- The 2024 WSMA High School State Honors Treble Choir
and their distinguished conductor, Dr. Mary Hopper.
[audience applauding]
["Sing Creation's Music On" by Stephen Paulus]
♪ Sing creation's music on ♪
[bright piano music]
♪ Nature's glee is in every mood and tone ♪
♪ Eternity ♪
♪ Nature's glee is in every mood and tone ♪
♪ Every mood and tone ♪
♪ Eternity ♪
♪ Nature's universal tongue singeth here ♪
♪ Songs I've heard and felt and seen ♪
♪ Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere ♪
♪ Songs like the grass are evergreen ♪
♪ Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere ♪
♪ The giver said live and be ♪
♪ And they have been ♪
♪ Forever ♪
♪ Songs I've heard and felt ♪
♪ Everywhere ♪
♪ Sing creation's music on ♪
[bright piano music]
♪ Nature's glee is in every mood and tone ♪
♪ Songs I've heard everywhere ♪
♪ Songs I've heard and felt and seen everywhere ♪
♪ Everywhere ♪
♪ Sing creation's music on ♪
[audience applauding and cheering]
["O Frondens Virga" by Hildegard von Bingen]
[singing in Latin]
♪ Alleluia ♪
♪ Amen ♪
[audience applauding]
["Ave Maria"]
♪ Ave ♪
♪ Ave Maria ♪
[singing in Latin]
♪ Amen ♪
[audience applauding]
["Wir Eilen Mit Schwachen, Doch Emsigen Schritten" by J.S. Bach]
[bright piano music]
[signing in German]
[bright piano music]
[singing in German]
[bright piano music]
[singing in German]
[audience applauding]
["Sicut Cervus" by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina]
[singing in Latin]
[audience applauding]
["Broken" by Denise Levad]
[choir humming softly]
[gentle piano music]
♪ When a compass is broken ♪
♪ It can be replaced ♪
[soft piano music]
♪ Needle, cork, shallow dish ♪
♪ Is all it takes ♪
♪ Needle, cork, shallow dish ♪
♪ Is all it takes ♪
♪ Needle, cork, shallow dish ♪
♪ Is all it takes ♪
♪ Needle, cork, shallow dish ♪
♪ Is all it takes ♪
[soft piano music]
[choir humming softly]
♪ Ahhh ♪
♪ Much more difficult ♪
♪ Is learning ♪
♪ The compass is broken ♪
[soft piano music]
♪ The compass is broken ♪
♪ That part takes decades ♪
♪ Of wandering ♪
♪ In the desert ♪
[soft piano music]
[audience applauding]
["Will There Really Be a Morning" by Craig Hella Johnson]
[gentle piano music]
♪ Will there really be a morning ♪
♪ Is there such a thing as day ♪
♪ Could I see it from the mountains ♪
♪ If I were as tall as they ♪
♪ Morning, morning ♪
♪ Where does morning lie ♪
[soft piano music]
♪ Has it feet like water lilies ♪
♪ Has it feathers like a bird ♪
♪ Is it brought from famous countries ♪
♪ Of which I have never heard ♪
♪ Morning, morning ♪
♪ Where does morning lie ♪
[soft piano music]
♪ Oh some scholar ♪
♪ Oh some sailor ♪
♪ Oh some wise man from the sky ♪
♪ Please to tell a little pilgrim ♪
♪ Where the place called morning lies ♪
♪ Morning, morning ♪
♪ Where does morning lie ♪
♪ Morning, morning ♪
♪ Where does morning lie ♪
[audience applauding]
- I hope you have found something in our music tonight
that spoke to you, some wonderful poetry,
this beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson that we just sang,
the one by Denise Levad before, "Broken."
We've explored this music in depth
and in a quick amount of time.
I just wanna say some thank yous.
I'm so thankful to the WSMA and Tim Wurgler
and the whole staff for inviting me
to work with these wonderful singers.
It has just been a delight, so thank you to them.
[audience applauding]
People that I worked with have just been so helpful.
I just want you to give a special thanks
to my accompanist.
A conductor is only as good as their accompanist.
That's what I always say.
Kira Morrissey.
[audience applauding]
I've done quite a few all-states,
but I've never done one
where I had a team that worked with me
and you met these five, counting Kira, women that helped,
that worked together last June.
You sent your kids to sing with us in June,
and then the last two days.
We just met again last night
and put this all together after not seeing each other.
So I know this team is wonderful
and I'm just gonna say their names again
because they're just wonderful.
Allison Zeitler, Ashley Calderon McHugh,
Natalie Burch and the leader,
who I think is her last year of doing this is Susan Franco.
So Susan, stand up and take another bow.
[audience applauding]
I'm very thankful I got her on her last year,
I'll just tell you that.
I was gonna have you stand up,
but I know they did this at the beginning.
But thank you to you teachers who sent in the auditions
to encourage these singers to come be a part of this.
It will only bring back strengths to your programs
back in your schools, that they've had this experience
and they can share it.
And we'll encourage their friends maybe to come next year
to audition and to come next year.
So teachers, thank you, thank you.
You are so important, yeah.
[audience applauding]
And young musicians cannot flourish
without a family behind them.
So thank you so much for the families who,
I know many of these young singers take piano lessons.
I know there's some violinists in here,
some other instruments.
And getting them to choir concerts and to organize them
and to support them to come to an event like this.
Parents and guardians and family, maybe grandparents,
we are so thankful for you also.
So thank you for supporting them.
[audience applauding]
Our last piece is kind of a fun piece,
and we welcome Elliot Rittenberry to the stage,
and Natalie's gonna play shaker.
And this is a piece by Diane White-Clayton,
"Love, the Greatest Gift."
And I think you'll find the text to be full of hope and joy,
but also knowing how important it is
for us to love each other and to bring that together.
So thank you again for sharing these singers with me,
and enjoy our final piece.
[audience applauding]
["Love, The Greatest Gift" by Diane White-Clayton]
[choir humming softly]
[djembe swishing]
[drum thumping]
[hands tapping]
[djembe swishing]
♪ If I speak with impressive words ♪
♪ In languages of the heavens and the earth ♪
♪ What gain have I without love ♪
♪ If my mind can comprehend ♪
♪ Complexities to the greatest end ♪
♪ What gain have I without love ♪
♪ If I have power to preach and to pray ♪
♪ And faith moving mountains out of my way ♪
♪ If I give all of my wealth away ♪
♪ Without love I gain nothing ♪
[soft piano music] [djembe swishing]
♪ If I speak with impressive words ♪
♪ In languages of the heavens and the earth ♪
♪ What gain have I without love ♪
♪ If my mind can comprehend ♪
♪ Complexities to the greatest end ♪
♪ What gain have I without love ♪
♪ If I have power to preach and to pray ♪
♪ And faith moving mountains out of my way ♪
♪ If I give all of my wealth away ♪
♪ Without love I gain nothing ♪
[hands tapping]
[choir humming softly]
♪ Love is patient ♪
♪ Love is kind ♪
♪ Healing the heart ♪
♪ Freeing the mind ♪
[feet tapping] [hands tapping]
♪ Love is patient ♪
♪ Love is kind ♪
♪ Healing the heart ♪
♪ Freeing the mind ♪
[hands tapping] [feet tapping]
♪ Love will not rejoice with injustice ♪
♪ Love gives, love serves ♪
♪ Love will not rejoice with injustice ♪
♪ Love gives, love serves ♪
♪ Not rude or demanding ♪
♪ Gives hope and understanding ♪
♪ The greatest gift ♪
[hands clapping]
♪ The greatest gift ♪
[hands clapping]
♪ The greatest gift ♪
♪ If I have power to preach and to pray ♪
♪ And faith moving mountains out of my way ♪
♪ If I give all of my wealth away ♪
♪ Without love ♪
♪ I have nothing ♪
[feet tapping] [choir humming]
[hands tapping] [drum thumping]
[hands clapping] [feet tapping]
♪ The greatest gift is ♪
[choir humming]
♪ Love ♪
[audience applauding and cheering]