OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Madelyn Mensen, Artistic Director, has been active in music for over 35 years. Originally from Plum Hollow, she most enjoyed participating in the Brockville Lions Music Festival as a child, performing with the Brockville Operatic Society, school bands, and studying organ at St. Lawrence Church. After completing a degree in music at Carleton University, she pursued a career in funeral services. Today she is an established business owner, member of the Brockville Lions Music Festival committee, church musician, and devoted wife and mother. She looks forward to supporting performing arts in the community for years to come.
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Thoughts on the Spring 2026 Program
VOICES UP!
In our Spring 2026 program, we invite you to come with us on a Canadian immersion. We are gathering to explore the landscape, culture, and spirit of Canada through song and storytelling. Canada is more than a nation defined by coordinates; we are a friendship formed between land that is older than sound, and gull chased ships. Our stories are told best by our poets and composers; our rockers and scholars; our dancers and ancestors. Every song in this program is by a Canadian composer/artist, and all (except one) of the texts are written by Canadian lyricists and poets.
In our first half, we begin our journey with stillness (So Still, Brian Tate) and the brush-stroked words of Emily Carr, followed by answering a call with the ethereal song-style of Bruce Cockburn (All the Diamonds). After setting sail, we return home by the inviting music of Allister MacGillivray (Away from the Roll of the Sea); a reflection on the end of day. How Canadian is it to be grounded by the sea? Tobin Stokes reminds us to Hunker Down when there’s a Southeastern coming. Storms on the sea, long winters with long nights are a fact of life here, so naturally we have a lot of love to go around in Cotton Jenny (and a lot of love for Gordon Lightfoot). But, when the winter finally breaks, we awake from our slumber and seek prosperity, like the voyageurs centuries ago; as felt in Donald Patriquin’s arrangement of C’est dans le mois de mai, where the seduction of Spring evokes delirium. But enough of that, gents. The ladies reply with an admission in The Log Driver’s Waltz that only the birliest of men will catch their eye. The rest get skunked.
As we portage our way across land and river, we can agree that “there’s something ‘bout this country that’s a part of me and you” in Woodsmoke and Oranges by Ian Tamblyn. Never so aptly has a journey by paddle been put to pen as the words of E. Pauline Johnson in Song My Paddle Sings; listen for the ‘pushing off’ the shore, for the j-stroke, and brief encounters with rapids in the music by Matthew Emery. Our paddle strokes take us back to when we were So Still, only now it has become a plea; Time Stand Still by Rush. There is so much left undone; so much potential to reach and progress to be made, while taking time to pause, reflect, and recharge. How the years have flown by; it must be time for a Heritage Minute. La Bolduc comes alive once more to rally the people, to remind us of our tenacity, our resourcefulness, and ingenuity in Ca va venir. Stay the course, with your elbows up, unified as one; a Hymn to Freedom where we soulfully march on with Oscar Peterson.
Our second half keeps Canada coming. From social commentaries in Anthem by Leonard Cohen, and All I Have to Bring Today, music by Larry Nickel, to cultural coming-of-age, in vastly different eras, as told in Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot and Prairie Greyhounds by Jeff Smallman, with a reappearance by E. Pauline Johnson, a national treasure. Did we just get grounded by the sea, only to sail West across the prairies? Here is a different kind of grit; the cross-sharing of blood, sport, and folk song with our neighbours. As our railways crawled towards the setting sun, there was much meshing of candied culture. Today, we proudly look back upon years of camaraderie through singing words by Emily Dickinson, and thematic material by Elmer Bernstein in Trent Worthington’s arrangement of Blood on the Saddle. We have been the best of friends. But we’re still tougher. Just ask Stompin’ Tom Connors. We’re also Ahead by a Century; in Gord Downy’s famous rock ballad we can interpret the original intention of the lyrics (about the infinite possibilities embedded in innocence) as the formation of Canada itself and the ever-evolving relationship and reconciliation with indigenous people. It is a delicate topic to broach, and is as much part of our story as the land is inviting. We ask to be taken ‘there’ in Emmene-Moi by Marie-Claire Saindon. Together, we face the music; the catharsis found by opening our hearts to healing, forgiveness and acknowledgement in Gimikwenden Ina by Corey Payette, from the musical Children of God. And from that, comes a reckoning. As We Rise Again by Leon Dubinsky, we are united as a thriving nation, overcoming adversity, inner-conflict, and severed ties by forging new bonds through resiliency, and a pure, headstrong heart.
Our second half keeps Canada coming. From social commentaries in Anthem by Leonard Cohen, and All I Have to Bring Today, music by Larry Nickel, to cultural coming-of-age, in vastly different eras, as told in Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot and Prairie Greyhounds by Jeff Smallman, with a reappearance by E. Pauline Johnson, a national treasure. Did we just get grounded by the sea, only to sail West across the prairies? Here is a different kind of grit; the cross-sharing of blood, sport, and folk song with our neighbours. As our railways crawled towards the setting sun, there was much meshing of candied culture. Today, we proudly look back upon years of camaraderie through singing words by Emily Dickinson, and thematic material by Elmer Bernstein in Trent Worthington’s arrangement of Blood on the Saddle. We have been the best of friends. But we’re still tougher. Just ask Stompin’ Tom Connors. We’re also Ahead by a Century; in Gord Downy’s famous rock ballad we can interpret the original intention of the lyrics (about the infinite possibilities embedded in innocence) as the formation of Canada itself and the ever-evolving relationship and reconciliation with indigenous people. It is a delicate topic to broach, and is as much part of our story as the land is inviting. We ask to be taken ‘there’ in Emmene-Moi by Marie-Claire Saindon. Together, we face the music; the catharsis found by opening our hearts to healing, forgiveness and acknowledgement in Gimikwenden Ina by Corey Payette, from the musical Children of God. And from that, comes a reckoning. As We Rise Again by Leon Dubinsky, we are united as a thriving nation, overcoming adversity, inner-conflict, and severed ties by forging new bonds through resiliency, and a pure, headstrong heart.
We hope that you will enjoy this offering, this celebration of identity, this sovereign story that is ours. O, Canada!
Thoughts on the Fall 2025 Program
CHRISTMAS IN BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS
INTRODUCTION
At Christmastime, we often think of joy, light, and celebration. But beneath the glitter and festivity lies a quieter truth—one that reveals the soul through the stillness of winter. This season, our program invites you to explore Christmas not just as a time of merriment, but as a journey through vast solitude, wonder in darkness, and the strength found in quiet struggle.
In the hush of snow-covered nights, there is a sacred kind of hope born not of ease, but of endurance. The music in this program aims to bring life out of the darkness, by shining a light inwards as part of the season’s sacred mystery.
Christmas, after all, began in obscurity—in a stable, under stars, far from grand halls and gilded thrones. And so we sing not only of light and life, but of the shadows that make it shine brighter; not only of rejoicing, but of the quiet courage that carries us there.
FIRST HALF
O Magnum Mysterium – Francis Poulenc
The text of O magnum mysterium is at least 1,000 years old, originating as a plainchant from the Catholic Matins service for Christmas Day, at least as early as the 10th century. While the exact origin is unknown, this chant has been sung for centuries, appealing to numerous composers who have created various musical settings of the text over the years. An all time favorite is French composer Francis Poulenc’s version from his Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël (Four Motets for Christmas) (1952). Poulenc treats the text in a typical neo-classical fashion; clarity, balance (note the A-B-A), and emotional restraint (minimal focus on virgin’s womb). The melodic lines are as ethereal as they are technical and may give some of our members flashbacks to our Spring 2024 concert.
Messe de Minuit pour Noël – Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Charpentier composed the Messe de Minuit pour Noël (c. 1694) for the Jesuit church of the Église Saint-Louis in Paris where he was music director. He upheld a longstanding tradition for this mass to be celebrated around midnight as the first of three on Christmas Day: to base the music on melodies of French noëls (Christmas carols). Some of these tunes were secular in origin, and in theory the use of secular material in church music had been forbidden by the Council of Trent, but long traditions were tolerated.
In different program notes for this work, including our choral transcript, it is often mentioned that although the Messe de Minuit is not Charpentier’s “most spectacular” or “profound” Mass (he wrote about 12 known Masses), it is undoubtedly his “most charming” for the fact that it is based on French Christmas carols. It is fun, and surprisingly upbeat for the most part.
Evermore – arr. Moorhouse and Paul
“Of the Father’s love begotten” is a doctrinal hymn (one that is meant to teach and reinforce religious doctrine) based on the Latin poem “Corde natus” by the Roman poet Aurelius Prudentius. This setting of the famous hymn, with violin and piano accompaniment, is equal parts serenity and epic; the big musical moments reveal a kind of ferocity embedded within perpetual, undying love.
INTERMISSION
SECOND HALF
O Magnum Mysterium – Morten Lauridsen
Morten Lauridsen’s treatment of the ‘Magnum Mysterium’ text is that of a more emotional approach than Poulenc; the apex of the piece is of Mary and her impending sorrow. He also ends with the ‘Alleluia’, which Poulenc chose to leave out. Please see the link to watch Morten Lauridsen discuss his inspiration and approach to the Magnum. You will appreciate that referring to Lauridsen as a ‘master of his art’ is a colossal understatement; https://music.usc.edu/mortenlauridsen/celebrating-morten-lauridsen-o-magnum-mysterium/
Wherefore Do The Heathen Clamour? – Camille Saint-Saëns (from Christmas Oratorio)
The Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12, by Camille Saint-Saëns, also known as his Christmas Oratorio, is a cantata-like work scored for soloists, chorus, organ, strings and harp. While an organist at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns wrote the Christmas oratorio in less than a fortnight, completing it ten days before its premiere on Christmas 1858. We will be performing a selection from the Oratorio ten days before Christmas. The text of the chorus number we are singing comes from Psalm 2, Verse 1, which is a prophetic psalm describing the opposition of the nations to God and His Messiah. The question asks for the motivation behind their furious and insolent actions against divine authority. Perhaps the answer is found in the following selection …
The Snow – Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar composed “The Snow” around 1890, setting a poem by his wife, Alice Elgar, to a vivid, SSA choral piece for two violins, and piano. The poetry uses contrast (i.e. “sinks so light” and “thy soft grave”) to create a sense of struggle with purpose. We can certainly relate to the cold, darkness of our Christmas season in the North, and the propensity for inward reflection and growth as we journey deeper into the night.
The Shepherd’s Chorus – Gian-Carlo Menotti (from Amal and the Night Visitors)
This selection from Amal and the Night Visitors is from the part in the opera where the neighbours are summoned. In the true spirit of Christmas, the neighbours appear and bring festive confectionaries. The tempo is upbeat yet warm, with long phrases that draw you in. It embodies the spirit of fellowship and celebration that is synonymous with the Christmas season. This piece also has a connection to Samuel Barber, who collaborated with Menotti on many compositions. Barber was brought in to finish the orchestration for Amal when the deadline was fast approaching and Menotti had not yet finished the score, which was commissioned by NBC to be aired on Christmas eve in 1951. The inspiration behind Menotti’s setting was Hieronymus Bosch’s The Adoration of the Magi.
Stars I Shall Find – Seth Houston
Stars I Shall Find is a setting of the poem “There Will Be Rest” by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). Teasdale suffered from depression and died of suicide. The poem speaks to the possibility of finding peace in the midst of sorrow. This setting by Seth Houston sonically speaks to themes of vastness and isolation through soaring melodies and abrupt changes in tone and dynamic. At the heart of this selection we find despair, steely resolve, and finally comfort written in the stars.
Kalinka – Vadim Prokhorov
The Russian folk-song “Kalinka” captures the essence of the Russian folk style, as it alternates between soulful lyricism and unbridled passion, expressed by the tempo changes and the breath-taking accelerandos. The lyrics refer to “The Snowball Tree”, which is a small bush-like tree with flowers that resemble snow balls, and is considered a significant element of Russian culture. This selection is sure to dazzle and invite audience participation.
See Amid The Winter’s Snow – Dan Forrest
This selection, also known as “The Hymn for Christmas”, is an English Christmas carol, written by Edward Caswall and first published in 1858. Dan Forrest’s arrangement needs no introduction to our choir, as we have sung it on many occasions. Its grandiose treatment of the text embodies the spirit of Christmas and is a powerful way to finish our concert-proper.
Sing-Along Carol To Finish
For a grand finale, we will invite the audience to join us in singing either one or two “big” carols (example, “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” and/or “Joy To The World”).As I was searching for inspiration for this season’s concerts, I was struck with the idea of veering away from the ‘Christmas Concert’ circuit and focusing on Remembrance Day instead. It would call for an earlier calendar date than what we’ve aimed for over the past few years, however, I had no doubt that, with the right program, we would be able to put together a beautiful, poignant dedication to our fallen ancestors that doubles as a call to peace in the world today.
Thoughts on the Spring 2025 Program
THIS DAY!
This program aims to use choral music to represent a complete rotation of the Earth, referencing the shifting nuances of the day as we continue down the path of the spacetime continuum. The topic of the sidereal day appealed to me for its potential for exploring tropes that describe change/uniformity, light/dark, birth/death, marvel/expectation; a few of many antithesis that occurs (often simultaneously) every day. Admittedly anthropocentric, I hope that our performance inspires gratitude, sonder, and celebration, and serves as a reminder that we all have purpose and value within a complex celestial sphere of shared responsibility.
In the first song, Sunrise by Arden Beckett, we experience a sunrise using a segment of a poem by Emily Dickinson called “I’ll tell you how the Sun rose”. You can hear the call and answer of the black-capped chickadees, the upwards chromatic movement of chords and the quickening of the words as the sun “casts it’s light” over the horizon.
After the sunrise, we have Rise Up My Love, My Fair One, words by King Solomon; this passage from Song of Solomon paints a glorious picture of new life and awakening. Set to energetic music by composer Healey Willan, it is as uplifting as it is motivating and is a well-suited selection to represent the earliest light of day.
The following work is Z. Randall Stroope’s Hodie; it is accompanied by brass and percussion. This particular edition is a revised version of it’s original, with a brand new first movement and new material throughout the second and third movements; a new day! The title’s translation is “This Day” and is our featured work of the program. All three movements are steeped in fanfare, grandeur, and glory. The text is both secular and non-secular, lending it a quality that is appropriate at any time of the year.
After Hodie is Psalm of Praise by David Brunner. It has a more laid-back, ‘jazzy’ feeling to it in both rhythm and harmony. The soulful nature of the music, with text from Psalm 104 speaks to the late-morning with it’s imagery of light as a garment; stretching out the heavens like a curtain.
This brings us to the slowest piece of the first half, Noon, by Cecil Effinger with his spot-on depiction of the title in both music and text (by Colorado’s first poet laureate, Thomas Hornsby Ferril). We can hear the heat of the day in the slow moving choir parts, the imagery of midday slumber and fragrant wafts of sage, combined with the cicada-esque intercessions by the oboe, this piece brings the listener to a place under the garish sun on the prairie at high noon!
Heading into the afternoon, the program is livened up again with an arrangement of Golden Afternoon, from Walt Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’; a post-siesta tune with lyrics based on Alice’s adventures in the garden of live flowers. It puts you in the mood for tea and jam pennies 🙂
Following an afternoon stroll in the garden comes Afternoon on a Hill by David Dickau. This joyful and positive choral piece is set to a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which expresses an appreciation for life, a reverence for nature, with an understanding that in all the splendour that unfolds around us, we are welcome but to a humble place within it.
To close the ‘day’ portion of our program, we are called Westward with the piece, Prairie Greyhounds by Jeff Smallman. This work opens with the words “I swing to the sunset land”, and serves to foretell what is to come. The piece is upbeat, with quick passages of text that tell of the railway opening the West to the world. With a toe-tapping fiddle and snare, it is as energizing as it is fun, and rounds out the themes of land, expanse, and light that have been the focus of our daytime half as we follow the path of the sun, and aptly end our first half with the words “I am the homeward bound”.
~ Intermission ~
The second half begins with the sundown, as represented by Samuel Barber’s Let Down the Bars O Death. Here, we have the reemergence of text by Emily Dickinson (re; “I’ll tell you how the sun rose”). The sombre pace and falling lines at the words “let down the bars..” and “the tired flocks…” evoke a sense of settling, while the lines between have minimal movement, suggesting a kind of suspension in time until the progression into the night can commence.
L’Heure Exquise by Ronaldo Hahn is a masterclass in imagery, both in song and text. The translation of the title is “The Exquisite Hour”; which for all intent and purposes could be placed in multiple places in the second half of this program. I chose to put it in the ‘early evening’, interpreting the moon as being high in the sky (described as ‘white’) and setting in the early evening as a waxing crescent (it will be on May 4th). This work is a reflective, lyrical moment that the audience will love.
In thinking about thematic material for ‘nighttime’, I kept coming back to nautical imagery and musical content. Therefore, the next three songs bring us further into the evening with a nautical theme. The first is Away from the Roll of the Sea by Allister McGillivray, a fluid folk-like tune that tells of boats resting in the harbour; their daytime adventures have been left on the sea. It is thought-provoking; who and what are our truest selves and how is that revealed when we are alone? What do we bring home with us, and what do we leave behind in our daily grind?
The following piece is Hunker Down by Tobin Stokes; a riveting sea shanty-esque work that sings of an approaching storm, urging the listener to “hunker down for the night”. The idea of incorporating a ‘tempest’ number in the night half was too good to pass up!
To bring it back full-circle we have Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre. This represents the calm after the storm, and a progression into the time of deep sleep. The lyrics are from a poem by Rudyard Kipling, in which a mother seal is singing to her baby, assuring its safety and describing a place where it will always find love.
Now that we are lulled to sleep, the next segment of the program looks to the stars! Our first glimpse is Sure on this Shining Night by Samuel Barber, text by James Agee, that speaks of star-made shadows; a brilliant afterlife, where in loss there are full hearts and healing.
We then move to Lightly Stepped a Yellow Star by Dan Forrest (text, again, by Emily Dickinson), where the brilliance of the stars is heard in the accompanying glocks, celeste, vibes, and various percussion instruments. I particularly like how this work ties in the reference to the Copernican celestial orbs in the Hodie through words like “lofty”, “Astral Hall”, and Forrest’s use of chords to create a ‘vastness’ using parallel octaves and fifths. It is a piece that radiates.
The third salute to the stars is Falling Stars by Kevin Padworski, using the poem of the same title by Rainer Maria Rilke; it is a dazzling piece of which the composer writes, “The poet poignantly reflects on the transient nature of existence and the importance of living in the present moment”, as well of his intention to compose meaningful and intricate music for both choir and “musician at the keys”. This piece contains a lot of star-power, where everyone shines.
Following the eleven o’clock number, we come to midnight. The selection for this is When Midnight Mists are Creeping by Greg Gilpin; a gorgeous setting of the poem “Dreamland” by Lewis Carroll. This particular work recapitulates much of what we have sung about to this point, and encases the material in a neat package that showcases our musicality and blend.
Whereas midnight is often thought of as the ‘end’ of night, I wanted our program to continue its exploration into the early hours of the morning; when it is dark, still, and yet stirring. Noche Serena felt like the perfect fit; it evokes drama and boldness. I liken the dance between night and the impending dawn to be heard in the dance between the accompaniment and choir. The text, “What it is, what it shall be, and all that was?” suggests a beautiful surrender to the night, and perhaps finding a serenity within ourselves?
To close out the program, I chose a piece with the ever larger-than-life composition-style of Ralph Vaughan Williams: Let All the World In Every Corner Sing. Our arrangement includes the addition of brass quintet with the organ. It is overflowing with exuberance and feelings of progression; looking on to what lies ahead. Tomorrow is a new day!
Thoughts on the Fall 2024 Program
PEACE & REMEMBRANCE
As I was searching for inspiration for this season’s concerts, I was struck with the idea of veering away from the ‘Christmas Concert’ circuit and focusing on Remembrance Day instead. It would call for an earlier calendar date than what we’ve aimed for over the past few years, however, I had no doubt that, with the right program, we would be able to put together a beautiful, poignant dedication to our fallen ancestors that doubles as a call to peace in the world today.
Requiem: One of the most popular choral works to date, the Fauré Requiem continues to inspire the world with its ethereal beauty. I associated this Requiem, in particular, with a dedication to the memory of those who died in war due to Fauré’s inclusion of In Paradisum at the end; the text is from the Burial Service following the Funeral Mass rather than the liturgical Requiem, thereby ending with a sense of peace and eternal rest.
In Remembrance: To follow the last movement of the Requiem, I have chosen In Remembrance by Eleanor Daley. The text, suitably, is that of a popular anonymous/untitled funeral poem that starts with the line, “Do not stand by my grave and weep”. Sung a cappella, it captures the numb bewilderment of committing a loved one to the earth, but not without offering consolation through the last line, “I am not there, I did not die”. Through those words we affirm that our remembering the fallen is not done in vain, but preserves the integrity of their sacrifice.
O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem: This piece was written by Herbert Howells in 1941, during what is known today as “The Darkest Hour” of WW2 (mid 1940 – mid 1941); a fitting end to the first half. It is from a larger set of four anthems titled “In Time of War” and is set to the text of a portion of Psalm 122. It also serves as a not-so-subtle nod to the current state of unrest in the Middle East today.
~ Intermission ~
Let The River Run: After a first half that focuses on Remembrance Day as a commemoration of death and sacrifice, the second half has been designed to bring those who have fallen to life again. Our aim is to create a kind of looking glass that showcases their frivolity in youth, their dreams and innocence. Let the River Run serves as a segue with its references to the “New Jerusalem” – although the lyrics weren’t written by Simon with any specific religious or political intent, “The New Jerusalem” can be interpreted as a kind of promised land for the working class, which made up the bulk of those who served in the world wars. Whether by choice or conscription, those who served were swept up in a conflict they couldn’t escape until it had run its course.
It’s A Long Way to Tipperary: This was sung as a marching song by the soldiers in the first world war and is remembered as a song of that war. What I love the most about it is how it concentrates on the longing for home, which is more relevant to the lives of the soldiers, rather than a boisterous commentary on glorious deeds and hero-culture.
Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers: This song is meant to highlight the many ways that people came together to help in the war efforts throughout both world wars, in a fun and interactive way. The tongue-twisting taglines in the song can be used to engage the audience, thereby applying the ideals of the subject matter (comraderie and participation) to the concert in real time.
In Flanders Fields: this piece is meant to be a segue between the pieces from WW1 and WW2 – lest we forget that at the end of the first world war over 9.7 million personnel were dead along with 10 million civilians. John McCrea had penned his iconic poem that has become an everlasting part of the oral tradition of the western world and a staple in Remembrance Day tributes.
As Time Goes By: After singing the words of In Flanders Fields, I needed a reverent way to move into the music from World War 2, so a slightly quicker song in the swing style of “As Time Goes By” felt right. The song was originally composed in 1931, but made famous by its appearance in the film, “Casablanca” in 1942. The lyrics of “no matter what the future brings” and “the world will always welcome lovers” has an undertone of cynicism from the viewpoint that conflict is seemingly always brewing. Does time really heal all?
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy: This iconic WW2 song made popular by the Andrew Sisters entertained the troops and kept toes tapping, all while the lights were being turned off across Western Europe. It reveres the youth and vitality of the very soldiers we remember and astutely captures the soundscape of the era. In another subtle nod, we remember the tremendous contributions of our nation’s women and enjoy this number featuring the soprano and alto sections.
In The Mood: To continue the energy of the second half, we have a piece derived from a popular piece by the Glen Miller Orchestra, which includes the tenor and bass sections. Our WW2 selections serve to superimpose a modern-day practice to the bygone era of WW2; that of the Celebration of Life. Such a term would have been inconceivable to the public at that time and in subsequent years, until the turn of the 20th century.
After The War: The last two pieces bring us back to the aftermath of conflict and are a call for reflection. This piece is probably the most moving and emotionally draining one in the concert. It can be heard as a song between a woman and her lover/husband, but can also be a dialogue between a mother and a son, a father and a son, etc. As a frequenter of many wakes, I realized in my twenties that as a child born after 1980 my perception of veterans was a bit skewed compared to older generations; to me (as a kid), a veteran was an old, wrinkly, grey person from the Legion who wore a suit jacket, medals, and shiny shoes. It wasn’t until I worked in funeral homes that I realized that it was young, handsome, wide-eyed men in uniform, that we often saw in picture frames beside caskets and urns, that were the original casualties of the great world wars; the massive cemeteries across Europe are filled with the young – not the old. When I read the lyrics, “my love, please forgive me, I never planned to die” I think of a client I sat with who told me stories of lying about his age to get into the Navy and all the debauchery these young teenagers got up to in the North Atlantic Ocean. It would seem that dying was never on the radar because they hadn’t yet reached an age where they could realize their own mortality.
Lord Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace: The final piece the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis and a summary of the intention of this concert – with war persisting in the world today, Remembrance Day is (unfortunately) a fluid occasion that has been added to over the decades since the great world wars. Although it is a slower selection, the phrasing is uplifting musically, as well as lyrically, thereby leaving us with a glimmer of hope, a kind of surrender to goodness and faith in humanity.