- Good evening.
My name is Teresa Schroepfer,
and I'm a retired choir director
from Ashwaubenon High School
in Green Bay.
As chair of the Wisconsin
School Music Association
High School State Honors
Music Project,
it is my honor
to welcome you
to this first-ever
virtual performance
of the 52nd WSMA High School
State Honors Ensembles.
Tonight, we will feature
all five
High School State Honors
Ensembles
in virtual performance.
Each group will present
a select piece or pieces
from their programmed
honors repertoire.
The recordings
of the virtual performances
and tonight's compilation video
will be posted on both the WSMA
and PBS Wisconsin websites
next week.
And now, it is my pleasure
to introduce Laurie Fellenz,
executive director of WSMA
to welcome you on behalf
of the association.
- Good evening.
My name is Laurie Fellenz,
and as the executive director
of the Wisconsin School Music
Association
and Wisconsin Foundation
for School Music,
I'd like to welcome you to the
first-ever virtual performance
of the 52nd WSMA High School
State Honors Ensembles.
The year 2020
has been like no other
in the history
of our association, our state,
our country, or our world.
Since March, we've experienced
rapid changes
in Wisconsin's
educational landscape
and in our service
to schools and students.
We've also worked hard
to adjust to these changes
through responsive action.
Ever since the beginning
of the pandemic,
our beacon
has been our youth.
Although where
they experience learning
may currently look
vastly different than usual,
the fundamental need
for a quality music education
as part of a well-rounded school
experience has never changed.
WSMA has found a way
through this all
to still offer a virtual solo
festival in spring 2020
that included support
for students
who had not yet completed their
own district festival experience
and a state solo festival,
which collectively served
over 5,000 students.
As we considered the scenarios
for the WSMA High School
State Honors Music Project,
canceling was not an option.
Rather, we've continually asked
the question,
"What is still possible
and what would be of value
for our students?"
As you will see tonight,
the High School State Honors
Project team,
led by Victoria Donahue,
WSMA Program Director,
Teresa Schroepfer, High School
Honors Project Chair,
their incredible
administrative team,
and our exceptional
honors coaches and conductors.
There was so much
that was still possible,
and there were new experiences
unique to this year's format
that provided students
with a rich opportunity
to learn, connect, and achieve.
Their creativity and focus
was unparalleled,
and on behalf of myself
and our board of directors,
I extend the deepest gratitude
to the entire staff
of the High School State Honors
Music Project.
There's another group of people
I'd also like to thank,
and that's our WSMA staff,
who've worked tirelessly
since March
to ensure our programs
are still viable.
We've had to invent new systems
and structures
to support these programs
as well as others,
and their dedication to the work
of WSMA has been monumental.
Finally, I'd like to share
with you a message
about the unsung heroes
connected to our association.
The Wisconsin Foundation
for School Music, its donors,
and their work on the WSMA State
Honors Music Project endowment.
This endowment has helped keep
tuition as low as possible
despite rising costs to WSMA.
Thank you to all the donors
who've contributed
toward the Honors endowment
and helped sustain
and perpetuate
the State Honors Music Project.
Tonight, we invite everyone who
is able to consider a donation
to the endowment.
For more information
on this effort,
please visit your program.
Thank you for joining us for
this unprecedented event
and enjoy the performances.
- Thank you, Laurie.
The purpose of the High School
State Honors Music Project
is to acknowledge
and bring together
some of Wisconsin's finest
high school musicians
for an incredible musical
experience
working with accomplished peers,
outstanding coaches,
and distinguished conductors.
For more information, please
refer to the digital program.
A link is provided in the
comment section of this video
and on our website.
The High School State Honors
virtual camps this past summer
were certainly unique,
and we believe successful
due to advanced planning,
a high degree of cooperation,
and a coordinated effort by all.
This evening, you will hear the
results of the effort put forth
by the students, coaches,
and conductors.
However, we all know that there
are many more stakeholders
in this project.
First, we would like to thank
the parents and guardians
of the Honors Ensemble members
for supporting their children in
all of their musical endeavors
and for supporting
the music program
in their school district.
Due to the pandemic this year,
this support has required an
especially heroic effort
on the part of families
that has not gone unnoted.
This concert is your
accomplishment as well.
Please accept our
acknowledgement.
We would also like
to acknowledge
the past and present
music teachers
of our State Honors students.
Thank you for your inspiration,
patience, guidance,
and expertise in molding these
fine student musicians,
even under extraordinary
circumstances.
This concert is your
accomplishment as well.
The performances you are about
to experience
are the product of three years
and hundreds of hours of work.
The driving force
behind this project
is the administrative team.
This team is responsible
for the organizational work
behind all five High School
State Honors ensembles.
Joining me on the administrative
team are the chair-elect
of the Honors Project,
Sarah Hafenstein,
orchestra director
at Watertown High School.
Operations Director
Tim Kozlovsky,
band director at Pulaski
Community Middle School.
And head of the administrative
team, Victoria Donahue,
WSMA Program Director
and High School Honors Music
Project Coordinator.
The ensemble coordinators,
section coaches,
and accompanists have played
a vital role
in the success of tonight's
virtual concert.
These 29 music educators
were selected
for the State Honors
Music Project
based on their reputation for
excellence in music education.
They generously volunteer their
time and talents
to this project so that
these young musicians
will have the best experience
possible.
A listing of Honors staff
can be found in the program
on page 34.
We thank and commend them
for their flexibility,
creativity, and determination.
Finally, it is my distinct
privilege to introduce
the 2020 WSMA High School State
Honors conductors
for tonight's program.
In performance order, they are:
Thomas Dickey, Axel Theimer,
Michael Dease,
Lauren Fowler-Calisto,
and Pamela Bustos.
To learn more about the 2020
State Honors conductors,
please refer to pages 6 and 7
in the program.
And now, the premiere
of the 2020
State High School Honors Music
Project virtual performances.
- Thomas Dickey: So Emma Lou
Diemer's "Festival Overture"
was actually written
nearly 60 years ago
for an all-state orchestra,
essentially, in Virginia.
And it was really quite popular,
well-received at the time,
but then it really quickly
fell out of favor
amongst in orchestras,
and consequently,
it was never recorded.
And so this is essentially
the first recording project
of Emma Lou Diemer's
"Festival Overture."
She's a living woman composer.
This piece was written
60 years ago.
And we are giving
the first recorded performance.
["Festival Overture"
by Emma Lou Diemer]
[sprightly string
and woodwind music]
♪♪♪
["Festival Overture"
by Emma Lou Diemer]
♪♪♪
[gentle flute solo]
♪♪♪
["Festival Overture"
by Emma Lou Diemer]
♪♪♪
[rousing ending]
- Axel Theimer: Well, if you
would have had the opportunity
to be part of the Zoom meetings
that we had with the composers,
it was phenomenal
the way they acted and reacted
with the students, and also
the engagement of the students
with their own questions
and their own comments,
especially the opportunity
with Jim Papoulis,
who engaged all of us in writing
a composition together.
And asking them about their
feelings, about their ideas
about the key, about the mood
and so on, I think,
and as different as the
three composers were,
it was also amazing to see
their similarities,
how they approach composing,
and how they are affected
by the text
and by their own
emotional response
to the meaning of the words.
["Justice" by WSMA High School
State Honors Treble Choir
with Jim Papoulis]
[dramatic piano music]
♪ History is calling us ♪
♪ Loneliness is finding us ♪
♪ I will not be silent ♪
♪ As we hear the cries ♪
♪ When I hear hands up ♪
♪ When I hear I can't breathe ♪
♪ I will not be silent anymore ♪
♪ I will rise, I will stand ♪
♪ I will lift my voice ♪
♪ For justice is calling me ♪
♪ Freedom will lead us
to unity ♪
♪ We won't stop
'til we all find ♪
♪ Justice is calling me ♪
♪ Freedom will lead us
to unity ♪
♪ We won't stop
'til we all find justice ♪
["I Arise Today"
by Matthew Emery]
[gentle piano music]
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ Through the strength
of heaven ♪
♪ The light of the sun ♪
♪ The radiance of the moon ♪
[violin solo]
♪ The splendor of fire ♪
♪ The speed of lightning ♪
♪ The swiftness of the wind ♪
[gentle violin and piano music]
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ Through the strength
of heaven
(I arise today) ♪
♪ The light of the sun
(I arise today) ♪
♪ The radiance of the moon ♪
[gentle violin and piano music]
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ The depth of the sea ♪
♪ The stability of the earth ♪
♪ The firmness of the rock ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ Through the strength
of heaven
(I arise today) ♪
♪ The light of the sun
(I arise today) ♪
♪ The radiance of the moon
(The radiance) ♪
♪ (I arise)
Through the strength of heaven ♪
♪ I arise today
(The light of the sun) ♪
♪ I arise today
(The splendor of fire) ♪
♪ The speed of lightning
(The light of the sun) ♪
♪ The radiance of the moon ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today ♪
♪ I arise today
(I arise) ♪
♪ Today ♪
♪ In every heart
there is a place ♪
♪ A place that shows us
who we are ♪
♪ In every heart
there is a place ♪
♪ That finally I can see ♪
♪ In every heart
there is a place ♪
♪ A place that shows us
who we are ♪
♪ In every heart
there is a place ♪
♪ That finally I can see ♪
♪ If I hear my heart ♪
♪ I will know it's true ♪
♪ If I listen when it calls ♪
♪ In every heart
there is a place ♪
♪ That finally I can see ♪
♪ Look around and you
will see it ♪
♪ You will see that you will
find it ♪
♪ (Look around)
The time has come
for you to see ♪
♪ We are the voices
and we will be heard ♪
♪ Finding a voice that
will free us ♪
♪ We are the voices
and we will be heard ♪
♪ As we finally see ♪
♪ Who we are
(Who we are)
(Who we are) ♪
♪ Only what we feel ♪
♪ What we feel ♪
♪ There is only one way
we can be ♪
♪ And that is standing up ♪
♪ For who we are inside ♪
♪ We stand up tall ♪
♪ So we can feel the unity
of who we are inside
(Of who we are inside) ♪
♪ We stand up tall ♪
♪ So we can feel the unity
of who we are inside
(Of who we are inside) ♪
♪ There is only one way
we can be ♪
♪ And that is standing up
for who we are inside ♪
♪ I know who I am ♪
♪ I am breathing
the fire of my soul
(Who we are) ♪
♪ I am breathing
who I am inside ♪
♪ (I know who I am)
I am breathing the fire
of my soul ♪
♪ I can feel the fire
in my soul ♪
♪ I can feel the fire
in my soul ♪
♪ I can feel the fire
in my soul ♪
♪ I can feel the fire
in my soul ♪
♪ I can feel the fire ♪
♪ Look around
and you will see it
(You will see) ♪
♪ Look around
and you will find it
(Look around) ♪
♪ The time has come
for you to see ♪
♪ We are the voices
and we will be heard ♪
♪ Finding a voice
that will free us ♪
♪ We are the voices
and we will be heard ♪
♪ As we finally see now ♪
♪ We are the voices
who will be heard finally ♪
♪ We are now the voices ♪
♪ We are now the voices ♪
♪ We are voices finding out ♪
♪ That we have what we need
right in our hearts ♪
♪ Now is the time to believe
(Hearts) ♪
♪ We are heard ♪
- Michael Dease:
So in virtual learning,
through online platforms,
we often think about the
challenges.
There's not the in-person vibe
and ambience.
You don't get to hear
a natural, authentic-type sound,
but there's a lot
of benefits too.
We don't talk about those as
much, and I think we should.
One of them is that
the online platforms
let us share content
immediately.
So you can hear
what's on the computer;
you don't have to wait.
If a playlist is made,
everything is coming
right at the student right away
and you're immediately immersed
in the art.
And that's something that,
as we did our master classes,
we could play, we could share
video, we could share audio,
we could write comments,
everybody's notes were
immediately transferred
to each other,
so in those ways,
the information
is starting to be
at your fingertips, literally.
Whenever you want, however
you want, you can replay it,
you can record your classes,
and in this way I think
online learning is special
and unique in a way that is very
beneficial to us all.
["Three Blind Mice"
by Sara Jacovino]
[lively jazz music]
♪ ♪
[trumpet solo]
["Three Blind Mice"
by Sara Jacovino]
[trombone solo]
♪ ♪
["Three Blind Mice"
by Sara Jacovino]
[blaring ending]
["Groove's Grove"
by Steve Davis]
[swanky jazz music]
♪ ♪
[saxophone solo]
[trombone solo]
[saxophone solo]
[trombone solo]
[saxophone solo]
[saxophone solo]
[trumpet solo]
[bass solo]
♪ ♪
["Groove's Grove"
by Steve Davis]
[ending note]
- Lauren Fowler-Calisto: I think
what surprised me the most
is that we were able to find
this really common, strong bond.
We had been so hungry
for creating choral music
in an ensemble environment
ever since the COVID shutdown
that we didn't realize
how much we needed each other
as musicians and
as human beings.
And I think for that reason
it really created
an extraordinarily strong bond
between us: the staff,
the students, and myself.
I think that even
I was surprised
by how closely we all related
and how much we were able
to find each other
in this really beautiful space,
and I'm not quite sure
how that happened.
I think it was a combination
of working with three very
different composers
and having them talk with us
so that we were able to dive
so much deeper into the text
than we would in a normal
choral environment.
And I think it was also the fact
that Jake Runestad,
the composer of
"We Can Mend the Sky"
was able to work with us
and find this beautiful space
where we were talking
about the reason
that he created
this particular composition
and talking about the plight
of refugees in America
and the words, and through
this diving deep into the text,
we all were able to find
a way to connect
that I didn't think any of us
were aware of
and that we had really
been missing
while we were in lockdown.
And frankly, by the time
that we were done
with the last run-through
of "We Can Mend the Sky,"
we could actually hear
each other sing
even though none of us could
hear each other sing.
It was so beautiful,
and I don't think I'll
ever forget, at the very end
when we finished
"We Can Mend the Sky,"
and everybody in the choir
just lifted up their hands
and did a beautiful heart.
And I had to turn off my camera
for a minute
because it just made me
so emotional.
As I'm getting right now,
so it was pretty amazing.
["Dúlamán" by David Mooney]
[percussion]
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán a' tsleibhe
(O thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn a tlayve) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
dülamán farraige
(Thulamawn farrige,
thulamawn farrige) ♪
♪ Dülamán, dülamán,
dülamán, dülamán
(Thulamawn, thulamawn,
thulamawn, thulamawn) ♪
♪ O dülamán na farraige
is dülamán a' déidigh
(thulamawn na farrige
iss thulamawn a jethy) ♪
♪ dülamán farraige
dülamán farraige
dülamán dülamán
dülamán dülamán ♪
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach (Thulamawn na
binya bwee thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ O chuir mé scéala chuici
go gceanóinn cíor dí
(O kur may shkayla hicky
go gyanowínn keer thee) ♪
♪ 'S é'n scéal a chuir chugham
go raibh a ceann cíortha
(Shane Skayle a kur she hugum
go row a kyaun keer ha) ♪
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach
(Thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ La la la la la
(Ah) ♪
♪ La la la la la
(Ah) ♪
♪ La la la la la
(Ah) ♪
♪ La la la la la
(Ah) ♪
♪ 0 chuir mé scéala chuici
go gceanóinn bád dí
(O kur may shkayla hicky
go gyan owinn keer thee) ♪
♪ 'S é'n scéal a chuir sí
chugham nach suífeadh sí '‘gceann
rámha (Shane skayle a kur she
hug um go row a kyaun keer ha) ♪
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach
(Thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ Ah ♪
[descending] ♪ Ah ♪
♪ 0 chuir mé scéala chuici
go gceanóinn long dí
(O kur may shkayla hicky
go gyanowinn lung thee) ♪
♪'S é'n scéal a chuir sí chugham
nach rachadh sí i gcontúirt
(Shane shkale a kur she hugum
knock rocka she i gunthoorch) ♪
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach
(Thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ Ta ceann buí óir
ar a' dúiamán Gaelach
(Thaw keown bwee ore
err a thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
Tá dhá chluais mhaol' ar a'
dúlamán Maorach (Thaw gaw kloosh
wail err a thulamawn Mwayrock)
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach
(Thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ La la la la
(Ah la la la la la) ♪
♪ La la la la
(Ah la la la la la) ♪
♪ La la la la
(Ah la la la la la) ♪
♪ La la la la
(Ah la la la la la) ♪
♪ Ta bróga breátha dubha
ar a' dúlaman Gaelach
(Thaw brogabraha thooha
err a thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Ta bairéad agus triús
ar a' dúlamán Gaelach
(Thaw baraytheawgus throosh
err a thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ O dülamán na binne bui,
dülamán Gaelach
(Thulamawn na binya bwee,
thulamawn Gayluck) ♪
♪ Dülamán farraige,
bhfearr a bhi in Eirinn!
(Thulamawn farrige,
bar a vee in Airinn!) ♪
♪ Aw ♪
[descending] ♪ aw ♪
♪ La la la la la la la la
la la la ♪
♪ La la la la la la la la
la la la ♪
♪ La la la la la la la la
la la la la la la ♪
♪ La la la la la
(Ah) ♪
♪ La la la la la la la la
la la la ♪
["Ego sum panis vivus"
by Blaz Strmole]
♪ Ego sum panis vivus ♪
♪ qui de caelo di descendi
(qui de caelo di descendi) ♪
♪ descendi
(descendi) ♪
♪ descendi (descendi) ♪
♪ descendi
(descendi) ♪
♪ Si quis mandu caverit ♪
♪ si quis
mandu caverit ♪
♪ si quis mandu caverit ♪
♪ ex hoc pane ♪
♪ Vivet vivet ♪
♪ vivet
vivet ♪
♪ vivet vivet ♪
♪ vivet
vivet ♪
♪ vivet vivet ♪
♪ vivet ♪
♪ Ego sum panis vivus ♪
♪ vivus
(Ego sum panis vivus) ♪
♪ vivet vivet
(Ego sum panis vivus) ♪
♪ vivet vivet
(vivus) ♪
♪ vivet vivet ♪
♪ in aeternum
(in aeternum) ♪
♪ vivet vivet ♪
♪ vivet vivet
(vivet vivet) ♪
♪ vivet vivet (vivet vivet) ♪
♪ vivet
(in aeternum) ♪
♪ in aeternum
(in aeternum) ♪
♪ Amen
(amen) ♪
♪ Amen (amen) ♪
[silence]
["Mend the Sky"
by Jake Runestad]
♪ In my dream I saw ♪
♪ A world free of ♪
♪ Violence hunger suffering ♪
♪ A world filled with love ♪
♪ Now awake this world ♪
♪ I beg,
let my dream come true ♪
[guttural chanting in Somali]
Soo baxa (Let's go)
Naftu orod bay kugu aamintaa
(To save your life,
run with all your might)
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ Oo Oo ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ Oo ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ Come together ♪
♪ Oo ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ Oo ♪
♪ A crack in the sky ♪
♪ Oo ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ Oo ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ Come together ♪
[percussion]
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
[tempo and volume accelerating]
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ A crack in the sky
(If we come together) ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ A crack in the sky ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky
(improvised groove) ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ Come together ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ A crack in the sky
(If we come together) ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend
a crack in the sky ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ A crack in the sky ♪
♪ If we come together ♪
♪ O ♪
♪ We can mend ♪
♪ O ♪
♪ A crack in the... ♪
♪ Sky ♪
- Pamela Bustos: One
of the things that I've done
as a music educator
from my beginnings
of middle school band director,
I always commissioned
a lot of pieces.
This piece wasn't
commissioned by us
but I've worked
with this composer.
But I also realized
that my students
needed to see the world
beyond their communities
and this piece
allows them to engage
with folk songs
of another country
and what those mean
to that culture
that they can take back
to their own communities
and begin to
maybe think about
the opportunities
that lie for them
to learn so much
about humanity
through music
in from countries
that they've never
maybe even heard of.
["Suite No. 2 for Band Mvts 3 &
4" Victoriano Valencia Rincon]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ [finale notes] ♪
- Thank you for allowing
your child to be part
of this experience.
Even though, again,
we did not
have the opportunity
to have
the shared room experience
but it really shows again
the importance of music
in our lives
and having
the opportunity
to experience music
together,
explore music together,
and explore different ways
how we can respond to it
and allow ourselves
to respond to it
and therefore,
be forever changed
because we had
the experiences.
So, thank you.
- I would share my most sincere
and heartfelt thanks.
It was-- not to be cliche, but--
a wonderfully special
opportunity.
The connections that--
Even though
we were miles apart,
we made
some really genuine connections.
We laughed.
I almost cried several times.
And we got to make
great music--
all in just
a couple of days.
I know it's an experience
that I'm going to take with me
throughout my career
for the rest of my days,
and I hope that
the parents will, as well.
- I hope that the parents
are aware
of how music plays into
their children's development
an appreciation
and that they have
these opportunities
to grow beyond
their school music programs
and to see where they are
amongst their colleagues.
- Parents are so important
to students' lives,
and not just in music,
but I'm going to
talk about music right now
because music is so important
to all of us.
I know for a fact that
all of our ensemble directors
and coaches and staff
feel the same way.
And it really begins at home.
Students need help.
They need guidance.
They need support.
They need financial support.
They need
mentorship and guidance.
They need private lessons.
They need good instruments.
They need to go to band trips.
They need
to make recordings.
They need to read music.
They need to have
a practice space.
And they can't have
any of that
without support, mentorship,
and guidance at home.
That's where
the parents come in.
So, parents, we love you,
we thank you.
We're grateful for you
on behalf of our students,
and our students
and your children are, too.
- I think
the most important thought
that I want to impart
to our students,
their incredible parents,
and our staff,
is thank you.
I'm just not sure
any of us envisioned
even a year ago
that we would be
in this kind of space
where we would not
be able to make music
as a composite whole
but instead using technology
from all of our different
individual spaces.
I'm not quite sure
if anybody understood
how difficult a process
this would be.
But through that difficulty,
we would come together in such
a beautiful and amazing way.
And so, we have
all grown incredibly
throughout this progress,
but the process itself
would not have happened
without the support
of those parents and students
and staff
who worked from their homes
diligently.
Many of them
while still on summer vacation,
out on campsites
to make this work
for all of us.
And I think you'll be
just as pleased as I am
with the final product.
But what's most important
is that we came together
in passion and love
to create beautiful music.
Even though
we were still separate,
we were still one.