Shanelle Gabriel, spoken word guest artist, VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers, Singers Of This Age, Casey Rafn, piano, Jeff Bina, snare drum, Ernest Bisong, violin, Joe Hackett, trumpet

Minnesota Premiere, VocalEssence Consortium Commission

Commissioning Choirs:

Sponsoring Members:
Festival Singers of Florida, directed by Dr. Kevin Fenton Tennessee Tech University, directed by Dr. Craig Zamer University of Dayton, directed by Dr. Steven Rankle

Participating Members:
VocalEssence, directed by Dr. Philip Brunelle and Dr. G. Phillip Shoultz, Ill University of Mississippi, directed by Dr. Donald Trott
Northwest Missouri State University, directed by Dr. Adam Zrust
Florida State University, directed by Dr. Kevin Fenton"

"A Vision Unfolding ...
In 2021, seven choirs around the country ·commissioned me to write an extended work, centered broadly around themes of social justice. I didn't want to write a big work around these themes merely from my own perspective, so I reached out to Shanelle Gabriel, an African American poet, spoken word artist, singer/songwriter from NYC. Our conversations turned to ""what sort of vision do we want to cast for the audience and the singers?""
We determined that, at the core, we hoped to re-articulate and explore what our country has stood for in its best moments. In our foundational texts and speeches, we find powerful declarations of a nation rooted in equality, freedom, justice, and inclusion. Shanelle and I wanted this whole work to be invitational-to be reminded of the compelling vision that we live into in our best moments, and to be invited to say ""yes"" to more of that.
It is my hope that we lean into the invitation that the choir offers-that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community. That we might stand in solidarity with those whose voices are too often dismissed, regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, faith background, or other characteristic. That we might not dismiss, disdain, and judge those whose politics are different from ours, but that we might make the uncomfortable effort to see them as people just as worthy of respect and dignity.
I'm grateful to Shanelle Gabriel, whose beautiful and challenging text is threaded throughout this work. You can read more about Shanelle and her work at ShanelleGabriel.com.
Special thanks to Kevin Fenton, who provided the initial vision and encouragement for this project, and who coordinated the consortium of choirs who commissioned this work."

1. REACH DOWN, LORD
Reach down, Lord.
Reach your justice down.
When we walk on the broken road,
Reach your justice down.

If we stumble into the pit
And the dark is all we see,
Reach below and lift us up;
Reach your justice down.

Reach down, Lord.
Reach your justice down.
When we walk in the shadow of death,
Reach your justice down.

2. BEAT! BEAT! DRUMS!
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the school where the scholar is studying,
Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now
with his bride,
Nor the peaceful farmers any peace, ploughing their field or
gathering grain,
So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses?
no sleepers must sleep in those beds,
No bargainers’ bargains by day—no brokers or speculators—
would they continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singers attempt to sing?
Would the lawyers rise in the court to state their case before the judge?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation,
Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting
the hearses,
So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.
–Walt Whitman

3. ALL OF ME
Look at my skin.
Do you see only skin, or the soul within...
do you see what’s true?

Look who I love.
Do you view me as less,
like none of the rest of me
matters to you?

Turn off the talk on the air,
and the voices who seem to just care
about dividing and hiding us where
you won’t see.

Look at my faith.
Do you see my creed, and choose to believe
that’s all of me?

Look at my vote.
On that alone are you likely to show
contempt for me?

You don’t have to see.
But if you take the time to look at me,
you’ll see the same fears and a good heart,
and the same tears that tear you apart.
See the same love, the same hope,
the same need, the same joy.

So look at my skin.
See the skin and the soul within.
See what’s true.

Look who I love.
And see my faith and my vote,
but not those alone,
seek to know me, too.

Turn up the voices of truth.
Learn to let mercy through.
Love will guide us to
a world where we see.
All of me.

Turn and see.
Will you see?
All of me.
–Kyle Pederson

4. LIGHT TRANSFORMS THE DARKNESS
Light transforms the darkness, so go...
go and let your light out. Love is what we
harness, so go...go and live your love out.
We are all unified by the way our heart beats
What you feel, I feel
Different palettes and hues and variety
The Creator’s tapestry
We need to see the light
Don’t let the darkness hide our humanity

This is a calling.

We’ve been blinded by hate we were taught to
believe That’s not how it should be
If my brother or sister is chained
There’s no way I can say I’m free
We are the change we need
So that equality can be reality

spoken:
Calling you to set your heart ablaze
Raise the torch, pave the way
So all can say I am free
Calling for all to have the ability to dream
To see ourselves in every being
I want you to be free

For all to find home
Wherever they may go
Step into action, words no longer hollow
We will fight for you to be free

Called to stand for all races, abilities,
religions, identities
No matter who you love
You are worthy

You deserve to be free

I will fight for you to be free
This is our calling
We are invited into each other’s life
We are called to live love
Called to be that light
–Shanelle Gabriel

5. I DREAM A WORLD
I dream a world where one
No other one will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn

I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom’s way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.

A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every one is free,

Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all humankind–
Of such I dream, my world!
–Langston Hughes