LIFT EVERY VOICE!
PEACE & JUSTICE TOUR
selections from the following:
"Wangol" traditional Haitian tune arranged by Sten Källman
This song from Haiti, has an allegorical undertone about a country in change. Wangol, the king of Angola, is a voodoo spirit and he is addressed in the song: “Wangol, you are leaving. When will I see you again? The country is changing.”
"Hard Shoulder" composed by Stephen Hatfield
Hard Shoulder was written to honor the “House of Compassion,” a Toronto outreach to street people. It is a powerful song that presents the reality of life on the streets in an unvarnished way, with a mixture of styles.
"All Good People" composed by Delta Rae and arranged by Matt Carlson ‘13
All Good People is a song about gun violence and police brutality and was written in response to the tragedy on June 12, 2015 at the A.M.E. church in Charleston, SC. “Come on and raise your voice above the raging seas. We can’t hold our breath for ever when our brothers cannot breathe. All good people won’t you come around, defend your brothers”
"Spiritual" composed by Ysaye M. Barnwell
Spiritual is a song about social justice made famous by Sweet Honey in the Rock. “Troubles of the world fill our hearts with rage from Soweto to Stonewall, Birmingham and L.A. We’re searching for hope that lie within ourselves as we fight against misogyny, race, hatred, and AIDS”
#ICan’tKeepQuiet composed by MILCK and arranged by Hannah Glick ’17
#ICan’tKeepQuiet is dedicated to celebrating women’s unique voices and identities, in an effort to break the cycles of oppression and fear, perpetuated by today's media. The song became famous when the LA-based musician, MILCK, started guerrilla style performances at The Women's March on Jan 21st, 2017. MILCK wrote the song as a commentary on the unreasonable expectations that society places on women. “Shut up and smile/don’t spread your legs/I can’t keep quiet no/a one-woman riot.”
"The Greatest" composed by SIA and arranged by Eddie Holmes ‘18
The Greatest was written as a response to the Pulse night club shootings in Orlando, FL on June 17, 2016. “Running out of breath, but I got stamina…Don't give up; I won't give up. I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive. I'm free to be the greatest here tonight.”
"Janger" composed by Budi Susanto Yohanes
Brent Talbot was first introduced to this song in 2011 during a research trip to Bali, Indonesia. Janger is a famous social dance, the first of its kind on the island where male and females performed together.
"Oh! Dunia" composed by Bernard Mukasa and arranged by Brent Talbot & Matt Carlson ‘13
On a trip in 2008 to study how music was used in youth empowerment movements in northern Tanzania, Brent Talbot spent time at the Awet Secondary School where he interacted with an incredible choir who shared this very song. “Oh! Dunia” is a cry to the world to listen to the voices of the youth. “Oh! world, why do you abandon us? What have we done wrong? Why do you not like kids? Oh! world, hear our cry.”
Three Songs of Faith composed by Eric Whitacre
"i will wade out"
"hope, faith, life, love"
"i thank You God for most this amazing day"
Eric Whitacre chose a trio of poems by e.e. cummings for this song cycle, representing the reflections on the mysteries of life and being. The first poem of the cycle, almost sings itself in lush neo-Romantic images of sensual exploration. The second comes from a much longer poem, but Whitacre decided to only use the poet's first four words and last four, treating the middle song as a series of brief meditations on these deep concepts. In the third poem, the poet rejoices in the staggering opening of nature and claims that “my ears awake and my eyes have been opened.”