University Chorus and Women's Glee Club 4/12/25

Saturday, April 12, 2025  •  7:30 p.m.

Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH 
 

UNIVERSITY CHORUS
Colin Knoth, conductor

WOMEN'S GLEE CLUB
Jordan Saul, conductor

Associate conductor and collaborative pianist
Casey L. Cook

PERSONNEL

Program

University Chorus: "Resilience"

Resilience — “The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties.” University Chorus opens the concert with a program about overcoming life’s hardships and growing from its challenges. Across centuries, music has been used to soothe and to comfort, to bring hope and healing, and to provide an expressive outlet of our emotional depth as humans. This program offers music that spans from the 17th century (Heinrich Schütz’s Die mit Tränen säen ) to music composed in recent years. Each piece provides a unique perspective on how we overcome challenges we face, using a Psalm text, inspiring poetry by Helen Keller (Andrea Ramsey’s Through the Dark ) and William Butler Yeats (Heruth’s When You are Old ), and a poem written for a loved one who has passed (Narverud’s Love Never Leaves ). In each case, perseverance through hard times is shown to yield great and lasting rewards. — Colin Knoth

Die mit Tränen säen

Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)

Lucas Swiderski, bassoon
Jake Eyink, cello

Die mit Tränen säen
Werden mit Freude ernten.
Sie gehen hin und weinen,
Und tragen edlen Samen,
Und kommen mit Freude,
Und bringen ihre Garben.

They that sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
They that go forth and weep,
Bearing precious seed,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
And bring their sheaves with them.

— Psalm 126

Through the Dark

Andrea Ramsey (b. 1977)

Through the dark, I sense a holy passion,
Music that beats with the pulses of God.
God is in me.
The light in my darkness,
The voice in my silence.
I feel the flames of eternity in my soul.
I possess the light,
Which shall give me vision a thousand-fold
When death sets me free.

— Adapted from the writings of Helen Keller

When You Are Old

Hans Bridger Heruth (b. 1997)

Emma Hatcher, Lily Smith, Alexis McClain, Joze Ivancic, soloists

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

— William Butler Yeats

Love Never Leaves

Jacob Narverud (b. 1986)

I hear you in the autumn wind,
And summer’s crashing rain.
Your voice in someone else’s words,
Like memory’s sweet refrain.

Echoes of morning birdsong
In the branches of the trees…
I hear you in these moments,
And I know you’re here with me;

Love never leaves.

I see you in the falling snow,
And blooming flowers in spring.
Your face in the radiant, gleaming stars,
And moonbeams when I dream.

Water on sand dunes splashing
When the tide rolls out to sea…
I feel you in these moments,
And I know you’re here with me;

Love never leaves.

I can’t say that I’ve lost you,
Because I listen for you still.
and while there’s music in my life,
I know I always will.

Women's Glee Club

I.

Standing Stone
Melanie Demore

Blessed Be
Melanie Demore

II.

Magnificat
Kim André Arenesen

Text from Luke 1:46–54

Laura Portune, soprano
Casey Cook, piano

I.     Magnificat  (Luke 1:46–48)

Magnificat anima mea Dominum
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutary meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.

My soul magnifies the Lord, 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

II.    Ecce enim  (Luke 1:48)

Ecce enim ex hoc beatam, me dicent omnes generationes.

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

III.   Quia fecit  (Luke 1:49)

Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est: 
et sanctum nomen eius. Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros.

For he who is mighty has done great things for me, 
and holy is his name. As he spoke to our fathers.

IV.   Et misericordia  (Luke 1:50)

Et misericordia eius et progenies in progenies, timentibus eum.

And His mercy is for those who fear Him.

V.     Fecit potentiam  (Luke 1:51–52)

Fecit potentiam in brachio suo, 
Dispersit superbos mente cordis sui. 
Deposuit potentes de sede,
et exaltavit humiles.

He has shown strength with his arm: 
he has scattered the proud in the the thoughts of their hearts; 
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate.

VI.   Suscepit Israel (Luke 1:54)

Suscepit Israel puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae.

He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy.

Alex Ensign, soprano
Alana Paixao-Becker, mezzo-soprano

VII.  Gloria Patri

Gloria Patri et filio et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, 
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; 
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

III.

Thank You for the Flowers
Nate Terry and Alana Paixao-Becker

Poem: Alana Paixao-Becker

Alana Paixao-Becker, conductor

When dark clouds cover the sky
and my days turn gray,
the flowing river anchors the earth beneath my feet.
Though the sun hides behind walls of darkness, 
and my heart drowns in despair,
a voice softly whispers,
“It is the rain that makes the flowers bloom."

Then, from the darkness shines light, 
from the whisper roars thunder,
from the soil springs life,
from the Earth, I rise like the moon,
puncturing through the fog and the clouds.

With the rhythm of the flowing river,
the currents running slow and smooth under my skin,
I feel the rise and the fall of my chest.
Breathe.

Just as the weeping sky clears itself of the fog,
so that the sunlight can reach the earth
and sprout roots and buds from seeds;
I see the drops falling from the sky make the seeds grow,
and when I feel the wind blow, I see the flowers dance.

Artist’s Statement 

My work is largely involved in the formal intersection of digital and physical landscapes; within this piece, these points of contact are echoed through imagery of togetherness, revival, and hope, grounded by the moving bodies and voices of The Ohio State Women's Glee Club. In this piece, I attempt to explore the spaces between time, stillness, light, darkness, the Earth, and the body, and find moments where the spirit of belonging and uplifting that the choir's mission is centered around live and breathe. I attempt to answer some of my own inquiries on how to visualize sound, specifically in relation to the phenomenon of the choir, where the collective and the individual are both sacrificed and emboldened simultaneously. I'd like to thank Jordan Saul for her endless support and this opportunity to collaborate with a group of people that never ceases to amaze me in their talent, kindness, and tenacity.  

— Julia Biller, Studio Art and Film Studies ‘26

President’s Statement 

The autumn of 2024 and spring of 2025, the school year leading up to the summer Women's Glee Club performs at Carnegie Hall, felt like a storm: unpredictable, a little chaotic, and tough at times. But with the support of the School of Music, our incredible Executive Board, and every Glister in the choir, we made it through together. It’s funny how a song I wrote back in high school has found its way back to this moment! The heart of Thank You For The Flowers perfectly captures what this journey has meant for the club. So, as you notice the red flower pins we wear on stage, remember these words: "thank you for the flowers" — a small but powerful reminder of the unity, resilience, and gratitude of our Glisters in Song.

— Alana Paixao-Becker, WGC President 2024–2025