Music Notes – Sunday, June 11th:
This week’s musicians are Windsong and UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
About this Sunday’s guest musicians:
Celebrating their 40th anniversary season, Windsong: Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus boasts a long and full Herstory of making beautiful music while promoting feminism and social justice. First known as the Cleveland Women’s Chorus, the group changed names several times—The Moral Chorale, The Haggettes, and Windsong Womyn’s Ensemble—before settling on Windsong, Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus in 1996. Windsong rests solidly on the dedication of its founding mothers and early leaders: June Adams, Betsy Reeves, Lisa Rainsong, Gayle Pilat, Penny Guy, Nan Gerald, Gayle Crawford, Ellen Catlin, Diane Hobus, Michelle Colopy, Sharon Marrell, Julie “Maze” Henderson, Argerie Vasilakes, and Karen Weaver.
Windsong is a proud member of the Sister Singers Network, an organization founded in 1981 to nurture the spirit, energy, and diversity of the women’s choral movement. They have participated in SSN choral festivals in Grand Rapids, San Diego, Chicago, Champaign-Urbana in 2014, and again in Grand Rapids in 2018 at the 12th Sister Singers Network National Women’s Choral Festival. Windsong is very proud to be hosting the SSN Choral Festival this summer right here in Cleveland!
Holly Walker, who is a member of our Chancel Choir and Women’s Ensemble, is proud to be among Windsong’s ranks, and UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley has served as Windsong’s piano accompanist since 2003.
Opening Hymn: #1024 When the Spirit Says Do – African American Spiritual
“When the Spirit Says Sing” (also known as “I’m Gonna Sing”) is among the best-known of traditional African American Spirituals. Its origins are unknown, but the song first began appearing in hymnals during the 1950s and became one of the rallying anthems of The Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. It is included in our Singing the Journey hymnbook as #1024 under the title “When the Spirit Says Do”. As the spirit moves you, please sing (and clap, dance, etc.) along with the music this Sunday!
Centering Music: Love Is Love Is Love Is Love – Betinis
The music of American composer Abbie Betinis has been called “inventive” (The New York Times), “joyful… shattering, incandescent” (Boston Globe), and music that “expands into ethereal realms” (Cambridge University Press). She has been honored to attend performances of her music from Carnegie Hall to Disney Hall, school assemblies to wedding ceremonies, state prisons to capitol buildings, summer camps to the finest international cathedrals. Her music has been performed on four continents and she has received commissions from many organizations, including the American Choral Directors Association, Cantus, Chorus Pro Musica, The Dale Warland Singers, and the St. Olaf Choir. Abbie wrote “Love Is Love Is Love Is Love” for the Justice Choir Songbook. In the composer’s own words, “(This song) is dedicated to the victims, and survivors, of hate crimes everywhere, and specifically for those at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Love is often the bravest thing we do. May love prevail.” (includes material from http://abbiebetinis.com/ )
Offertory: Be the Change – Britt and Kaplan
“Be the Change” was written in 2010 by Marc Kaplan and Colin Britt, based on the “Be the change you wish to see in the world” quotation that is frequently attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. It is also part of the Justice Choir Songbook and will be sung by Windsong during this Sunday’s service.
Closing Hymn: #1017 Building a New Way – Sandefer
Martha Sandefer (b. 1952) is an American vocalist and composer who is currently involved with the Work o’ the Weavers project. She wrote “Building a New Way” in 1986 and her song was later arranged by Jim Scott (b. 1946) and included as #1017 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook.
Postlude: One Foot/Lead with Love – DeMore
Melanie DeMore has traveled the world, was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and is constantly amazed by her life. But nothing is closer to Melanie’s heart than bringing people together wherever she is to experience the healing power of music. Melanie has been a formidable presence onstage at such noted venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, international folk music festivals from Europe to Cuba to New Zealand. She has shared the stage with some of the world’s most notable musicians and political activists from Gloria Steinem, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and Judy Collins to Ed Asner, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and Ani DiFranco. (from melaniedemore.com) Written in 2016, “Lead With Love” is one of Melanie’s best-known songs and is a favorite of her audiences whenever she performs. In the composer’s own words: “I was inspired by the great movements that were started out of the love their people, not out of the hatred of others.”
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director
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