The Zia Singers will celebrate the environment in song at Santa Fe’s First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, Jan. 22.
“To Protect the Earth” will feature songs from across the globe with praise and gratitude for Mother Earth.
The concert centers on this theme with an eclectic mix of music, including numbers from the exuberant “Children of Eden” musical by Stephen Schwartz, two traditional Scandinavian vocalizing chants, a Navajo prayer and more.
“Our winter concert music celebrates the beauty and sacredness of planet Earth and urges us to take better care of it,” said artistic director Aaron Howe. “Through their traditional music, the Earth’s Native peoples beseech us to walk softly on the only home we know, and to preserve it for future generations that will inherit it from us.”
The concert will open with “Vuelie,” one of two chant-like songs by Norwegian composer Frode Fjellheim. From the Disney movie “Frozen,” “Vuelie” is inspired by the “Yoik” singing tradition among Scandinavian Indigenous Sami people.
The Zias will next perform the “Earth Blessing,” written for Earth Day by Jack Manno and J. David Moore. Canadian composer Sarah Quartel’s “This We Know,” is inspired by Chief Seattle’s famous 19th century speech. “Spirit of the Winding Water” (A Navajo Prayer) by Robert S. Cohen speaks to the sacred circle of the natural world. Rounding out the first half of the concert are “The Peace of Wild Things” by Sean Ivory, and Brian Tate’s “Gently (Walk on the Earth.)”
The second half of the concert begins with composer David Brunner’s three-part, ethereal “Earthsongs.”
The concert will end with a selection of pieces from Stephen Schwartz’s 1991 musical, the jubilant “Children of Eden.” Based on parts of the book of Genesis, it was chosen as an allegory from the Judeo-Christian tradition to show how humanity has made mistakes in its duty to care for the earth but change and redemption are possible.
In keeping with the environmental theme of this winter’s concert, audience members will get digital programs instead of printed ones.
_WebHeadline”>EXCERPT: The Zia Singers will celebrate the environment in song at Santa Fe’s First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Sunday, Jan. 22.
