Windsong and Good Company this Sunday, Dec. 3rd
Don’t miss our service this Sunday, December 3rd, with special music from Windsong: Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus, a group that boasts a long and full Herstory of making beautiful music while promoting feminism and social justice. UUCC is proud to support Windsong and their mission, and glad to have them back in our sanctuary this Sunday. Come early to church this week, as Windsong will provide pre-service music beginning at 10:10!
This Sunday, December 3rd is also the concert date for Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble, who will be welcoming guest composer and conductor René Clausen to Cleveland as part of Good Company’s Contemporary Composers Series. Dr. Clausen will lead a masterclass at Harkness Chapel (on the CWRU campus) on Friday, Dec. 1st, and then guest conduct Good Company on Sunday, December 3rd in A Joyful Noise, a concert featuring Dr. Clausen’s compositions. The concert will be at 3:00 p.m. at Lakewood Presbyterian Church (14502 Detroit Road) in Lakewood. Many of you know that I direct Good Company, and several UUCC members and friends sing with the group as well, including Amy Collins, Leon Michaud, Anne and Steve Sanford, Pam Schenk, and Holly Walker. Click here for more information about these events.
Music Notes – Sunday, December 3rd:
This Sunday’s musicians are Windsong and UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
Pre-service music:
Make Them Hear You – Flaherty and Ahrens
History Has Its Eyes on You – Miranda
“Make Them Hear You” is a song written by lyricist Lynn Ahrens (b. 1948) and composer Stephen Flaherty (b. 1960) for their 1996 Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime. Flaherty and Ahrens are also the songwriting team behind several other Broadway musicals, including Once on This Island (1990), Seussical (2000), and the 1997 animated film Anastasia, which was adapted into a staged musical in 2017.
“History Has Its Eyes on You” is a song from Hamilton: An American Musical, a Broadway show about the life of Alexander Hamilton. The book and score for Hamilton were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980), and the show uses an innovative hybrid approach to music and storytelling, incorporating elements of hip-hop, pop, soul, and R&B, along with traditional-style show tunes and dialogue. Miranda and the show’s producers have also been intentional about casting non-white actors as American Founding Fathers and other historical figures. The show received wide critical acclaim and was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, winning 11, including Best Musical. Hamilton has been a smash commercial hit since its 2015 debut, and is currently running in New York, Chicago, London and with multiple touring productions.
Opening Hymn: # 301 Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky – Lewis-McLaren
Classically trained at the renowned Eastman Conservatory of Music, Maine native Grace Lewis-McLaren (b. 1939) is a Unitarian Universalist musician who has served our faith in many different roles for numerous congregations. McLaren wrote “Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky” (Singing the Living Tradition #301) to support the theme of the 1988 UU General Assembly in Palm Springs, California, where it was first sung as part of the opening ceremony.
Centering Music: Let Us Love in Peace – Lloyd Webber/Elton
“Let Us Love in Peace” is a song from British musical The Beautiful Game, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948) and lyrics by Ben Elton (b. 1959). The song and musical center around a group of teenagers growing up in Northern Ireland. The Beautiful Game achieved only moderate success and is little-known outside the U.K., but “Let Us Love in Peace” stands out as an anthem of hope and courage in the face of difficult times.
Offertory music: No One Is Alone – Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) was one of the most important and distinctive compositional voices in the history of American Musical Theatre. Sondheim earned numerous awards and accolades over his long and remarkable career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Pulitzer Prize, eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, and an Academy Award. Some of his most notable contributions include West Side Story (lyrics), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, a 1986 musical adaptation and re-imagining of stories and characters from familiar fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel”, and “Cinderella”. Into the Woods won three Tony Awards and enjoyed several long-running productions as well as a critically acclaimed 2014 film adaptation. “No One Is Alone” is one of the best-known songs from Into the Woods.
Closing Hymn: Hymn: #1020 Woyaya – Amarfio, Amoa, Bailey, Bedeau, Osei, Richardson, & Tontoh
Primarily written by Ghanaian drummer Sol Amarifio (b. 1938), “Woyaya” (also known as “We Are Going” or “Heaven Knows”) is the title song of a 1971 album by Oisibisa, a group of Ghanaian and Caribbean musicians. The song was frequently heard in work camps throughout central West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. The word “Woyaya” has no literal English translation but can have multiple meanings, as is the case with many scat syllables, which are a common feature in West African music. The arrangement of “Woyaya” used in our service (and appearing as #1020 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook) comes from Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Postlude: 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.” UUCC is proud to be bringing Melanie to Cleveland in May of 2024 to join us for a weekend of song and fellowship. Watch this space for more information!
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director