makes this interpretation explicit; when the podcast's hosts played audio of this performance for Parton, she responded that this was "another take on it".
Do-do doo do do-do,
Do-do doo do do-do
Do-do doo do do-do
Oh Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene
He talks about you in his sleep
There's nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
You don't know what he means to me, Jolene
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again,
He’s the only one for me, Jolene.
I had to have this talk with you,
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Do-do doo do do-do,
Do-do doo do do-do
Do-do doo do do-do
Jolene.
White Winter Hymnal
by Fleet Foxes, arr. Alan Billingsley
Over the years, Robin Pecknold, who writes for and performs with Fleet Foxes found different meanings in the song’s lyrics. The general feeling of ‘White Winter Hymnal’ was meant to invoke innocence, as Pecknold explained to Mojo in 2009. After growing up with his friends, Pecknold eventually saw everyone take different paths in life, some of which were negative.
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied ’round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime.
Closer to Fine (sing-a-long)
by The Indigo Girls
Guitar Group-Lisa Sisneros, Lauren Grenz. and Monica Rabino
"Closer to Fine" is a folk single by Indigo Girls, an American songwriting duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The song primarily speaks to the search for meaning in life. "Closer to Fine" was reviewed favorably, and appeared in the 2023 film Barbie.
The song does not directly answer the question of meaning, instead advising to take life less seriously – one lyric reads "it's only life, after all". In an interview with The New York Times, Saliers said she felt that the song advised making life a little better by seeking small pieces of knowledge from a wide variety of sources, instead of looking for a universal truth in one place.
I'm tryin' to tell you somethin' 'bout my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all, yeah
Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety 'til I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores
And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine,
The closer I am to fine,
And I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-Grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free
I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine,
The closer I am to fine,
I stopped by the bar at three A.M.
To seek solace in a bottle, or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
And I came in seeking clarity
I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
We go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountain
Yeah, we go to the Bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival, we stand up for the lookout
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine.
