ORLANDO SINGS

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PARKING MAP

PROGRAM

APOLLO

Zachary Pecore, conductor | Kristopher Schave, pianist

Blackbird John Lennon and Paul McCartney/ arr. Audrey Snyder
Lord of the Small Dan Forrest / Johanna Anderson
Swing Down Chariot Traditional/ arr. The Vagabonds
Waiting for the Light of Morning Steve Parsons

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HARMONIA

Sandra Shafer, conductor | Ledean Williams, pianist

Barso Re A. R. Rahman/ arr. Ethan Sperry
Noche de Lluvia, from Canciones Por Las Americas Sid Robinovitch / Juana de Ibarbourou
Duerme Negrito Atahualpa Yupanqui/ arr. Emilio Sol
Landslide Stevie Nicks, arr. Maryanne Muglia
Until I Reach My Home Traditional Negro Folk Tune/ arr. Brandon A. Boyd

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INTERMISSION

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SYMPHONIC CHORUS

Andrew Minear, conductor | Ledean Williams, pianist

i thank You God for most this amazing day Eric Whitacre / E. E. Cummings
Ezekiel Saw de Wheel Traditional Spiritual, arr. William L. Dawson
El Cielo Canta Alegría Pablo Sosa, arr. Ed Henderson
Elijah Rock Traditional Spiritual, arr. Moses G. Hogan
We Can Mend the Sky Jake Runestad / Warda Mohammed
The Peace of Wild Things Joan Szymko / Wendell Berry
Blue Skies Irving Berlin, arr. Paris Rutherford
Gravity/Rocket Man Sara Bareilles, Elton John & Bernie Taupin/ arr. Anita Cracauer

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COMBINED CHOIRS

Hope Lingers On Lissa Schneckenburger, arr. Andrea Ramsey
The Impossible Dream Mitch Leigh / Joe Darion, arr. Mark Hayes

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PROGRAM NOTES

Sing Our Story celebrates the voices that shape who we are—individually and as a community.

Through music drawn from many cultures, histories, and traditions, tonight’s program traces the human desire to belong, to persevere, and to dream. These three ensembles bring forward stories of journey and homecoming, struggle and resilience, wonder and renewal. Together, they reflect the remarkable tapestry of Central Florida: a place where countless stories meet, intertwine, and continue to unfold. This concert is an invitation to listen deeply, to recognize one another with compassion, and to remember that every person carries a song worth hearing.

Blackbird
This writing of this 1968 pop song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney was originally inspired by the Little Rock Nine; a group of students who were the first to enroll in an all-white high school in Arkansas in 1957. The blackbird with “broken wings” who learns to fly parallels the oppressed voices of Black Americans who fought, and still fight, to be recognized and respected in all spaces of our country.

Lord of the Small
This contemporary piece by Dan Forrest is a testament to the American mosaic that celebrates and acknowledges all human voices. The beautiful setting of this text by Johanna Anderson reminds us that we all, regardless of race, religion, orientation, etc., are worthy of compassion and love, both human and divine.

Swing Down Chariot
A marriage between two musical styles (the African American spiritual and barbershop), “Swing Down Chariot” represents the story of communal hope and faith in deliverance from the overwhelming adversity. The road to freedom is a bumpy ride as you will hear toward the end of this piece.

Waiting for the Light of Morning
Inspired by Celtic musical traditions and featuring the Irish Bodhrán drum, this work addresses the experience of searching for hope in the darkness. The powerful Irish Gaelic proverb, “Ní neart go cur le chéile” translates to “There is no strength without unity” highlighting a universal truth: we overcome the night by “moving ever toward the light”. 

OVERVIEW
“The New Colossus,” a poem by Emma Lazarus etched on a bronze plaque inside the Statue of Liberty, famously declares:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Apollo’s programmed music seeks to honor these “tempest-tost, huddled masses” — the countless individuals who have faced overwhelming odds in pursuit of a life lived truthfully, authentically, and safely on our shores. Through our diverse selection of choral music, we pay tribute to their resilience and the enduring promise of refuge and hope. —Zach Pecore

Barso Re
“Barso Re” is pure celebration. Originally from the Bollywood film Guru, this song bursts open with the joy and relief that arrive when the monsoon rains finally fall. A.R. Rahman’s music and Gulzar’s poetry honor rain not just as weather, but as renewal of land, of people, and of spirit. Ethan Sperry’s arrangement brings all that color and movement into the choral world. This piece reminds us that joy is a cultural language shared across borders.

Noche de Lluvia
“Noche de Lluvia” invites us into a quiet, reflective space. Setting poetry by Rubén Darío, one of Latin America’s most influential literary voices, the piece captures the feeling of a rainy night full of memory and emotion. The harmonies feel like raindrops: soft, steady, and sometimes aching. It’s a moment of stillness that honors the delicate, inward parts of our human experience.

Duerme Negrito
“Duerme Negrito” is a folk lullaby that has traveled across borders and generations. Rooted in the Afro–Latin American tradition, it tells the story of a child whose mother works tirelessly in the fields. The lullaby comforts even as it acknowledges hardship. Emilio Solé’s arrangement holds that contrast, warmth against struggle, tenderness against labor. It speaks to resilience and to the quiet strength found in the love passed from one generation to the next.

Landslide
“Landslide” is one of those songs that seems to belong to everyone. Stevie Nicks wrote it during a period of deep uncertainty, but its themes of change, growth, and learning who you are resonate universally. Maryanne Muglia’s arrangement preserves the vulnerability at the heart of the original while allowing choral harmony to bring out new colors. It reflects the personal journeys that shape us over time.

Until I Reach My Home
Rooted in the spiritual tradition, “Until I Reach My Home” is a song of perseverance and hope. Brandon Boyd’s writing infuses the piece with movement and energy. Each phrase feels like a step forward, lifted by community. It’s the kind of music that reminds us why we sing: to encourage one another and to keep moving toward something better.

OVERVIEW
Harmonia’s set embraces the heart of Sing Our Story: the understanding that a community is shaped by the languages, histories, and memories its people carry. In Central Florida—a place of constant movement, migration, and cultural exchange—those stories unfold in many colors and rhythms. This music offers a glimpse into that tapestry.

These works draw from Indian musical traditions, Latin American poetry, Afro–Latin American folk song, American popular music, and the spiritual heritage that has anchored generations. Together, they hold joy and longing, ancestry and change, quiet reflection and uplift. They remind us that identity is formed not in isolation but in relationship—with our families, our cultures, and the places we call home.

Harmonia’s voices bring these threads together, honoring both the beauty of our differences and the humanity we share. In a single arc, this set reflects the plural, ever-evolving story of Central Florida: a community enriched by the many people who have carried their songs here. Tonight, these pieces invite us to listen with openness, to recognize one another with compassion, and to celebrate the diverse voices that shape our common home. —Sandra Shafer

i thank You God for most this amazing day
e. e. cummings’ ecstatic vision of the natural world—its light, its color, its sheer surprise—finds a luminous partner in Eric Whitacre’s signature harmonic language. The music opens with a hushed invocation that blossoms into soaring clusters and shimmering rhythmic pulses. This anthem celebrates life’s immediacy and invites us to awaken to the beauty that surrounds us.

Ezekiel Saw de Wheel
William Dawson’s masterful arrangement of this spiritual channels the prophetic intensity of Ezekiel’s vision—a wheel within a wheel, alive with divine motion. Built on rhythmic vitality and striking dynamic contrasts, the work pulses with both ancient mystery and unstoppable momentum. Dawson’s writing elevates the spiritual tradition into symphonic grandeur.

El Cielo Canta Alegría
El Cielo Canta Alegría (“Heaven Is Singing for Joy”) is a joyful, exuberant hymn of praise by Argentine composer and pastor Pablo Sosa, one of the leading figures of Latin American ecumenical song. The text proclaims that heaven and earth rejoice together because of God’s presence and love made known among us. It’s a song of celebration that blends simplicity with profound theological warmth: creation sings, people respond, and joy becomes the shared language between God and humanity.

Elijah Rock
Moses Hogan’s powerful arrangement of Elijah Rock marks a turning point. After music full of open-hearted joy, this spiritual turns us toward a harder truth: that even in times when people are forced to carry unbearable burdens, the spirit still searches for light. The story of the prophet Elijah—taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire—became a symbol of deliverance, a reminder that goodness endures and that hope can rise even in the bleakest circumstances. Music can tell the truth about suffering while lifting us toward the courage that helps us endure.

We Can Mend the Sky
Jake Runestad’s deeply moving We Can Mend the Sky centers the words of a young Somali poet, Warda Mohammed, who wrote of longing for peace after her family fled civil war. Anchored by a Somali proverb—“If we come together, we can mend a crack in the sky”—the piece weaves hope and ache into a single fabric. The piece acknowledges the realities of pain while insisting on the possibility of healing, carried by collective courage.

The Peace of Wild Things
Wendell Berry’s beloved poem provides a threshold from the despair of the world to a peace beyond our human understanding. Joan Szymko’s setting is tender, spacious, and full of pathos. The result is a work of profound calm—a reminder that peace often comes when we surrender to something larger than ourselves.

Blue Skies
Irving Berlin’s iconic “Blue Skies” is one of those songs that feels instantly like sunshine. Written in 1926, it radiates optimism—an almost stubborn belief that joy can break through even after a long stretch of clouds. The lyrics are simple on the surface, but their charm lies in that simplicity: a genuine, unguarded expression of hopefulness. To sing “Blue Skies” is to lean toward the light, to name goodness even when life feels uncertain.

Gravity/Rocket Man
In this imaginative mash-up, Gravity and Rocket Man trace a journey from limitation to lift-off. Sara Bareilles’ Gravity symbolizes the weights we all carry — the doubts, fears, and familiar patterns that keep our feet weighted down when our hearts long to rise. Elton John’s Rocket Man embodies the opposite force: our yearning to ascend, to strive, to break free into something larger than ourselves. Heard together, the songs become a celebration of resilience and ascent, acknowledging the cost of pursuing our dreams while reveling in the courage it takes to rise beyond the forces that hold us down.

OVERVIEW
When I first posted the audition announcement for this choir in July 2021, I had no idea if anyone would even sign up. Apparently it was the right thing at the right time—Orlando was ready for a professional-level symphonic chorus—and an extraordinary group of singers walked through the door that September. The music-making since then has been nothing short of astonishing. There are rehearsals when I have to pinch myself: that sound is real, and this kind, joyful community is amazing— and we’re still on the rise. Truly, the sky is the limit!

Tonight’s set is built around that idea. These pieces look upward—toward wonder, imagination, joy, struggle, longing, healing, and hope. Drawing from American poetry, global song, spiritual traditions, and contemporary popular music, the program traces a journey from praise to lament to renewal and, ultimately, to possibility.

Across this set, the sky becomes a metaphor for the forces that hold us down and the spirit that lifts us up. These pieces remind us that joy and struggle often live side by side, and that hope is not naïve but courageous. As we “Sing Our Story”, these works show how our collective journeys are shaped by both the heights we dream of and the courage we find along the way. —Andrew Minear

COMBINED CHOIRS
As we bring all three ensembles together for these final two pieces, the message becomes clear and deeply human: hope has a way of surviving. Hope Lingers On reminds us that even in the hardest seasons, we have the power to choose compassion over fear, courage over despair. Sung with 200 voices and the pulse of body percussion, it becomes a living reminder that hope is something we create together.

And then we lift our eyes toward The Impossible Dream—a song that dares to imagine a better world and challenges us to keep reaching for it. It’s aspirational, yes, but also practical: every step forward begins with the choice to believe something more is possible.

Tonight’s program has carried us through stories of struggle, joy, identity, belonging, resilience, and wonder. Ending with these two pieces feels right. They send us back into the world with a renewed sense of purpose—not because everything is perfect, but because we’re choosing to keep going, to keep singing, and to keep believing that what we do together matters.

And in doing so, we continue to write the ongoing Story of Us—each voice a thread woven into the larger tapestry of this season, this community, and this time we share.

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