PROGRAM
- GABI, GABI South African praise song, arr William C. Powell
- O SIFUNI MUNGU (“O Praise God”) Marty McCall, et al, arr Roger Emerson
- TE QUIERO (“I adore you”) Alberto Favero
- MUIÉ RENDÊRA (“Lacemaker woman”) C.A. Pinto Fonesca
- SOLOS sung by Alfredo Caxaj
- – MELANCHOLIA Silvio Rodríguez
- – AMOR DE CONUCO (“Love of the land”) Juan Luis Guerra
- HOLD ON! Spiritual, arr Keith Hampton
- MUSIC DOWN IN MY SOUL Spiritual, arr Moses Hogan
Every culture sings.
And every culture marks joyous, important, and transcendent moments with singing.
At the same time, singing brings strength and courage.
In this concert, we explore singing as a means of heightening the intensity of life’s important moments and events, as well as encouraging inspiration and fortitude in community.
In short, we explore singing as a carrier of the power of the human spirit.
Drawing on traditions from cultures where singing expresses life’s meaningful moments, the concert will explore how music gives voice to the passion for life of South America, Africa’s enthusiastic praise and vitality, and through the songs of Black enslavement in America, strength and fortitude to live and love.
Music includes the traditional South African praise song, “Gabi, Gabi”, which bursts with joyful energy! It is full of exciting percussion and layered vocal textures, utilizing the traditional African call and response. We follow that with “O Sifuni Mungu”, where Swahili texts alternate with the poetry of All Creatures Of Our God And King as the music dances over African rhythms in a jubilant expression of praise. Book Kimber-Johnson is our soloist.
Then we move to South America with the passionate popular song, “Te Quiero”, by Argentinian Alberto Favero with soloist, Gillian Laidlaw. A setting of a poem by Uruguayan Mario Benedetti, the literary voice of the social justice movements in South America, it expresses solidarity in the work for a just society in that continent. Then we hear a skillful blending of two Brazilian uptempo folksongs in “Muié Rendêra”.
The incomparable founder and director of Sunfest, Alfredo Caxaj, joins us in this concert to sing the solo, “Melancholia” by Silvio Rodríguez, known as the Cuban John Lennon, and one of Latin America’s greatest singer-songwriters. Rodríguez, a symbol of the Latin American left, is known for his eloquent lyrics and rhapsodic melodies. In his music he asks that humanity make the best of this world. Caxaj will also sing the lively solo “Amor de Conuco” by the Dominican Juan Luis Guerra, who is one of the best selling Latin musical artists today and winner of numerous international awards.
“Hold On!” is a musical dialogue between male and female voices, which brings out all the depth of emotion in this traditional spiritual. To be honest, it has almost become Karen’s theme song in the pandemic. Then we sing “Music Down in My Soul”, the gospel praise song inspired by the spiritual, “Over My Head”, in a rousing and energetic setting, arranged by the incomparable Moses Hogan, which features a dynamic piano accompaniment that adds to the exuberance.
We also hear Alfredo Caxaj as world percussionist, along with Jeff Floyd.
This concert is a clear testament that music makes everything better. Music takes us to a deeper place and heightens our experiences of life’s important moments.
Is it any surprise that we “Sing Joy”?
RUN TIME: 60 minutesINTERMISSION: No
ARTISTS
MEDIA
