Santa Fe Women's Ensemble, Durango Women's Choir are 'Together Again!'

After a six-year hiatus, the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble and the Durango Women’s Choir will join forces in a concert in Santa Fe on Sunday, June 9.

Slated for Santa Fe’s First Presbyterian Church, the two groups will join together with 27 voices performing three pieces celebrating women singing together.

The concert will open with Norwegian American composer Ola Gjeilo’s dramatic “Gloria.”

“It’s an experience,” said music director Linda Raney. “It uses both our accompanists on four-handed piano.”

“Choose Something Like a Star” features poetry by Robert Frost and music by Randall Thompson.

“It’s a beautiful text and very inspiring,” Raney said. “A lot of people may remember it from their high school graduation.”

Frost penned the text as a conversation between humanity and a bright star to shed light on remaining steadfast in our purpose despite outer circumstances.

The concert will end with “She Rises,” with music and text by Catherine Dalton.

“She’s exploring the physics of light and the history of illumination through the human voice,” Raney said. “It has a very Celtic feel.”

Dalton wrote: “Because I was working with light and the sun, I did a search for ‘Celtic sun goddess’ and discovered the Celtic sun goddess, Brigid. I did more research into Brigid, and found St. Brigid of Kildare, the Irish saint of, among other things, poetry, the hearth fire, the forge and illumination. I wrote the lyrics based on my research and changed the name of the song.”

Each group will also perform a separate series of four songs. The Women’s Ensemble will sing “Colorful” by Philip E. Silvey; “The Voyage” by Marie-Claire Saindon, “A Red Robin” by Daniel Brinsmead; and “By Night” by Elaine Hagenberg.

The Durango Choir will sing “Ad Astra” by Jacob Narverud; “I Am the Wind” by Hagenberg, “Bright Morning Stars,” arranged by Shawn Kirchner; and “Let Me Fly,” arranged by Robert De Cormier.