There is music to be made!

September is just around the corner and it’s time. It’s time to sing again in one way, shape, or form! As we navigate our way back after a long hiatus and prepare to sing together in-person (as we are able), the chorus and I are excited to welcome you to our 13th season!  I’m spending these summer months preparing for our upcoming chorus year, a return unlike any other. In my preparations, I came across this quote by Samuel Rogers:

This season we will not only learn a few new pieces and sing some of our most tried and true selections, we will continue work on Dan Forrest’s Jubilate Deo, a major choral work never performed before in Hawaiʻi. We spent last season working on Jubilate Deo… and did so entirely on Zoom! We are looking forward to presenting this work next May and are honored to know that the composer, Dan Forrest, is planning to attend.

Jubilate Deo is an extensive choral work with full orchestra. It brings to life the global aspect of the traditional Psalm 100 text, “O be joyful, all ye lands,” by setting it in seven different languages and drawing from a wide spectrum of musical influences. Each movement combines some characteristics of its language group’s musical culture with the composer’s own musical language. Movements include liturgical Latin, intertwined Hebrew and Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Zulu, Spanish, Song of the Earth (untexted), and a closing movement combining several of these languages with English. The result is a stunning global celebration of joy, as all the earth sings as one, “omnis terra, jubilate!”

If you are a singer, we hope you can join us in the music-making. Our Open House is planned for  Tuesday, September 7, 6:45-9:00pm (location TBA). If you are an audience member, we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming concerts (stay tuned for our performance schedule). Until that time, I wish you a very safe and joyous summer! A hui hou!

Aloha,