Charles Anthony Silvestri (b. 1965) is one of the most popular poets of the last two decades, with his texts appearing in dozens of American choral pieces. In her piece, “For This Joy,” Susan LaBarr (b. 1981) chose to pair Silvestri’s text with the seventeenth-century anonymous German hymn tune LOBE DEN HERREN. The first two verses praise the natural world in awe and celebration, and LaBarr wisely chose to let the beautiful tune and text shine with modest adornment. However, in the third verse, the tone shifts to a bittersweet quality: “Our tender hearts, which so wondrously in chambers deeping, Cherish the joys of new love and, at death’s call, the weeping.” For this third verse, LaBarr’s arrangement masterfully combines all voices together in a tight harmony and a slower tempo and softer dynamic. The result is an incredibly dynamic piece that captures the full gamut of what it means to be human: “sorrow and pain turn to rejoicing again.”

Joshua Shank’s (b. 1980) “Naalah (Cry of Grief)” utilizes text from poet Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869). Sung in the original Urdu, the piece captures many elements of Indian music, including a low drone, melodic scales with flat seconds, and the reedy sound of the oboe. About his piece, Shank writes, “People suffered from the experience of having their heart profoundly broken just as much now as when Ghalib first wrote these texts almost 150 years ago. Luckily, we all wish to be healed at some point and, ultimately, have the ability and opportunity to do so of our own accord every time we are faced with adversity of any kind; it’s simply a matter of calling on it. The end of the piece (which is actually the first stanza of the final poem) is meant to be this invocation.”

Dan Forrest’s (b. 1978) “The Sun Never Says” sets a text by American poet Daniel Ladinsky (b.1948). Using the sun and earth as a metaphor, the poem illustrates the amazing effect of unconditional love. For the second half of the poem, (“Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky”) Forrest crafts beautiful wave after wave of increasingly expansive harmonies. The cello likely represents the sun, and the choral writing cleverly depicts blossoming, as the individual lines unfold one after the other. During the Covid-19 quarantine, the Bellevue Chamber Chorus virtually recorded this piece, and the accompanying video highlights these gifts of new life that the sun gives to the earth. Find it on youtube.com.

Elaine Hagenberg writes about her piece “O Love,” saying, “It was inspired by the words of Scottish minister, George Matheson in 1882. When he was blinded at the age of nineteen, his fiancee called off their engagement and his sister cared for him as he endured new challenges. Years later, on the eve of his sister’s wedding, he faced the painful reminder of his own heartache and loss as he penned the words to this hymn. Given a fresh melody, this setting for choir and cello uses hopeful ascending lines representing renewed faith. Though lingering dissonances remind us of past heartache, the beautiful promise remains: “morn shall tearless be.”

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thy ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Joy that seeks me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

—George Matheson

Kyle Pederson crafted the music and text to “Hands Are Knockin‘,’” and about his piece he writes, “it was born from a collaborative effort with the Kindred Chamber Choir and their director, Melanie Brink, and staff members of the The American International School of Muscat (TAISM). The piece was commissioned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the school’s opening, and was premiered at the 16th annual TAISM Festival of Choirs in the Sultanate of Oman. Because the school and festival are nestled in the heart of the Middle East in Oman, where Arabic is the official language, it seemed appropriate to incorporate several beautiful Arabic phrases throughout. Alhamdulillah is a very common expression in Arabic and, like alleluia, used frequently to verbalize joy or gratitude in many situations. The juxtaposition of English and Arabic text throughout the piece is intended to reinforce the universality of the message—an invitation to all to open our minds, hearts and hands to each other.”

Naftahhu athhanana, Alhamdulillah.
Naftahhu qulubana, Alhamdulillah.
Namuddu aydeeyana, Alhamdulillah.

Hands are knockin’
Brother, will you let them in?
Sister, will you let them in?

We open our minds, thanks to God.
We open our hearts, thanks to God.
We reach out our hands, thanks to God.

—Kyle Pederson

Winner of our “Plus One Composer Competition,” Taleya Jordan wrote the music and text to her piece, “It’s Dark in Here.” About the piece, she writes, ““It’s Dark in Here” is a powerful, contemporary choral work that reimagines the phrase “being in the closet” through a visceral, embodied lens. Rather than treating the expression metaphorically, this piece places the singer inside the closet—trapped, breathless, disoriented—inviting both performers and audiences to experience the emotional and physical weight of concealment often faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. Through repetitive text and tightening musical textures, the piece evokes isolation, fear, and the pressure of concealment. As the piece unfolds, the music shifts toward possibility and resolve, culminating in spoken dialogue from outside the “closet”—a moment that symbolizes the transformative power of external support, affirmation, and community. The door does not open through force alone, but through courage met by compassion.”

I can’t breathe
I can’t see anything
I can’t breathe
Where are the windows

The walls are closing in

The prospects of my reality will shift
If only I can get out of here
The light that could satisfy my spirit is on
the other side

If only I can get out of here

—Taleya Jordan

Huddie Ledbetter (1888-1949), also known as Lead Belly, was a black American folk and blues singer/songwriter. He was known for his virtuosic 12-string guitar playing and for popularizing many American folk tunes, including “Goodnight, Irene,” and “Midnight Special.” Lead Belly’s aunt was named Silvy, and his song, “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy,” reimagines his uncle calling out to his aunt to bring water as he plowed the field. Adam Podd’s arrangement utilizes upright bass and a sparse choral texture without accompaniment meant to invoke workers improvising songs while working in the fields.

Bring me little water, Silvy, bring me little water now.
Bring me little water, Silvy, every little once in a while.

Bring it in a bucket, Silvy, bring it in a bucket now.
Bring it in a bucket, Silvy, every little once in a while.

Silvy come a running, bucket in her hand:
She will bring a little water, fast as she can.

Can’t you see me coming? Can’t you see me now?
I will bring a little water, every little once in a while.

—Huddie Ledbetter

https://bellevuechamberchorus.org/about/

Ben Luedcke, Artistic Director

Cori Belle, Accompanist

Imran Goychayev, Assistant Conductor

March 2026 Chorus Personnel:

Soprano: Maria Bayer, Debra Defotis, Shannon Glenn, Megumi Hayashi, Emily Lapin,
Melissa Malouf, Kathy McMillan, Meg Oshima, Audrey Wang Gosselin*, Jane Wasell

Alto: Kristine Bryan*, Wei Chen, Kristine Gilreath, Christine Goetzinger, Monica Harris, Anita Lenges, Marcia Olmsted, Karin Swenson-Moore, Kristen Wright*

Tenor: Imran Goychayev, Melanie Grube, Michael Grube, Jim Leininger*, Kennedy Stewart,
Alexander Stolpovsky, Albert Tsai, David Varner, Jamie Walch

Bass: Orion Bloomfield, Dennis Defotis, Jan De Wulf, Mark Liebendorfer, Gabriel Malouf,
James McTernan*, Fabien Mousseau, Eric Mullen, Stephen Thornsberry,
Lawrence Yang

* board member