Program (Notes)
Troubled Water - Margaret Bonds 02:02
Casey Robards, piano
The Hymn! - arr. Stacey Gibbs 09:22
(Samuel Francis Smith, Julia Ward Howe, James Weldon Johnson)
Jeanine Howard and Karen McVoy, soprano; Jeffrey Burish, tenor
Chatham Choral Ensemble; Katherine Sanders, snare drum
My Country tis of thee You’ve not been good to me.
Laid down my life for you, Ever been tried and true
Freedom you have each day Has not been passed my way
But we’ll march on ‘til victory is won!
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
(Lift Evry Voice and Sing) God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we are pray-in’.
(Chorus)
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
(Chorus)
On the battlefield for my Lord with truth and sword
Marching for truth and for liberty in one accord
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
We stand strong in Unity as we march on to victory in the service of the the Lord
Let’s live in harmony, Unity, Liberty and freedom for all,
Freedom for all mankind!
Lyric for Strings - George Walker 18:04
Caitlin Edwards and Anya Brumfield, violin; Wilfred Farquharson, viola; Lindsey Sharpe, cello
Plain-Chant for America - William Grant Still (Katherine Garrison Chapin) 27:20
Henry Pleas, tenor and Casey Robards, piano
For the dream unfinished Out of which we came
We stand together
While a hemisphere darkens
And the nations flame
Our earth has been hallowed
With death for freedom
Our walls have been hallowed With freedom’s thought
Concord, Valley Forge, Harper’s Ferry
Light up with their flares our sky of Doubt
We fear tyranny as our hidden enemy
The black shirt cruelty, the goose step
Mind No dark signs close the doors of our speaking
No bayonets bar the doors of our prayers
No gun butts shadow our children’s eyes
If we have failed,
Lynchings in Georgia
Justice in Massachusetts undone
The bloody fields of South Chicago!
Still a voice from the bruised and the battered
Speaks out in the light of a free sun saying,
“Tell them again, say it, America, say it again ‘till it splits their ears
Freedom is salt in our blood and its bone shape
If freedom fails we’ll fight for more freedom”
This is the land and these are the years!
When freedom’s a whisper above their ashes
An obsolete word out of their graves
When the mind has yielded its last resistance
And the last free flag is under the waves
Let them remember that here on the western horizon
A star once acclaimed has not set
And the strength of hope and the shape of a vision
Died for and sung for
And fought for and worked for is living yet!
Credo: 1. “I believe in God” - Margaret Bonds (W.E. B. DuBois) 38:09
Full Choir and Casey Robards, piano
I believe in God who made of one blood all nations that dwell on earth. I believe that all men, black and white, are brothers, varying through Time and Opportunity, in form and gift and feature, but differing in no essential particular, and alike in soul and in the possibility of infinite development.
Negro Folk Songs in Counterpoint, 2. "Somebody Knockin’ on Yo’ Do" - Florence Price 41:37
Caitlin Edwards and Anya Brumfield, violin; Wilfred Farquharson, viola; Lindsey Sharpe, cello
Credo: 6. “I believe in liberty for all men” - Margaret Bonds (W.E. B. DuBois) 46:07
Full Choir; Philip Phillips, bass-baritone soloist and Casey Robards
I believe in Liberty for all men; the space to stretch their arms and their souls; the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will in a kingdom of God and love. I believe in the training of little children, black even as white; the leading out of little souls into the green pastures and beside the still waters, not for pelf or peace, but for Life lit by some large vision of beauty and goodness and truth; lest we forget, and the sons of the fathers, like Esau, for mere meat barter their birthright in a mighty nation.
Negro Folk Songs in Counterpoint, 4. "Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho" - Florence Price 50:10
Caitlin Edwards and Anya Brumfield, violin; Wilfred Farquharson, viola; Lindsey Sharpe, cello
Credo: 7. “Finally, I believe in Patience” - Margaret Bonds (W.E. B. DuBois) 52:49
Full Choir and Casey Robards, piano
Finally, I believe in Patience–patience with the weakness of the Weak and the strength of the Strong, the prejudice of the Ignorant and the ignorance of the Blind; patience with the tardy triumph of Joy and the mad chastening of Sorrow–patience with God.
Prayer: Rev. Grace Imathiu, Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Evanston 58:26
A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke, arr. Joel Thompson 1:02:48
Caitlin Edwards and Anya Brumfield, violin; Wilfred Farquharson, viola; Lindsey Sharpe, cello
Robert Ray
Gospel Mass “Credo (I believe)” 1:12:16
“Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)” 1:21:27
Monica Perdue, soprano and Jeffrey Burish, tenor
God Never Failed Us Yet! (Orig: He Never Failed Me Yet) 1:28:10
We share a love that sustains us;
Every day, every hour
We walk towards peace.
We will sing and give thanks to thee
For all the dangers, toils and snares
That God has brought us out.
We walk towards justice and freedom (solo: No matter what the test)
Trust and never doubt
Our God will surely bring us out God never failed us yet.
If you feel comfortable, please join us in singing this final selection. In this context, God is YOUR Higher Power; whatever that may be!
Cheryl Edwards, alto and Jeanine Howard, soprano
All Singers; Robert Mayfield, drums; Charles Thomas Hayes and Elliot Bell, keyboard
Caitlin Edwards and Anya Brumfield, violin; Wilfred Farquharson, viola; Lindsey Sharpe, cello