Colin Britt, Artistic Director Elena Belli, Piano David Blasher, Cello  Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 5:00 pm West Village Chorale Presents “If I Can Sing”

Lao Rahal Soti (If My Voice Departs) Samih Choukeir Arr. Shireen Abu Khader Soloists: Susan Leicher, Victoria Powell

Refuge Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979) Soloist: Jacqueline Jones David Blasher, Cello

Geistliches Lied Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Be Like The Bird Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)

Sing Joyfully William Byrd (1540-1623)

Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One Healey Willan (1880-1968)

Morning Glow (from Pippin) Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948), Arr. Eric Van Cleave Soloists: Joan Shavit, Madolyn Accola

MLK U2, Arr. Bob Chicott

Soloist: Justin Beck

Hard Times Come Again No More Stephen Foster (1826-1864) Arr. Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970) David Blasher, Cello

Here Comes the Sun George Harrison (1943-2001), Arr. Alan Billingsley

My Heart Be Brave Marques L. A. Garrett (b. 1984)

Nia Glenn E. Burleigh (1949 - 2007)

Love is Love is Love Is Love Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)

I Love You / What a Wonderful World Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill George David Weiss and Bob Thiele

Soloists: Madolyn Accola, John Stout, Terry Quinn and Justin Beck

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West Village Chorale Presents “If I Can Sing”

Members of the West Village Chorale Colin Britt, Artistic Director and Conductor Elena Belli, Assistant Conductor and Pianist

Sopranos: Altos: Madolyn Accola Ana Beranek Claire Aidem Renée Vera Cafiero Wei-Ting Duo Grace Goodman Marguerite Easterbrook Susan Leicher Maria Faul* Sara Mael Katie FitzGerald Juliet Milhofer* Ellen Gottlieb Catherine Morrison Jacqueline Jones Marge Pfleiderer Maureen McCarthy Dianne Patterson Kaitlin Olson Victoria Powell Perin Panayotatos Katherine Schoonover Katie Sanborn-Price Loren Silber Joan Shavit Joette Warren

Tenors: Basses: Joseph Hatem* Justin Beck Liam McNamara Teedo Bilecky John Onderdonk Donald Gallagher Terry Quinn John Herzfeld* Edward Shiner Louis Krefsky Tim Krol Norman Lotz John Stout

*section leader

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Lao Rahal Soti Samih Choukeir (If My Voice Departs)

Rough transliteration of Arabic text: Lao rahal soti mab tirhal hana zhirkom Ahyuni ahla bukraw albi maahkom Lao ra hil muhanni bitdalil ayani Tizhmaah lihlu bilmaksura wil bitani.

Translation: If my voice departs, your throats (i.e. voices) will not; I look unto tomorrow and my heart is with you. If the singer goes (dies), the songs will remain, Bringing together the broken and suffering hearts.

Refuge Sara Teasdale (1884–1933)

From my spirit’s gray defeat, From my pulse’s flagging beat, From hopes that turned to sand Sifting through my close-clenched hand, From my own fault’s slavery, If I can sing, I still am free.

For with my singing I can make A refuge from my spirit’s sake, A house of shining words, to be My fragile immortality.

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Geistliches Leid, Op. 30 Paul Flemming (1609-1640)

Laß dich nur nichts nicht dauren mit Trauren, sei stille, wie Gott es fügt, so sei vergnügt mein Wille!

Was willst du heute sorgen auf morgen? Der Eine steht allem für, der gibt auch dir das Deine.

Sei nur in allem Handel ohn Wandel, steh feste, was Gott beschleußt, das ist und heißt das Beste. Amen.

Translation: Do not be sorrowful or regretful; Be calm, as God has ordained, and thus my will shall be content.

What do you want to worry about from day to day? There is One who stands above all who gives you, too, what is yours.

Only be steadfast in all you do, stand firm; what God has decided, that is and must be the best. Amen

Be Like the Bird Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile On boughs too slight, Feels them give way beneath her, and sings, And sings and sings, knowing she has wings.

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Sing Joyfully Psalm 81:1-4

Sing joyfully unto God our strength. Sing loud unto the God of Jacob.

Take the song and bring forth the timbrel, The pleasant harp and the viol. Blow the trumpet in the new moon. Even in the time appointed, And at our feast day.

For this is a statute for Israel, And a law of the God of Jacob.

Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One Song of Solomon

Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.

For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear upon the earth.

The time of singing of birds is come.

Arise, my love, my fair one, And come away.

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Morning Glow (from Pippin) Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948) Morning glow, morning glow, starts to glimmer when you know, Winds of change are set to blow and sweep this whole land through. Morning glow is long past due.

Morning glow, fill the earth, Come and shine for all you’re worth. We’ll be present at the birth of old faith looking new. Morning glow is long past due.

Oh, Morning glow, I’d like to help you grow. We should have started long ago.

So, morning glow, all day long, while we sing tomorrow’s song. Never knew we could be so strong, but now it’s very clear. Morning glow is almost here.

Morning glow, by your light We can make the new day bright, And the phantoms of the night will fade into the past. Morning glow is here at last. At last.

MLK U2

Sleep, sleep tonight, And may your dreams be realized. If the thunder cloud passes rain, So let it rain, rain down on him. So let it be. So let it be.

Sleep, sleep tonight And may your dreams be realized. If the thunder cloud passes rain So let it rain, rain down on him.

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Hard Times Come Again No More Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

Let us pause in life’s pleasures, and count its many tears, While we all sup sorrow with the poor. There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears, Oh! Hard Times, come again no more!

‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary: Hard Times, come again no more. Many days have you lingered around my cabin door, Oh! Hard Times, come again no more.

While we seek mirth and beauty, and music bright and gay, There are frail forms fainting at the door. Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks still say, Oh! Hard Times, come again no more.

Tis the song, the sigh of the weary, Hard Times, Hard Times, come again no more: Many days have you lingered around my cabin door, Oh! Hard Times come again no more.

‘Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave, ‘Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore, ‘Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave, Oh! Hard Times come again no more.

‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary, Hard Times, Hard Times come again no more; Many days have you lingered around my cabin door, Oh! Hard Times come again no more.

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Here Comes the Sun George Harrison (1943-2001)

Doo ’n doo doo doo doo doo doo doo do…

Here comes the sun, and I say, “It’s all right.”

Little darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years, since it’s been here.

Here comes the sun, and I say, “It’s all right.”

Little darling, the smiles returning to their faces; Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here.

Here comes the sun, and I say, “It’s all right..”

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.

Little darling, I feel like ice is slowly melting; Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear.

Here comes the sun, and I say, “It’s all right..”

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.

My Heart Be Brave James Weldon Johnson (1876 – 1938)

My heart be brave, and do not falter so, Nor utter more that deep, despairing wail. Thy way is very dark and drear I know, But do not let thy strength and courage fail; For certain as the raven-winged night Is followed by the bright and blushing morn, Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright; ’Tis darkest when the night is furthest worn. Look up, and out, beyond, surrounding clouds, And do not in thine own gross darkness grope, Rise up, and casting off thy hind’ring shrouds, Cling thou to this, and ever inspiring hope: Tho’ thick the battle and tho’ fierce the fight, There is a power making for the right.

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Nia Matthew 22:37-39; Luke 10:27 John 13:34-38; 1 John 4:7-21

Why was I born? Why was I born? Was I born to feed hungry children, or to give shelter to the homeless? Was I born to be my brother’s keeper, companion to the lonely? I was born to love the Lord with all my heart, my soul, my mind and strength. If I love God I can love all people. This is my purpose. Nia.

Why was I born? Why was I born? Was I born to preach the Gospel, or to care for aging parents? Was I born to help the unwed mothers or council the pris’ner? I was born to love the Lord with all my heart, my soul, my mind and strength. If I love God I can love all people, If I love all people, I can love God! This is my purpose. This is why I sing my song. Nia, Nia, Nia.

Love is Love is Love is Love Words Compiled by Abbie Betinis

Love is love is love is love, Love is love is love is love. Love, love, love, All we need is love, love, love. Ubi caritas et amor, Where there’s love, love is love. Love, love, love, All we need is love.

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I Love You Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill

We can be together now and forever – I love you, I love you. And when I’m prayin’, I hear him sayin’ I love you; I love you.

People all over the world, they’re opening up, They’re comin’ around. And they’re sayin’: I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

What a Wonderful World George David Weiss and Bob Thiele

I see skies of blue and clouds of white, Bright blessed day and dark, sacred night; And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, Are also on the faces of the people passing by, I see friends shaking hands, saying “How do you do?” They’re really saying, “I love you.”

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know, And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world.” What a wonderful world!

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 Special Thanks to:

Audio Engineering – Christopher Greenleaf Videographer – Dylan Bank Program – Katie FitzGerald, Grace Goodman Zoom Guru – Liam McNamara Artwork – Catherine Morrison, Jorge Garcia The Management and Staff of Judson Memorial Church

And All of our Donors and Supporters!

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