2023/24 Season Concert #2: Accidental Mantra Revisited

Program:
*This is a reimagined version of a concert NNC presented in April 2023
Plaudite, Psallite (0:05)
Kęstutis Daugirdas (1985-)
Sing About It (04:07)
Moira Smiley (1976-)
Reilly Munsell, soloist
Wild Forces (08:19)
Jake Runestad (1986-)
Play With Your Food!
I. Summer’s Bounty (10:32)
II. Mashed Potato/Love Poem (12:54)
III. Vending Machine (15:44)
Paul Carey
Tu Voz (17:42)
Shawn Kirchner (1970-)
vows (22:09)
Cristian Larios (1996-)
In the Middle (26:31)
Dale Trumbore (1987-)
Both Sides Now (31:56)
Joni Mitchell
arr. Ben Bram & Rob Dietz
I Can Tell the World (37:51)
arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
~Andy Jensen, Artistic Director
~Melissa Ray, Collaborative Pianist
Grow. Can. Eat. Say. See. Hear. Open. Play. Sing. Love.
This concert was inspired by Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Textbook. On pages 302-303 (don't worry, there's a lot of pictures) she describes a translation assignment from her daughter's Hebrew class:
Something about these exact words in this exact order-
like an accidental mantra
like a sublime, no-frills distillation of every single book, every single philosophy, ever single everything
like it begs to be recited over and over and over again.
The first time I read this book I found it charming. The second time, I was floored. It was April 2020 and like most everyone I was past Phase 1 of coping with the pandemic. The reality that “normality” (not to mention choral singing) wasn’t coming back any time soon had sunk in and I found myself lost, lonely, and uninspired.
At some point after finishing every jigsaw puzzle in the Metro East I was left with no other options - I was going to have to start reading again! Soon after, I decided to reread some of my favorites and this time Rosenthal’s writing resonated in a way I hadn’t felt before - absolutely commonplace, yet deeply profound. Of course it was me, not the writing that had changed.
For this concert I've selected 10 songs (ok, technically 11 songs - you get one for free!) to represent/reflect the mantra's 10 words. They will not be in the original order and I will not tell you how they correspond - you get to decide for yourself. Some will be obvious. Others, not so much!
Thank you so very much for joining us for another experience worth sharing!
~Andy Jensen

[@richiejohnson]

nicely performed and produced 👍

[@claudesnyder5753]

Promo>SM 🌺