As Though Everything is a Miracle – Winter 2024

Stream

Accord Ensemble

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Program

Liftoff Cannon Chorale
Music and lyrics by Leah Abramson

How can I move on when the days all last so long.
How can I stand still when the days are hard to kill.
Kneeling on my heart.

Haze
Music by Stuart Beatch
Poem by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Woof* of the sun, ethereal gauze,
Woven of Nature’s richest stuffs,
Visible heat, air-water, and dry sea,
Last conquest of the eye;
Toil of the day displayed, sun-dust,
Aerial surf upon the shores of earth,
Ethereal estuary, frithˆ of light,
Breakers of air, billows of heat,
Fine summer spray on inland seas;
Bird of the sun, transparent-winged
Owlet of noon, soft-pinioned,
From hearth or stubble rising without song;
Establish thy serenity o’er the fields.

*woof = texture/fabric

ˆfirth = variation of “firth”; inlet

Chante Waste Hoksila
Traditional Lakota Lullaby
Arranged by Linthicum-Blackhorse

Ahí yé, hé yo iyé. We hé yo iyé. Ahí yé, hé yo iyéya. We yeló  iyé.   Čhaŋté was̆té hoks̆íla lá kh̆é is̆tíŋma. Haŋhépi kiŋ was̆té. We yeló iyé.

I have brought you here, so that I can speak to you in your language. I am speaking to you in your language. I have brought you here, so that you will recognize me. I am speaking in your language.   My kind-hearted boy I beg you to fall asleep. The Night is good. I am speaking your language.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
Words by Robert Frist (1874-1963)
Music by Stephanie Martin

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Wind Rising in the Alleys
Poem by Lola Ridge (1873-1941)
Music by Nicholas Kelly

Wind rising in the alleys
My spirit lifts in you like a banner
  Streaming free of hot walls.
You are full of unspent dreams . . .
You are laden with beginnings . . .
There is hope in you . . . not sweet . . .
    acrid as blood in the mouth.
Come into my tossing dust
Scattering the peace of old deaths,
Wind rising in the alleys
Carrying stuff of flame.

Ekla Cholo Re
Words and music by Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Prize in Literature 1913
Arrangement by Erwin D. Vargas based on the recording by Shreya Ghosal for the Philippine Madrigal Singers 2022

Bengali যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে তবে একলা চলো রে। একলা চলো একলা চলো একলা চলো একলা চলো রে॥ যদি কেউ কথা না কয়, ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা, যদি সবাই থাকে মুখ ফিরায়ে সবাই করে ভয়— তবে পরান খুলে ও তুই মুখ ফুটে তোর মনের কথা একলা বলো রে॥

Transliteration Jodi tor dak shune keu na eshe tobe ekla cholo re. Tobe ekla cholo, ekla cholo, ekla cholo, ekla cholo re. Jodi keu kotha na koe, ore ore o obhaga, Jodi shobai thake mukh phirae shobai kore bhoe, jodi shobai thake mukh phirae shobai kore bhoi— Tobe poran khule O tui mukh phute tor moner kotha ekla bolo re.

If they answer not to thy call walk alone, If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall, O thou unlucky one, open thy mind and speak out alone.

And Einstein Said
Music by Trent Worthington

1. “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
2. “When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity.”
3. “That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.”
4. “God always takes the simplest way.”

Mama Wawa (မမ ဝဝ)
Burmese Nursery Rhyme
Arranged by Nyi Nyi Myin

မမ ဝဝ ထထ က အ က ပထမ။ ကပါ ကပါ မမရာ ညည လသာသာ။ ညအခါ ငါ စာရ မမ ဝဝ ထထ က။

Chubby sister Come dance, She’s the best at dancing. Dance! Dance! Sister, Under the bright moon at night. In the evening, After I finish studying, Chubby sister Come dance.

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New Members

Accord Ensemble will be welcoming new members for January 2025. If you are interested in auditioning or would like to learn more, contact info@accordensemble.com

Casino Volunteers

Accord Ensemble’s next casino fundraiser is on February 14-15, 2025, at the Grand Villa Casino. We are still looking for volunteers for day and evening shifts. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054FA5AD28A2F49-52358798-casino#/, or contact info@accordensemble.com for more details

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Acknowledgements

Accord Ensemble would like to thank:

• St. Paul’s Anglican staff and congregation for the use of their facilities for our rehearsals
• Isabella Xavier for our poster and art design;
• Matthew McGuigan for running our livestream;
• Our front-of-house volunteers for their gift of time;
• Our board of directors for all the behind-the-scenes work to make this concert happen.

We would also like to thank the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their financial support.