PROGRAM
A concert that delivers a significant and timely message right on the eve of the election! Featuring the compelling return of Andrea Ramsey's emotionally charged "Suffrage Cantata," along with other stirring pieces that celebrate the bravery required to create change.
For a printable pdf version of the program, please click HERE.
WELCOME
Welcome to VOX’s 28th season! More coming soon...
Holley Replogle-Wong is a Lecturer in Musicology at University of California, Los Angeles, and the Program Director of the UCLA Center for Musical Humanities. She has taught courses on film music, popular music, American musical theater, and western music history at UC Berkeley, Chapman University, and UCLA. She is also a regular speaker for the LA Opera Connects educational outreach programs.
Her research interests include topics in musical theater, voice, fandom studies, 19th- and 20th-century American cultural hierarchies, classical crossover, and film and video game music. She has music-directed musical theater productions at UCLA and for primary and secondary schools, sung with various vocal ensembles (including VOX!) and for the occasional film soundtrack.
My Voice Be Brave
November 3, 2024 – 4 PM
Zipper Concert Hall at The Colburn School
Dr. Iris S. Levine, Founding Artistic Director
Lisa Edwards, Collaborative Pianist
Orchid Quartet
Yuri Inoo, Eliza Kinney, percussion
What Happens When a Woman
Alexandra Olsavsky
arr. Artemesia
Mika Jain, Missy Nieto, Sumana Wolf, soloists
When Thunder Comes
My Heart Be Brave
Hands Upon the Plow
Keep Marchin (from SUFFS)
Suffrage Cantata
Mari Esabel Valverde
Marques L.A. Garrett
Jocelyn Hagen
Shaina Taub
arr. Jennifer Lucy Cook
Andrea Ramsey
Texts taken from historical sources
Commissioned by VOX Femina Los Angeles
and a consortium of women’s choruses
Simone Ledward Boseman, Narrator
Multi-media by Helen R. Mendoza
1. It Is Coming
Early Women's Right's Perspectives
Lesili Beard, soloist
2. Failure Is Impossible
Illegal Voting, Arrest, & Trial of Susan B. Anthony
3. A Woman's Place
Ida B. Wells-Barnett and the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Procession in Washington D.C.
Angelica Rowell, soloist
4. Shall Not Be Denied
The Silent Sentinels, Arrest, Imprisonment & Abuse
Desiree Balfour, XXXXXX, soloist
5. Forward Into Light
Ratification and the Journey Forward
Bethany Encina, Sonia Ohan, XXXXX, soloists
Dr. Andrea Ramsey enjoys an international presence as a composer, conductor, scholar, and music educator. Her teaching experiences range from work with adolescent and children’s voices to high school and collegiate voices. She enjoys regular opportunities to conduct all-state and divisional level honor choirs, festival events at Carnegie Hall, and served as a principal conductor for the Pacific International Young Women’s Choral Festival in Eugene, Oregon and conducted the National ACDA Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir in 2023. Before leaping into full time composing and guest conducting, Andrea held positions in music education and conducting at The Ohio State University and the University of Colorado, respectively.
An ASCAP Plus award-winning composer, Andrea believes strongly in the creation of new works. Her compositions are available with traditional publishers and also through MusicSpoke, a digital sheetmusic marketplace. She enjoys residency collaborations with ensembles and festival choirs, some of which have included: the University of Oregon, the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, and the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans.
As a scholar, she has presented for state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the 6th Annual Symposium on Sociology in Music Education, as well as The Phenomenon Singing Symposium in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. She has co-authored articles published in the Choral Journal, as well as the Journal of Research in Music Education. A native of Arkansas, she has experienced in her own life the power of music to provide a sense of community, better understanding of our humanity, and rich opportunities for self-discovery.
Singer, writer, and performer Simone Ledward-Boseman believes in the power of music and storytelling to drive empathy and affect social change. A native of Vallejo, California, Simone infuses smooth soul with elements of funk, hip hop and spoken word- creating a unique brand of conscious music that uplifts and inspires. As a performer, she searches for the truth behind every passage and aims to draw listeners into the full power of the story through an honest portrayal that peels back the intricate layers of the human experience.
Diana V. Sáez, DMA, is a leading specialist in the field of Latin American music and an accomplished choral conductor. She is frequently invited as guest conductor, adjudicator and lecturer in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Sáez was the founder and artistic director of Cantigas, a chamber choir that she founded with the mission to increase awareness and appreciation of the many rich styles of Latin America and Spanish choral music. For 25 years Cantigas was a principal performer of Latin American music, with appearances at the ACDA Eastern Division Convention, Kennedy Center, Strathmore Center, museums and embassies, as well as international tours in Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela,
Puerto Rico and Cuba. In 2014, the choir was awarded the Choral Excellence Award for Most Creative Programming by the Choralis Foundation in Washington, DC.
Diana Sáez is an active member of Chorus America, and the American Choral Directors’ Association. In June 2015, Ms. Sáez was a guest panelist at the ACDA’s Second National Symposium on American Choral Music – The Music of Latin America in Austin, Texas.
In addition to Cantigas, Dr. Sáez was the artistic director of the World Bank-IMF Chorus for sixteen years and directed the Catholic University Women’s Choir for six years.
Dr. Sáez began her musical education at the Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, PR. She earned a Master of Choral Conducting from Temple University, and a Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Maryland in College Park. Among her mentors and teachers are Violeta De la Mata, Alan Harler and Dr. Edward Maclary.
Her choral music and arrangements are published by Boosey and Hawkes and by the Roger Dean Publishing Company, a division of The Lorenz Corporation.
Sherry Blevins is a sought-after artist, award-winning composer, lyricist, as well as an award-winning music educator and conductor. Since 2017, she has 27 publications with 5 different publishing houses and has been honored to compose and work with a variety of ensembles around the world including Canada, Italy, China, Alaska, and across the United States. She will premiere a new work with National Concerts at Carnegie Hall in June 2024 and again with MidAmerica in July of 2025 where she will premiere a major, multi-movement work called “Tipping Point.”
Sherry has a bachelor’s degree in music education with a principal in voice from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in choral conducting from Appalachian State University. She currently resides with her wife, Ruth, in Huntersville, North Carolina. Her hope is that whether through composing or teaching, that the music she shares will bring hope, life, and light to others.
Contact Sherry at sherryblevinsmusic.com.
Texts & translations
For a printable pdf version, please click HERE
One With the Wind
David O. & Larissa FastHorse
Inside this body, no one here but me. No one in here but me. Me. Misnala. Alone, I fight the wind. Alone I fight the wind. Though my body aches, and my mind is weary, and my heart breaks, Alone, I fight my wind. My mother, my daughter, my sisters… Tiwahe. We build the wall to shield you. We build the wall to shield you. We build the wall so you can fight the wind. In the circle, in the circle, in the circle, we stand against the wind. Tioshpaye. Tioshpaye. Tioshpaye. My daughters, my sisters… We walk together, we work together. We help each other, We hold each other. Let the wind cool you, let the wind soothe you, let the wind move you. Do not fear the wind. Do not fear the wind. Tioshpaye. Together we face the wind. All mothers, all daughters, all sisters, Oyate. We face the North for fortitude, we face the East for wisdom, we face the South for a generous spirit, we face the West for courage. From the four corners of the Earth, the wind blows over us all. From the four corners of the Earth, the wind blows over us all. Together we rise, together we fly, together, we sail on the wind. The one breath of the Earth. The one breath blows through us. The one breath inside of us. We are one with the wind. One with the wind. We are one with the wind. One with the wind. Hoka Hey!
The Girl with the Numbers
Marie-Claire Saindon
Can a Black student take part as a scholar, a classmate can “separate but equal” finally unite? Why not? I am no better than anyone, but no one is better than me. Can a woman pioneer as an expert, a master can a “computer in skirts” change the script? Why not? I am no better than anyone, but no one is better than me. Can a Black woman challenge as a colleague, an equal c an the “girl with the numbers” balance the question and reach for the moon? Why not? I am no better than anyone, but no one is better than me.
I Want to Die While You Love Me
Rosephanye Powell
I want to die while you love me While yet you hold me fair, While laughter lies upon my lips And lights are in my hair. I want to die while you love me, And bear to that still bed, Your kisses turbulent, unspent To warm me when I’m dead. I want to die while you love me Oh, who would care to live Till love has nothing more to ask And nothing more to give? I want to die while you love me And never, never see The glory of this perfect day Grow dim or cease to be!
Searching for Dark Matter
Jocelyn Hagen
For this we go out dark nights, searching For the dimmest stars, For signs of unseen things: To weigh us down. To stop the universe From rushing on Into its own beyond on and on Till it exhausts itself and lies down cold, Its last star going out. Whatever they turn out to be, Let there be swarms of them, Enough for immortality, Always a star where we can warm ourselves. Let there be enough to bring it back From its own edges, To bring us all so close we ignite The bright spark of resurrection. Bright spark. Always a bright spark.
Canto' E Libertad
Miriam Suzzette Ortiz & Diana Saez
Come, sing with me this Yuba song! (La la la) Come, sing following the Yuba rhythm, sing with me for freedom! Today, I invite you to reflect (on freedom) while I sing this Yuba. And if you want to change the world, bring freedom into your life. Let's give each person their space, To fight for equality. Make the drums sound, for freedom. Let this song travel, for freedom. Let's sing all together, for freedom. Let the children sing, for freedom. No more prejudices, for freedom. Stop the violence, for freedom. Come, sing following the Yuba rhythm, for freedom!
Measure Me, Sky!
Elaine Hagenberg
Measure me, sky! Tell me I reach by a song Nearer the stars; I have been little so long. Horizon, reach out! Catch at my hands, stretch me taut, Rim of the world: Widen my eyes by a thought. Sky, be my depth, Wind, be my width and my height, World, my heart’s span; Loveliness, wings for my flight.
O viridissima virga
Hildegard von Bingen
Hail! O greenest branch that went forth in the windy gusts of the saints’ discernment. When the time came for you to blossom on your branches, “Hail! Hail!” was said to you, because the heat of the sun produced sweat like the fragrance of balsam on you. For in you a beautiful flower bloomed, which gave scent to all the spices which were dry. And they all appeared in full freshness. Whence the heavens poured dew over the grass and the whole earth was made happy since its womb produced grain and since the birds of the sky had nests on it. From there food for humans was made, and the great joy of banqueters. Whence, o sweet Virgin, no joy is lacking in you. All these things Eve scorned. But now let there be praise to the Most High.
The Tree of Peace
Gwyneth Walker
O my sister and my brother, all who walk upon this earth, fold to your hearts each other; Where mercy dwells, the peace of the Lord is there. To live rightly is to love on another, Each kindness a gift, each deed a prayer. O my sister and my brother, fold to your hearts each other; Listen, listen to one another Walk with reverence in the steps of those who have gone before, where forgiveness and wisdom have stood. So shall the wide earth become our temple, Each loving life a psalm of gratitude. Then shall all shackles fall. The violence of war over the earth shall cease Love shall tread out the fire of anger, And in its ashes plant the tree of peace!
Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing
J. Rosamond Johnson
arr. Zanaida Robles
Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, Facing the rising sun of our new day Begun let us march on till victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our parents sighed? We have come over a way That with tears have been watered, We have come, treading our path Through the blood of the slaughtered. We have come over a way That with tears have been watered, We have come, treading our path Through the blood of the slaughtered. Out from the gloomy past, Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on our way. Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, Our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine Of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, Truey to our God True to our native land. Lift ev'ry voice and sing!
We Remember Them
Susan LaBarr
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them, We remember them. At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn; At the start of the year and when it ends; We remember them, we remember them. As long as we live, they too will live; As long as we live, they are a part of us. They will live, as long as we live, we remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength; When we are lost and sick at heart; When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them, we remember them. A long as we live, they too will live, as long as we live, they are a part of us. They will live, as long as we live, we remember them. When we are wewary, when we are lost, In chill of winter, they are part of us. In warmth of summer, in blue skies, when we have joy, we remember them. As long as we live, they too will live, they will live. As long as we live, they are part of us, the will live. As long as we live, we remember them, As long as we live, we remember them.
Warrior Song
The Wyrd Sisters
I was a shy and lonely girl With the heavens in my eyes And as I walked along the lane I heard the echoes of her cries I cannot fight I cannot a warrior be It's not my nature nor my teaching It is the womanhood in me I was a lost and angry youth There were no tears in my eyes I saw no justice in my world Only the echoes of her cries I cannot fight I cannot a warrior be It's not my nature nor my teaching It is the womanhood in me I am an older woman now And I will heed my own cries And I will a fierce warrior be 'til not another woman dies I can and will fight I can and will a warrior be It is my nature and my duty It is the womanhood in me.
When I Become an Old Woman
Susan LaBarr
When I become an old woman, when I become and old woman, I’ll be magnetic. It’s genetic. When I become and old woman, an old woman, I’ll be vivacious, Extra loquacious. I’ll lose my filter, and say exactly what I’m thinking. I’ll learn to tango, I will dance like nobody’s watching. I’ll never worry when people pass judgment, Poor saps don’t know what they’re missing! I’ll give up plucking, embrace my inner Yeti. I will wear stretchy pants and never bother with zippers or button flies (Who has time for buttons?) I’ll toss my bras away! Say goodbye to my underwire prison! When I become an old woman, when I become an old woman, my purse could hold the kitchen sink (the whole sink!) It will be hot pink! When I become an old woman, when I become an old woman. I will be brassy, and oh, so sassy! When I become an old woman, I will dance the tango! La, dee, da, dee, la, dee, da!
When I Rise Up
Zachary J. Moore
When I rise up, above the air and I look down on the things that fetter me. I beat my wings upon the air, or tranquil lie oh surge after surge of potent strength, like incense comes back to me, when I rise. Your world is as big as you make it I know, for I used to abide in the narrowest nest in a corner My wings pressing close to my side But I sighted a distant horizon Where the skyline encircled the sea And I throbbed with a burning desire To travel this immensity. When I rise up, above the air and I look down on the things that fetter me. I beat my wings upon the air, or tranquil lie oh when I Rise up, when I Rise, when I rise. I battered the cordons around me And cradled my wings on the breeze Then soared to the utmost reaches with rapture with pow’r with ease Surge after surge of potent strength, like incense comes back to me, when I rise. When I rise up, above the air and I look down on the things that fetter me. I beat my wings upon the air, or tranquil lie Oh when I rise up, when I rise, when I rise. When I rise, when I rise!
Acknowledgments
AV Manager: Francesco Perlangeli
AV Technicians: Sergey Parfanov & Derek Williams
Graphic Design: Kate Jordan
Proofreader: Laurie Fox
Music Librarian: Michele Mulidor
Special Thanks to Bethany Encina and all the students in the Los Osos High School Advanced Treble Choir, Serenata, for singing with us today.
Thank you to all our volunteers this afternoon who are ushering, assisting with Will Call, and making this concert a stellar experience for our audience, and to all the friends and family members who volunteer their services to support VOX throughout the year.
"This concert is supported, in part, by a grant from the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
VOX also receives generous support from the following organizations:
California Arts Council, Chorus America, The City of Culver City, The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The City of West Hollywood, The Confidence Foundation, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and The Perenchio Foundation.