- 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 ♪

♪ 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 ♪

♪ 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 ♪

♪ 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 ♪

♪ 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]

[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) ♪