- And now it is my privilege to introduce to you
the 2022 WSMA High School State Honors Treble Choir
and their distinguished conductor, Dr. Rhonda Fuelberth.
[audience clapping]
[gentle music]
* This is the sound of one voice *
* One spirit, one voice
* The sound of one who makes a choice *
* This is the sound of one voice *
* This is the sound of voices two *
* The sound of me singing with you *
* Helping each other to make it through *
* This is the sound of voices two *
* This is the sound of voices three *
* Singing together in harmony
* Surrendering to the mystery
* This is the sound of voices three *
* This is the sound of all of us *
* Singing with love and the will to trust *
* Leave the rest behind, it will turn to dust *
* This is the sound of all of us *
* This is the sound of one voice *
* One people, one voice
* A song for every one of us
* This is the sound of one voice *
[audience clapping]
[gentle music]
[bells ringing]
[singing in foreign language]
[audience clapping]
[gentle music]
[people humming]
* Come, come, O Love
* Come, Love
* Come, O Love
* Come, when the nights are bright with stars *
* Or when the moon is mellow
* Come when the sun his golden bars *
* Drops on the hay-field yellow *
* Come in the twilight soft and gray *
* Come in the night or come in the day *
* Come, O love, whene'er you may *
* And you are welcome
* You are sweet, O Love, dear Love *
* You are soft as the nesting dove *
* Come to my heart and bring it to rest *
* As the bird flies home to its welcome nest *
* Come, O Love
* Come when my heart is full of grief *
* Or when my heart is merry
* Come with the falling of the leaf *
* Or with the redd'ning cherry
* Come when the year's first blossom blows *
* Come when the summer gleams and glows *
* Come with the winter's drifting snows *
* And you are welcome
* Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome *
* Welcome, welcome, welcome
* Come, O Love
[audience clapping]
[person coughing]
[gentle music]
[reflective music]
[melancholic cello and piano music]
* From my spirit's gray defeat
* From my pulse's flagging beat *
* From my hopes that turned to sand *
* Sifting through my close-clenched hand *
* From my spirit's gray defeat
* From my pulse's flagging beat *
* From my hopes that turned to sand *
* Sifting through my close-clenched hand *
* From my own fault's slavery
* From my own fault's
* If I can sing, if I can sing
* I still am free
* For with my singing I can make *
* A refuge for my spirit's sake *
* Refuge for my spirit's sake
* Refuge
* A house of shining words, to be *
* My fragile immortality
* If I can sing, if I can sing
* I still am free
* If I can sing, if I can sing
* If I can sing, I still am free *
* I still am free
* I am free
[audience clapping]
- Thank you so much for being here tonight
and for joining us for this concert.
I know that these fabulous sopranos
and altos mean so much to so many of you.
They are your heart.
Yes, they are your students and they are your friends.
They're your family.
And it's a wonderful chance to be here
in what my father would have called
the Promised Land of Wisconsin.
I am from Nebraska.
Don't hold that against me.
I teach at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
But my father owned a shirt that was divided down the side,
with badger on one side and husker on the other.
And he would always, I know a little bit.
No matter the outcome of the game,
someone's going to be happy, yeah.
My parents are both from Wisconsin.
So I would say Nebraska
is in my heart and Wisconsin is in my blood.
And there are family members all over this state.
And so it is truly an honor to come here
and work with these incredible young people,
in case you have any doubt
about the future of our world, you shouldn't.
[audience clapping]
So we have been working with pieces that all come together
under what I'm going,
we have actually kind of morphed this
a little bit, from many voices, we are one.
And that really has multiple meanings for us at this time.
We have all been through a lot in the last several years.
We have found so many ways to sing together.
None of them as satisfying, as being able
to be in person together, to be able to find that way
that music helps us connect to how we are human,
helps us connect to ourselves, helps us connect to each other.
And that's something that we just can't replicate
in a small box on the screen.
However, what that may have taught us
is that this is a very special
and unique thing that we get to come together
and be in this space together.
And for just a moment, even if we don't get a chance
to see each other again,
we got to be a part of this moment here with all of us
and with all of you,
and have this experience with this music.
All of these pieces surround the idea of how music functions
in our lives, but how we come from so many different places.
And yet we come together to create one voice.
And we started our program
in that way with our fabulous trio.
And working into our thoughts about light
and how light is the thing that will help us
through the darkest of times.
And then following that up with this beautiful piece
by Elaine Hagenberg, "Refuge", which takes us
on quite the rollercoaster and is just more beautiful
and beautiful by adding the cello.
It is such a pleasure to be here
and to witness the incredible teaching
and artistry that's happening here
in the state of Wisconsin.
In special thanks to all of these incredible section coaches
who have been here with us all week.
And this is our program.
It's great to work as a team.
We would like to, and now I'm remembering how I thought
so carefully about the order of this program.
And it took me just a moment.
We're going to sing for you a piece called "Spes".
I hope you'll take a look at the program notes
about this piece.
It's a little complicated in nature in that there
are some big ideas about being human in it.
That we think about how we can find wisdom over time.
How we inevitably will have some sort of conflict
that exists in our lives.
That there are a few things that are sure
that we don't have control over the future.
At one point we say, we do not know the hour of our death.
And so what, what can I do with that,
except I can live and live to my fullest.
This is "Spes."
[gentle music]
[singing in Latin]
[singing syllables in Sami]
[singing in Sami]
[singing in Latin]
[singing in Latin and Sami}
[audience clapping]
[people humming]
* We are the stars which sing
* We sing with our light
* We are the birds of fire
* We fly over the sky
* We are the stars which sing
* Our light is a voice
* A voice for spirits
* We make a road for spirits
* Our light is a voice
* A voice for spirits
* We make a road for spirits
* For the spirits to pass over
* Among us there are three hunters *
* Who chase a bear
* There was never a time
* They were not hunting
* Among us there are three hunters *
* Who chase a bear
* There was never a time
* They were not hunting
* Not hunting, not hunting
* We look down on the mountains *
* We are the stars which sing
* We sing with our light
* We are the birds of fire
* We fly over the sky
* We are the stars which sing
* We sing with our light
* We are the birds of fire
* We fly over the sky
* We are the stars which sing
* Stars which sing
* The song of the stars
* We are the stars which sing
* This is the song of the stars *
* We are the stars which sing
* This is the song of the stars *
* The song of the stars
[audience clapping]
A favorite response today when I said,
tell me your favorite song.
And we had some answers, but I liked a couple
times hearing all of them.
I think we have really enjoyed this magical ride.
We got to start with only three days in the summer
but they were fabulous, packed days
of making beautiful music
and friends, you are in for a treat
with our last piece, "Children Go Where I Send Thee",
so I say, hitch up.
Yep, ready for the ride.
I thank you again so much for the opportunity to be here.
I thank you for your support of the music
in Wisconsin schools, in Wisconsin as a state.
And I particularly appreciate your support
of all of these fabulous sopranos
and altos who are up here on the stage.
I will miss them
and it has been a true treat to work with them.
"Children, Go Where I Send Thee".
[audience clapping]
* Children, go where I send thee *
* How shall I send thee
[drums banging]
[upbeat music]
* Children, go where I send thee *
* How shall I send thee
* I'm gonna send you one by one *
* One for the little bitty baby *
* Wrapped in swaddling clothing *
* Laid down in a manger
* Born, born, born, born in Bethlehem *
* Children, go where I send thee *
* How shall I send thee
* I'm gonna send you two by two *
* Two for Paul and Silas
* One for the little bitty baby *
* Wrapped in swaddling clothing *
* Laid down in a manger
* Born, born, born, born in Bethlehem *
* Children, go where I send thee *
* How shall I send thee
* I'm gonna send you 10 by 10
* 10 for the 10 commandments
* Nine for the nine that dressed so fine *
* Eight for the eight that stood at the gate *
* Seven for the seven that went up to heaven *
* Six for the six that never got fixed *
* Five the for gospel preachers *
* And it's four for the four that stood at the door *
* Three for the Hebrew children *
* Two for Paul and Silas
* One for the little bitty baby *
* Wrapped in swaddling clothing *
* Laid down in a manger
* Born, born, born, born in Bethlehem *
* Story that I'm writin'
* Seed to sow is never endin'
* Everlastin' to everlasting
* And you know it's on to heaven
* You get the God message in the AIM
* Is a lesson
* And quit the instant messin'
* And the messages are festerin'
* Softening our hearts
* And it's reachin' all the people
* We do this in the streets
* And underneath the steeple
* Rather talk the talk
* But the young ones walk the walk
* They're crawlin' in the dark
* But my voice is the torch
* Drink the milk, eat the meat
* Fallin' at the Savior's feet
* The sinner take a peek
* Everybody take a peek
* At the heart of the matter
* He's the King of the kings
* Married to the church
* I got the Lord of the rings
* Gold streets where I'm dancing
* Father got mansions
* Beauty in God, imagine
* What do you fathom
* You heard this story to grow
* Hey, so it's time to go
* Hey, hey!
* You heard this story to grow
* Love and light so it's time to go
* Hey, you heard this story to grow
* Love and light so it's time to go!
* Ten for the Ten Commandments
* Nine for the nine that dressed so fine *
* Eight for the eight that stood at the gate *
* Seven for the seven that went up to heaven *
* Six for the six that never got fixed *
* And he never got fixed
* Five for the gospel preachers *
* Four for the four that stood at the door *
* Three for the Hebrew children *
* Two for Paul and Silas
* One for the itty bitty baby
* In swaddling clothes
* Laid in a manger
* Who was born, born,
* Born, born
* Born, born, born, born
* Children go where I send thee *
* How shall I send thee
[audience clapping]
[audience cheering]