Please note: Effective at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22, 2020, the 探花精选 campus will be closed for the rest of the semester in response to the ever-growing COVID-19 pandemic. All events on campus for the Spring 2020 semester have been suspended or canceled.
This evening鈥檚 concert is about different aspects of perfection. Joseph Martin鈥檚 Something of Love speaks of the power of community to sustain us through our most challenging times. Mark Patterson鈥檚 O Light, Awaken encourages us to transform our present and to dream of a better future. Andy Beck鈥檚 No Ruby is an unabashedly romantic love song. Luigi Zaninelli鈥檚 setting of The Water Is Wide reminds us that, although we strive for perfection, our reality often falls short of our expectations. In those cases, we discover that hindsight may actually be more perfect that our idealized visions of the future. In this manner we learn and grow from our mistakes and set a truer course for our future endeavors. Randall Thompson鈥檚 Last Words of David sets a text from II Samuel 23:3-4. David admonishes those who lead to seek a higher wisdom and lead in a manner that brings joy and refreshing to those who follow their example. Jean Ann e Shafferman鈥檚 Carry Me Home combines two famous songs, Deep River and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Both songs are derived from the African American spiritual tradition, and both would have been understood to have dual references to both spiritual and physical freedom. In contrast to the Carry Me Home鈥檚 reflective nature, Soon and Very Soon serves as a rousing affirmation of a hope for a better, eternal home.