A big part of Bethany’s annual Christmas Gala is music and singing. The Sightline staff wanted to know how the choral songs for the Gala were chosen. Bethany’s choir teacher, Danielle Svonavec, was more than willing to share with us how she made these choices, and why she felt they were perfect.
Written by Gretchen Bateman; Edited by Simon Dutkiewicz
Revision 1.0
“Most of the songs the choirs will perform were chosen specifically for the Gala’s theme, Peace is Born.” Each year, the Gala theme is picked by Talashia Keim Yoder, Bethany’s theater director who has graciously taken up the task of being the primary organizer and director of the Gala. This year the Gala focuses on the birth of Jesus, as well as the lives of other peacemakers throughout history. Each of their stories will be followed by a piece of music that fits their lives.
One specific example Danielle used was “to follow the story of Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a Guatemalan human rights advocate and winner of the Nobel peace prize, the 5th graders will be singing La Paz De La Tierra,” meaning “The Peace of the Earth,” “a traditional Guatemalan song that includes a prayer for peace.” This song was a perfect fit because Rigoberta has worked her whole life to bring peace to the Indigenous people of Guatemala.
Another choral piece in the Gala is Earth Song. Danielle knew that she wanted the Concert Choir to sing this piece at some point this or next year—When the theme for the Gala was decided, and it was announced that one of the peacemakers was going to be Greta Thunberg, Danielle decided that Earth Song—which “presents different kinds of trauma from which our physical earth and we humans need to heal, and declares music and singing shall provide light through the pain” —would be a perfect fit.
“The scorched Earth cries out in vain,” is a lyric of the song that echoes Greta’s advocacy for peace for the Earth—we as humans have hurt the Earth; it cries out for help and we do nothing but ignore its weeping.