Interested in singing with our group? Please visit with John Jahr at Vinje Lutheran Church

320-235-1441 | WestCentralSingers@gmail.com

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The West Central Singers would like to thank and acknowledge the following people, businesses andorganizations that directly support us through significant donations. These generous contributions make ourconcerts possible and are a positive voice in support of the arts in our community and the surrounding area.Thank You!

DUET LEVEL CONTRIBUTIONS:Hanson Fonkert Dental Clinic, Mike and Paula Grahn, Neal and Julene Haugen, Ramona Lackore and RonAdams, Bryan and Traci Mara, Northern States Supply, Don and Harriet Rogenes, Cheryl Schmidt MusicStudio, Willmar Water Conditioning and Spas/Bob and Carol Fader, and an anonymous donor

TRIO LEVEL CONTRIBUTIONS:Greg and Cam Anderson, Dale and Cathy Bays, Terry and Donna Brau in memory of Robert Brau,Jackie Cunningham, Morrie and Daphne Evenson, Fischer Laser Eye, Gary and Nancy Geiger, Walt andRaeanna Gislason, Johnson, Moody, Schmidt & Kleinhuizen Attorneys, Peggy and Dan Lister, Dorothy TimmMeili, The Oaks at Eagle Creek, Sally Otterness in memory of DuWayne Otterness, Uncommon USA Inc.,and a very generous grant from the Willmar Area Arts Council.

West Central SingersSoprano Alto TenorDebbie Carlson, Willmar Heather Carver, Spicer Brandt Lager, WillmarKristine Carlson, Willmar Theresa Kraft, Willmar Jerry McCabe, WillmarJackie Cunningham, Willmar Mona Lackore, Willmar Brad Schmidt, WillmarCherie Heitke, Willmar Karen Lange, Kerkhoven Philip Studer, SpicerCynthia Koll Tengwall, Brooten Leslie Lykins, Willmar Randy Wright, WillmarMarsha Little, Willmar Emily Morton, WillmarPatricia Nordin, Lake Lillian Christina Nelson, WillmarAllie Payne, DeGraff Bridget Neumann, Raymond BassAshley Schmidt, Olivia Lois Picha, Spicer Jordan Gatewood, WillmarCheryl Schmidt, Willmar Kristen Pierce, Pennock Dale Lauer, SpicerNanette Serbus, Renville Marvelle Stone, Willmar Dave Moen, WillmarKristen Thaden, Willmar Carol Wegner, Willmar Dan Schell, WillmarDiane Thompson, Pennock Jeff Tengwall, BrootenEileen Twedt, WillmarJean Urban, New LondonAnn Zastrow, Belgrade

Director John D. JahrAccompanist Dean Gylten

The Band Jonathan Marchand, Jacklyn Skluzacek, Jay SkukrudViolins Emily Peterson, Rebecca Anfinson

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE ....................................................................Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein IIArr. Clay Warnick

I WILL SURVIVE/SURVIVOR ............................................................Arr. Adam Anders, Peer Astrom, Mark BrymerSoloists: Christina Nelson, Ashley Schmidt

THANKS BE TO GOD ..........................................................................................................................Marty HaugenFeaturing a children’s chorus composed of members of Vinje Lutheran Church, Cross of Calvary Lutheran Church, the surrounding communities, and relatives of the singers.

~ ~ Intermission ~ ~

ANTHEM ..............................................................................................Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, Bjorn UlvaeusArr. John Purifoy

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY..................................................................................................................Freddie MercuryArr. Mark Brymer

IDUMEA ......................................................................................Shape Note Tune from Kentucky Harmony, 1816Arr. Richard Bjella

HOPE FOR RESOLUTION - A song for Mandela and de Klerk ..................................Arr. Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory

WE SHALL OVERCOME..............................................................................................................Traditional SpiritualArr. J. David Moore

When invited, please join the chorus in singing the final verse:We shall overcome, we shall overcome

We shall overcome someday.Oh, deep in my heart, I do believeThat we shall overcome some day.

HERE’S WHERE I STAND ................................................................................................Michael Gore, Lynn AhrensSoloists: Nanette Serbus, Emily Morton ............................................................................Arr. Greg Gilpin

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE ......................................................................................................Traditional SpiritualSoloist: Brad Schmidt ............................................................................................Arr. Paul J. Christiansen

AqUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN ..................................................Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome RagniArr. Greg Gilpin

DANIEL ..................................................................................................Based on two African-American SpiritualsArr. Rollo Dilworth

The West Central Singers was founded in January, 2001 by retired Willmar Senior High School Choir Director, Rolf Anderson. The mission ofthe West Central Singers is to provide an opportunity to explore and experience the depth and power of choral music, both for those with apassion to sing and for those who are enriched simply by listening. We are dedicated to performing a wide variety of music as a means offostering a true appreciation for the long-standing tradition of choral music.

West Central Singers Spring 2016

FREEDOMSONGSOH, FREEDOM ................................................................................................................African American Spiritual

TSHOTSHOLOZA (Go Forward) ................................................................Traditional South African Freedom SongSoloist: Jordan Gatewood Adapted by Jeffery L. Ames

DISTANT LAND A Prayer for Freedom ..................................................................................................John RutterDistant Land was written in 1990, soon after the demolition of the Berlin Walland the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.

GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR POOR ............................................................................Irving Berlin, Emma LazarusInscription on the Statue of Liberty Arr. Roy Ringwald

BAMBELELA ............................................................................................ Traditional South African Freedom Song

GO DOWN, MOSES ..................................................................................................................Traditional SpiritualArr. Greg Gilpin

THIS IS MY SONG ....................................................................................................Lloyd Stone, Georgia HarknessBased on the Hymn Tune “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius Arr. Douglas E. Wagner

BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON ........................................................................................................Arr. Will SchmidThis is one of the most important songs of the African diaspora sung throughout the Caribbean. The text from Psalm 137 describes the longing for home and freedom of an enslaved people (originally the Israelites)

WE CAN MEND THE SKY ....................................................................................................................Jake RunestadSoloist: Cheryl Schmidt

LibrettoLet My Dream Come True by Warda Mohamed

In my dream I saw a world free of violencehunger

sufferinga world filled with love

Now awake in this worldI beg, let my dream come true.

Soo baxa. ~ Let’s goNaftu orod bay kugu aamintaa. ~ To save your life, run with all your might

When invited, please join the chorus in singing this refrain:If we come together, we can mend a crack in the sky.

From the composer: My sister is an English teacher at the Minnesota International Middle School in Minneapolis, which provides a safe and inclusive environmentfor East African immigrant students to learn (many of whom are Somali). Most of these students came to the USA to escape the violent civil war that has plaguedSomalia since 1991. Seeking a better life for their children, these students’ parents risked their lives to come to the USA – a valiant act of love. I wanted to tell theirstory through music and so I asked my sister to have her students write poems about their experiences leaving their home and coming to the USA. I received over100 poems that contain passion, pride, emotion and vivid stories of the sights and sounds that these young people have experienced. I sifted through these texts andfound the powerful words of 14-year-old Warda Mohamed that became the backbone of the composition. Using Warda’s poem and two Somali proverbs, “We CanMend the Sky” is a musical depiction of one’s journey as an immigrant and an affirmation of hope as we all embrace the diversity around us.