The Tie That Binds: Program Notes

Join us Saturday, October 11, 2025 for The Tie That Binds

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This evening’s program traces the many ways human beings seek and celebrate

connection—with one another, with tradition, with the divine, and with the future we

hope to create. Each piece explores a thread of belonging, woven together into a tapestry

of community.

We begin with Melanie DeMore’s Blessed Be, a work rooted in the power of communal

song. DeMore, an activist, composer, and vocal artist, often reminds singers that music is

both a healing act and a call to action. Her song calls us to look for and acknowledge the

good that lives in every person.

Hans Leo Hassler’s Ecce Quam Bonum, drawn from Psalm 133, paints the text: “Behold,

how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” The text

compares such fellowship to sacred oil and life-giving dew—images of abundance and

blessing that transcend time. Mendelssohn’s Verleih uns Frieden continues this spiritual

theme, pleading for peace in turbulent times. Written in 1831, during Mendelssohn’s

studies in Italy, the simple melody drastically contrasts with the political unrest of the day.

The African American spiritual Walk Together, Children, arranged by Moses Hogan,

embodies resilience and solidarity. Born out of the struggles of enslaved communities, its

exhortation to “walk together” has carried forward as a rallying cry for justice and

strength in adversity. The tune was popularized by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the first

touring African American ensemble, and was later used as a song of encouragement

during the Civil Rights movement.

Andrea Ramsey’s Lineage, with text by Margaret Walker, honors the voices of women

who have gone before—“hard-working women who made pathways for me.” Walker, a

poet of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond, wrote with piercing clarity about heritage,

struggle, and strength. Her words remind us that community is not only horizontal but

also vertical: bound across generations.

From South Africa, the work song Tshotsholoza (arr. Jeffrey Ames) carries the rhythm

of collective labor and the spirit of encouragement. Often sung in mines and fields, its

refrain became associated with national unity and perseverance, a musical metaphor for

pushing forward together.

Contemporary composers continue this exploration of connection. Jocelyn Hagen’s

Take This Thread weaves imagery of weaving and binding, underscoring the fragile yet

resilient strands that tie lives together. Laura Farnell’s Her Voice amplifies the strength

and clarity of women speaking into a world that has often sought to quiet them. Susan

LaBarr’s Love, Then and Still meditates on the enduring nature of love—through time,

memory, and change.

Wendell Berry’s poetry inspires Andrew Maxfield’s For the Future. Berry, a farmer,

essayist, and poet, writes of stewardship, community, and simplicity. His words challenge

us to plant seeds—both literal and figurative—for a future of prosperity, beauty, and hope.

This song has a particularly special place in our Artistic Director’s heart, who says, “This is

the song that got me through Covid when I wasn’t sure if we would ever sing together

again. The line there is no other guarantee that singing will ever be compelled me to

keep going in my career even when it felt impossible.”

Christopher Harris’s Joy Never Leaves closes the program with a declaration of abiding

gladness. Even through loss, hardship, or change, joy is not extinguished but carried forward as a birthright and a communal gift.

Together, these works remind us that the “tie that binds” is not one thread but many:

faith, love, shared labor, memory, and hope. Community connection is at the heart of our

work as singers and we hope you feel that connection during our performance.

-- Dr. Clelyn Chapin