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| Come see me perform with the Millennial Choirs & Orchestras May 18th. |
Without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite pieces from our Spring concert:
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Summary: Praise to the Lord is a powerful show-opener, and attention focuser for the audience! I won't give away any details, but prepare your hearts; because this one might give you a cardiac arrest. And sometimes we need to be shaken up. Sometimes—without even knowing it—we find ourselves on a scenic detour from the Lord's strait and narrow way. But as you take your seat in Abravanel Hall, leaving the worrisome world at the door, this humbling, Mack Wilberg arrangement will swiftly remind you who you are and where you want to be.
Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath breath, join with Abraham's seed to adore Him!
How Great Thou Art
Summary: This Swedish folk song, brilliantly arranged by one of our conductors, Brett Stewart, reinforces the powerful message from the opening piece—but this time, with a profoundly reverent tone. Here, we step back, look around, and ponder on the universal & awesome power of the Great Creator, Jesus Christ.Special Message: As the listener is taken on a cosmic tour—from planets and stars, to woods and mountains—we are reminded that the God of our universe condescended to bleed and die to take away our sins. And not only did He crush the two obstacles preventing us from returning to our heavenly home, He additionally bore our every grief and pain (gladly) that we might not suffer (Alma 7:11-13). This hymn is for those of us who need to remember how objectively great the Savior is, and how unthinkably great He is on a personal level for sacrificing to know and save us individually.
Deliver Us (from Prince of Egypt)
Summary: This song is surprisingly emotional for me. The descendents of Israel—who, in the days of Joseph, willingly exchanged their labor for food—were suddenly subjugated into slavery by an Egyptian pharaoh due to their intimidating numbers. And so they were forced to craft mud, sand, water, and straw into monuments to a foreign god. They did this day in, and day out…for 20 generations (400 years) #thanks4thepyramids!
Slavery by itself is horrific. But it adds insult to injury when you consider that the God of their father Abraham promised them a land of their own, only to be seemingly forgotten by Him. I weep as I sing this piece and try to empathize with the pitiful cries of the Hebrew slaves. Their plight is truly heart wrenching.
Slavery by itself is horrific. But it adds insult to injury when you consider that the God of their father Abraham promised them a land of their own, only to be seemingly forgotten by Him. I weep as I sing this piece and try to empathize with the pitiful cries of the Hebrew slaves. Their plight is truly heart wrenching.
Special Message: To be honest, when I first received the sheet music, I thought this song was a bit hokey. However, the more time I spent with it, the more I realized how much I resonated with its message of deliverance.
Like the Hebrew slaves, many listeners may also feel forsaken by God, impatiently waiting for His promised blessings in their lives. It's normal to feel frustrated and upset when one's life hasn't turned out "according to plan." Deliver Us offers incredible perspective and promise to those struggling in this camp.
For others, this piece is a faith-affirming confirmation that God calls prophets to lead his people through a dark and troubled world.
For others, this piece is a faith-affirming confirmation that God calls prophets to lead his people through a dark and troubled world.
For me, however, this song tells the story of an utterly exhausted people, beaten down to the point of desperation. I too have felt desperation; when literally no other power but God's could save me (think Alma the Younger). Similar to the Hebrew slaves, it took me a LONG time before I was prepared to experience His saving grace. As we sing the final refrain—"Deliver us! To the promised land!"—I recall my exquisite humiliation before God, and the beautiful moment of finally feeling ready to depend on the power of Christ to rescue me.
Favorite Part: As a member of the Grand Chorus, this piece has three emotional stages:
- Part I — In the beginning, I summon my most-dramatic, Broadway self to lament our current state of bondage. I longingly cry to heaven, questioning if God can even hear the suffering of His people. Nevertheless, I faithfully endure by remembering that God has promised us a land of our own.
- Part II — Later on in the piece, due to exhaustion and desperation, my tone becomes reckless, belligerent, and demanding—teetering on the edge of abandoning home. "These years of slavery grow too cruel to stand. Deliver us. There's a land You promised us." (Note: Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars is an amazing foil for Moses of the Old Testament.) Then baby Moses is sent down the river, and the tone changes.
- Part III — By the conclusion, I have given up on every hope of salvation, save one. As a choir, we turn our hearts and voices to God in a final act of desperation, and faithfully express our reliance on him to "send a shepherd to shepherd us, and deliver us to a promised land." (E.g., "General Kenobi…this is our most-desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope.")
Homeward Bound
Summary: I've always had a special fondness for this Mack Wilberg arrangement. It was the piece I listened to on repeat after my grandpa passed away. Probably one of the first thoughts that comes to mind when hearing or reading these lyrics is that it is a funeral song, along the same lines as Dvorak/Fisher’s “Goin’ Home.” Focusing on the theme of returning home, this song tells the story of a sojourner who has finally found himself at death's door, torn between worlds, and ruminating upon the invitation to come home. He sings, "Bind me not to the plow. Set me free to find my calling, and I'll return to you somehow." (LDS members find an easy connection between returning home and the Plan of Salvation. We also assign a special meaning to the word, "calling" as it relates to having one's "calling and election made sure.") Interpreting the piece in this way was comforting for me. I felt assured that my grandpa had lived a full life, and that countless friends and loved ones were waiting and wishing to receive him home.
Since then, my interpretation has transformed from a dirge into a personal prayer. This LDS blogger explains it much better than me. If you're interested, click the link and scroll down to the heading, "A Prayer." (A contextual analysis of the song makes me think that the author, Marta Keen Thompson, had more of a wistful love song or prodigal son angle in mind originally.)
Special Message: Somehow, this song offers profound and personal meaning for all listeners, regardless of their interpretation; especially:
- If you have lost someone.
- If you yearn for a loved one who you feel has gone astray.
- If you are the one searching for meaning.
- If you need personal revelation.
- Or if you simply desire to express your righteous intentions to the Lord. (My current favorite interpretation.)
If you find it’s me you’re missing,
if you’re hoping I’ll return,
To your thought I’ll soon be list’ning;
in the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing
as my journey nears its end,
And the path I’ll be retracing
when I’m homeward bound again.
Be Still, My Soul
Summary: This arrangement has a very tender story that accompanies it. For me, the narrator of this story is a heavenly angel looking down on a loved one who is having difficulty picking up the broken pieces of their life. Although she can only communicate through "allelujahs" heard throughout the piece, the angel (a guest soprano soloist) convincingly offers the constant reassurance that God, "thru thorny ways, leads to a joyful end." (This is the only concert piece we have performed before, and it's been enhanced.)
Special Message: If we think about it, it's our loved ones who have passed on that are the calm and collected ones. It's us—the ones they leave behind—who are the hot messes. This piece teaches me that our loved ones are very near us, leaning into the veil, inviting us to find solace in the comforting arms of the Savior as we faithfully enduring to the end.
Favorite Part: This was my absolute favorite piece in 2017, and gratefully, it made this list again this year. The recording below was the first time our choirs and orchestra ran through this piece together this semester. (We hadn't sung it in a while.) I just wanted to give you a visual feel for the number of talented people who have consecrated their time and talents to make this concert happen.
Other Amazing Songs I Get to Sing:
- Millennial Song (The heart and soul of this organization, and the reason it was formed.)
- I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked
- A Million Dreams (from The Greatest Showman)
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- Old Church Choir (Country song made famous by Zack Williams)
- Peace, Be Still
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Concert Pieces I Don't Sing, But Are Still Awesome:
- Remember Me (from Disney/Pixar's Coco)
- How Firm A Foundation
- True to the Faith
- Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
Conclusion:
I wrote this post because I want to invite you to our concert and for you to believe me when I promise you that it will be well worth it. The most-expensive seats for our concerts are already sold out, but there are still great seats available, especial for the 5pm show. It's the best $20-40 investment in yourself you can make. It's like going to therapy; except it's less expensive and you will see immediate results. If you are in need of emotional release, but don't know how to get it— If you ache from recently-endured pain, loss, or anguish— If you long for peace, solace, and joy— Please invest in yourself, and experience Songs of the Heart with us at Abravanel Hall in SLC this Friday. Concert times are 5pm and 8pm.
SO wish I had been there! It is good therapy!
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