Come, Sing a Song with Me!
We’re very happy to say that the UUCC Chancel Choir has returned to regular Wednesday evening gatherings after a nearly two-year hiatus, and the choir will be singing in several upcoming UUCC services. The UUCC Chancel Choir is open to all adults and high school youth who are interested, regardless of experience level. The choir rehearses at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in the Worship Center (Room 208), and professional childcare is available for any who need it. If you have any questions, please get in touch with UUCC Music Director Mike Carney. We hope to see you next Wednesday!
Music Notes – Sunday, March 27th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Chancel Choir and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney.
Opening Hymn: #1056 Thula Klizeo – Shabalala
“Thula Klizeo” (#1056 in Singing the Journey) is a Zulu chant written by Joseph Shabalala (1940-2020). Shabalala, a native of South Africa who is best-known as the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, wrote this song while staying in New York City in 1988. He was missing his home in South Africa, and with Apartheid still in effect, did not know if he would ever be allowed to return. His simple but profoundly impactful statement: “Be still my heart, even here I am at home.” is the entirety of the song’s lyrics. The power in chants like “Thula Klizeo” is in the depth of the meaning, its connection to the traditions of the past and its defiance for a better tomorrow.(includes material from uua.org)
Centering Music: Color and Light – Sondheim/Muhly
“Color and Light” is a song from Sunday in the Park with George, a 1984 musical by Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021), which was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for the show, which won two Tony Awards as well as the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This reimagining of Sondheim’s “Color and Light” for piano is by Nico Muhly (b. 1981), an American composer who is difficult to categorize. Muhly was trained at Columbia University and the Juilliard School and has been commissioned to compose for traditional institutions including the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and San Francisco Symphony, but he has also collaborated with rock and pop musicians such as Sufjan Stevens, Glen Hansard, and Björk.
Meditation Response: #323 Break Not the Circle – Benjamin/Kaan
One of the best-known living UU composers, Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940) remains an active performer, educator, and composer. Many of his works can be found in our Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey hymnals. Published both as a composer and an author and the recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Benjamin taught for many years at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and also taught music theory and composition at the esteemed Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Benjamin wrote the music for “Break Not the Circle (#323 in Singing the Living Tradition), setting words by Dutch minister and prolific hymnwriter Frederik Kaan (1929-2009).
Offertory Music: Child of God – Miller
American composer, conductor and performer Mark Miller believes passionately that music can change the world. He also believes in Cornell West’s quote that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Mark’s dream is that the music he composes, performs, teaches and leads will inspire and empower people to create the beloved community. Mark serves as Assistant Professor of Church Music at Drew Theological School and is a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale University (from markamillermusic.com). A longtime member of the United Methodist Church, Mark wrote “Child of God” as a response to those in his faith who reacted negatively upon learning he was gay. The song was published in 2013 but has seen a recent resurgence in the wake of the UMC’s controversial decision to tighten restrictions on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ leaders.
When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place – Poley
#1008 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook, “When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place” was written in 1996 by UU musician and composer Joyce Poley (b. 1941). This song “invites us to see ourselves in others. As we come to understand that all people have wisdom to share and stories to tell—regardless of culture, gender identity, social status, or faith—we begin to realize how important our commonalities are, and how interwoven our lives. When we open ourselves to this sacred idea, then ‘our heart is in a holy place’.” (from uua.org)
Postlude: I Lift My Voice – Ramsey
Dr. Andrea Ramsey (b. 1977) enjoys an international presence as a composer, conductor, scholar and music educator. Before leaping into full time composing and guest conducting, Andrea held positions at The Ohio State University and the University of Colorado Boulder. An award-winning composer with approximately 100 works to date, she believes strongly in the creation of new music. A native of Arkansas, Andrea has experienced in her own life the power of music to provide a sense of community, better understanding of our humanity and rich opportunities for self-discovery. (from andrearamsey.com) Of her 2017 composition “I Lift My Voice”, Dr. Ramsey says: “I was inspired by the line ‘with glad defiance in my throat, I pierce the darkness with a note’ from James Weldon Johnson’s poem, The Gift to Sing, and I created this tune in hopes of acknowledging the power of music and the importance of community in
pursuing justice and unity.”
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director