Moxie

Teresa Jennings

“I Love My Mom”

Who has more Moxie than our moms? Teresa Jennings, composer of I Love My Mom, is a musician, conductor, composer, and co-owner of Plank Road Publishing Company located in Wauwatosa, WI. She is most interested in writing music for children to sing, and her extensive work with jazz and rock has helped her develop a unique style. Beyond her wide vocabulary of musical styles, Teresa fills her music with emotion and strong values. Aside from running the business and writing music, Teresa also produces her own recordings.  Her songs are now enjoyed by young singers all over the world. Learn more here.

Stephanie Leavell

“I Can Do Things”

Stephanie Leavell is a songwriter and the creator of Music for Kiddos, a website that provides high-quality music and music resources for music therapists, music educators, and parents. She’s an experienced music educator, a board certified music therapist, Berklee College of Music graduate, and is passionate about using music to help kids succeed. She writes about her song I Can Do Things: “My hope is that just one kid truly HEARS this song… and those affirmations sink in and impact the way they feel about themselves. I imagine parents playing it on the way to school to combat school anxiety, or on the way to the doctor, swimming lessons, etc.” Learn more here.

Lupita Nyong’o

“Sulwe’s Song”

Lupita Nyong’o is an Oscar award-winning actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in 12 Years A Slave, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and other accolades, including the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Award. Lupita co-wrote “Sulwe’s Song” with K’naan and Steve McEwen to accompany her children’s book Sulwe, a New York Times bestseller. Sulwe, which means “star” in Luo, Lupita’s first language, tells the story of a 5-year-old girl growing up in Kenya who is uncomfortable because she has the darkest skin color in her family. Through a celestial adventure (and her mom’s help) she begins to see herself as beautiful. Lupita is quoted in People Magazine, “My goal was to plant a seed of self-worth in children just as they are starting to get a sense of the larger world, and internalizing how other people see them.” Learn more here.

Sherry Blevins

“Watch Me Fly”

Sherry Blevins is a music educator, conductor, clinician, lyricist and composer. She lives in Huntersville, North Carolina where she teaches at Appalachian State University. Her composing credits include being a composing fellow at the CORO Institute in Iowa, winning the international Claremont Chorale’s competition contest, and having her works performed by many All-State and College choirs. Watch Me Fly, takes the idea of a caterpillar’s journey into a butterfly, which resonates with our singers. Learning how to musically and personally let go of our fear and take flight is a core part of Milwaukee Children’s Choir’s mission and purpose.

Abbie Betinis

“Resilience”

Abbie Betinis is a world-renowned composer, originally from Wisconsin, now living in Minnesota where she teaches at Concordia University- St. Paul.  She is also the Executive Director of the Justice Choir. Abbie has composed music for many world class organizations and has collaborated with poets, choirs, orchestras and vocalists. Resilience was chosen for its theme and power. Abbie is a cancer survivor and wrote this song as a reflection on that personal journey. We use it as an anthem in rehearsal, and its message can be applied in everyday life as well. We are strong and we’ll move on together.

Melanie DeMore

“One Foot/Lead with Love”

Melanie DeMore is a vocal activist. She lives in Oakland, California where she uses her voice as a songwriter and serves as an emissary of tolerance, kindness and harmony.  Melanie travels to different communities where she works to bring people together to experience the healing power of music. In her travels, Melanie works on helping each group she’s with find their musical voice. One Foot/Lead with Love helps to teach us that even when the road ahead seems dark and scary, we can move ahead one step at a time with love, joy, strength and power.

Emily Crocker

“Fire and Ice”

Emily Crocker is a beloved name here around MCC.  As a leading expert in youth choirs, she is also well known for her compositions.  We are excited to present to you her new song titled Fire and Ice.  As a fourth grade student on January 20, 1961 she watched on a small black and white television the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy and also saw Robert Frost, the first poet to ever speak at an inauguration of a President.  In 2019, many of his poems became available as public domain, including the poem Fire and Ice, written in 1920.  This text expresses the emotion of desire and hate and how this could end with the world through the metaphor of fire or with ice. With the new opportunity to set his poem to music, Emily wrote this song with MCC in mind for the sound.  We are pleased to perform as a Midwest Premiere today Emily Crocker’s song, Fire and Ice.

The Wailin’ Jennys
&
Ruth Moody

“Storm Comin'”

The Wailin’ Jennys, a Canadian folk music group, is a popular international women’s ensemble due to their sound, depth of musical styles and text.  Storm Comin’, by Ruth Moody, a member of the trio, expresses a different emotion for the word Moxie through the music and text.  When we think of Moxie, we think of “in your face” grit, determination and fierceness.   This song however is more about embracing the storm, acceptance in yourself, and that love can also show Moxie.

Corie Brown (Arranger)
&
May Erlewine (Music & Text)

“Never One Thing'”

Corie Brown is currently the Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at San José State University.  She believes classical and traditional folk music worlds are intertwined and she desires all musicians to bring individual truths to their music making.  Corie met May Erlewine through Earthwork Music Collective and they became close friends.  Never One Thing expresses caring for ALL parts of ourselves.  It is an anthem for anyone who has felt he/she/they should disown a part of themselves or felt ostracized for who they are.  The hope is for this song to reclaim, heal and be proud of each wonderful aspect of oneself. 

Corie Brown (Arranger)
&
May Erlewine (Music & Text)

“Never One Thing'”

Corie Brown is currently the Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at San José State University.  She believes classical and traditional folk music worlds are intertwined and she desires all musicians to bring individual truths to their music making.  Corie met May Erlewine through Earthwork Music Collective and they became close friends.  Never One Thing expresses caring for ALL parts of ourselves.  It is an anthem for anyone who has felt he/she/they should disown a part of themselves or felt ostracized for who they are.  The hope is for this song to reclaim, heal and be proud of each wonderful aspect of oneself. 

Nancy Grundahl (Composer)
&
Hildegard von Bingen (Poet/Composer)

“Caritas Abundat”

Hildegard von Bingen, born 1098-1179 in Germany, is credited as the first identifiable woman composer.  Also known later in life as Saint Hildegard, the magistra of the convent, she has more surviving chants than any other composer from the Middle Ages, and is also included as one of a few composers to have written both the music and the text.  In our concert, Celebrating Women Composers, we needed to include this prolific and visionary composer. This song, Caritas Abundat is quite interesting because of the overlaying of Hildegard’s  ancient chant with a contemporary setting of the English translation by Nancy Grundahl.  Nancy holds undergraduate and graduate vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota and is the conductor of three ensembles in the Minneapolis area.  In 2019 she was the recipient of the F. Melius Christiansen Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Choral Directors Association of MN.

Nancy Grundahl (Composer)
&
Hildegard von Bingen (Poet/Composer)

“Caritas Abundat”

Hildegard von Bingen, born 1098-1179 in Germany, is credited as the first identifiable woman composer.  Also known later in life as Saint Hildegard, the magistra of the convent, she has more surviving chants than any other composer from the Middle Ages, and is also included as one of a few composers to have written both the music and the text.  In our concert, Celebrating Women Composers, we needed to include this prolific and visionary composer. This song, Caritas Abundat is quite interesting because of the overlaying of Hildegard’s  ancient chant with a contemporary setting of the English translation by Nancy Grundahl.  Nancy holds undergraduate and graduate vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota and is the conductor of three ensembles in the Minneapolis area.  In 2019 she was the recipient of the F. Melius Christiansen Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Choral Directors Association of MN.

Artemisia
&
Alexandra Olsavsky

“What Happens When a Woman”

Artemisia, a Chicago based trio, weaves stories and songs together as a journey with the audience.  The group performs a vast repertoire of vocal styles including but not limited to Appalachian folk, Tushetian highlander cries and Cuban dance music.  Artemisia also empowers youth and community through their educational outreach by teaching cultural literacy through singing, improvisational songwriting and female empowerment.  What Happens When A Woman, an original song by Alexandra, a member of Artemisia, seeks to empower women by asking important questions. It is truly a powerful song that fits perfectly with our theme Moxie.

Sarah Quartel

“The Beat of a Different Drum”

Sarah Quartel, a Canadian composer, conductor, clinician and educator continues to rise in the choral world due to her unique way of weaving together complex layers of sound. Her talent has led her to become the youngest composer for the Oxford University Press.  Quartel credits her experience singing in youth choirs as influential in her becoming a composer.  The Beat of a Different Drum, a setting of her own text, is about celebrating the freedom of expression that is in each of us.  This song is perfect as an All Milwaukee Children’s Choir song because it engages all the ages of our singers with the vocal percussion sound of the drum and the storytelling of the poem.

Andrea Ramsey

“Lineage and Letter from a Girl to the World”

Andrea Ramsey is a composer that I regularly program along with the rest of the choral world!  She is an award-winning composer with over 160 compositions.   Each song truly is inspirational, insightful and provides opportunities for singers to not only learn more about themselves but also provide the opportunity to express that through the song.  Humanity is at the center of her music and provides a richness to the experience. Both Lineage and Letter from a Girl to the World are about strength coming from a woman.  I am incredibly grateful that our singers had the opportunity to meet Andrea Ramsey and to sing her music for you.

Thank you all for taking the time to read our short glimpses of each composer and song programmed today.  We are lucky to be living in this time where female composers are recognized and honored for their contributions to the music world. The Artistic Staff of Milwaukee Children’s Choir understands the impact this music will have on our singers as they continue to grow and become a Force for Good in our community and world.  Thank you for being a witness, believer, supporter and friend for the Milwaukee Children’s Choir.

Thank you all for taking the time to read our short glimpses of each composer and song programmed today.  We are lucky to be living in this time where female composers are recognized and honored for their contributions to the music world. The Artistic Staff of Milwaukee Children’s Choir understands the impact this music will have on our singers as they continue to grow and become a Force for Good in our community and world.  Thank you for being a witness, believer, supporter and friend for the Milwaukee Children’s Choir.