The words and music to “nipîy” (Water Song) are by Sheryl Sewepagaham, who is of Cree-Dene ancestry from the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta. 

Sewepagaham has degrees in music and education and is a PhD student in ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia. She has composed many works for choirs.

“nipîy” was inspired by an afternoon of fishing, sitting in solitude while noticing the river’s movement. The words are in Woodland Cree and translate as:

I am here.
I sit beside the water.
I touch you.
I hear you.
I see you.
I am here.
I sit quietly.

From India, via a brilliant arrangement by Portland conductor Ethan Sperry, we will perform “Dwijavanthi,” based on an Indian raga.

A raga is described as the soul of Indian classical music. While it can be thought of as a kind of scale, similar to a key in Western music, it carries something more: a distinct emotional world. Just as we might hear a major key as joyful or a minor key as reflective, each raga evokes its own mood and atmosphere.

In “Dwijavanthi,” these colors come alive through rhythms, harmonic overtone singing, and textures that echo the expressive traditions of Indian raga performance. The result is mesmerizing!

Two of the pieces on this program tell powerful and very different stories: a playful Brazilian folk song rooted in legend, and a love song born in a time of political turmoil.

From Brazil: “Muié Rendêra”

“Muié Rendêra” is a lively and playful folk song about a lacemaker—and a legendary bandit.

According to Brazilian folklore, the song was written by Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, better known as Lampião, a famous bandit leader of the early 20th century. It is said that the song was composed in honor of his mother, who was a lacemaker (rendeira).

Lampião became a kind of folk hero figure—known for targeting the wealthy while showing generosity to the poor. His group, the cangaceiros, were known not only for their raids on ranchers, but also for music, dancing, and celebration.

Like many folk songs, Muié Rendêra exists in many forms, lyrics and languages. It has been recorded by American artists Joan Baez and Pete Seeger.

Translated from Portuguese:

Hey, lacemaker woman,
hey lacemaker woman,
if you teach me how to weave,
I’ll teach you how to court

Virgulino is Lampião
He is Lampa, Lampa, Lampa.
he is  Lampião
His name is Virgulino,
his nickname is Lampião

Our performance features an arrangement by Brazilian choral conductor C.A. Pinto Fonseca, incorporating elements of another Lampião-associated song:  “É Lampa, é Lampa, é Lampião.”

Sing, for the world needs a song
a song giving wings to the mind
Let it feed us and flow within us,
Bringing unity and hope for all humankind
— Howard Meharg

Howard Meharg has taught in three Southwest Washington school districts and led many renowned choirs. He’s also expanded his musical world by composing inspiring songs.

The Vancouver Master Chorale’s upcoming concerts will include one of the first performances of Meharg’s optimistic “Sing, for the World Needs a Song.”

Meharg taught in the Castle Rock, Kelso and Longview school districts for more than 30 years total and now lives in Vancouver.  In the 1970s, Meharg toured with the Norman Luboff Choir, which was then one of the leading American choral groups. Meharg co-founded the Male Ensemble Northwest, and in 2009 started Chor Anno, a group made up of choral directors including VMC conductor Philip Denton.

Chor Anno first performed “Sing, for the World Needs a Song” a decade ago. Meharg describes it as “a cute little song that gives peace to the mind” — he composed both the words and the music. He’s delighted that his composition is getting shared in a concert with songs from 11 nations. “It does tie in with the idea of circling the world,” he said.

The South African song “Shosholoza” or “Tshotsholoza,” translated as “go forward,” or “rise up,” is a powerful anthem. From its very first notes, “Shosholoza” carries a sense of movement. The song traces its origins to the gold and diamond mines of South Africa in the late 1800s, where it was sung by workers as a call-and-response chant – a way to encourage one another, to stay in rhythm, and to move forward together.

Shosholoza – Go forward
Shosholoza – Go forward
Kulezo ntaba – from those mountains
Stimela siphume South Africa – on this train from South Africa
Wen’uyabaleka – You are running away
Kulezo ntaba – from those mountains
Stimela siphume South Africa – on this train from South Africa

Many of the miners who sang “Shosholoza” had traveled long distances, often by steam train, from regions such as Rhodesia to work in South Africa’s mines. They were not permitted to bring their families with them and, for many years, were allowed to return home only once a year. The lyrics of Shosholoza were often changed by the miners as they remembered their trip to South Africa or longed for their trip home.

The work they faced was difficult and dangerous, and living conditions were often harsh. Many workers undertook this migration with the goal of working long enough to save enough money to return home, build a better life, and support their families.

In this setting, songs like “Shosholoza” became a source of strength; a way to express longing, to share hope, and to endure together.

During his imprisonment on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela and his fellow anti-apartheid activists endured years of harsh forced labor in a limestone quarry. Mandela later recalled that the prisoners would sing it “to make the work lighter,” In that difficult environment, “Shosholoza” became more than a work song — it became a source of strength and solidarity. Mandela compared their apartheid struggle to an oncoming train. Singing together helped sustain their spirit, affirm their shared humanity, and remind them that they were not alone in their struggle.

In the years that followed the end of apartheid, Shosholoza emerged as a powerful symbol of unity across a previously deeply divided nation. What began as a song of endurance among miners came to represent perseverance, hope, and collective identity, and a song that could be sung by all South Africans, across backgrounds and experiences, as they looked toward a shared future. It is often heard at sporting events, where entire crowds join together in song, encouraging their teams, and one another, to keep moving forward.

As we sing “Tshotsholoza,” adapted by Jeffery Ames, we are reminded of music’s remarkable ability to carry history, to honor human experience, and to bring voices together across time and place.

“The Song” / “Pisnia,” a song from Ukraine, is a work of remarkable emotional depth and beauty. It was composed by Iryna Aleksiychuk.

Iryna Aleksiychuk is one of Ukraine’s most honored and esteemed living composers and is a deeply beloved and honored voice of Ukrainian musical culture.  She currently travels the world performing, giving workshops and conducting.

From the Composer

“The poem called “The Song”… touched my soul like no other. In its character and style it is very similar to Ukrainian folk songs, however, very professionally and skillfully written.

In addition, the themes discussed in this verse were in tune with me; that at my age you can already regret the young years that have passed, sadly remember many things in life that will never be returned, all our huge losses for almost nine years of war, and that there is no end to these losses…

There is a deep sadness, but at the same time humility and hope, wisdom, light and depth. It is easy to write music for such texts, such texts give ‘birth’ to music themselves…”

The Poetry

“The Song”
Leslya Ukrainka

Are there better flowers
than spring flowers?
Are there better years in life
than our younger years?

Spring flowers bloom,
but they quickly dry up,
My young years are the best,
but then they disappear in vain.

Do not wither, lush flowers
bloom at least until summer!
Wait for summer, better times will come,
do not run away from this world so fast!

Lush flowers
do not bloom twice a year;
The best years in life
do not happen twice.

The flowers haven’t dried yet,
Ruta is green,-
Don’t be sad, girl,
you are still young!

Leslya Ukrainka was a Ukrainian writer, translator, folklorist, feminist and cultural figure, and is one of the most famous women of modern Ukraine. She is best known for her poems of courage and struggle.

Thoughts from VMC Member, Natalia Sakun, who was born in Ukraine

“Singing with the Vancouver Master Chorale this season has been one of the most emotional and meaningful experiences of my life, especially as we perform “Pisnia” by Iryna Aleksiychuk, one of Ukraine’s most honored living composers. As the only Ukrainian in this choir, I have been deeply moved by the kindness, compassion, and sincere support for Ukraine from our members. I was asked to help with the Ukrainian pronunciation, and hearing these singers embrace our language and poetry with such care and passion often brings tears to my eyes. It touches something very deep in my soul — grief, memory, love, and hope all at once.

The poetry of Lesya Ukrainka carries both sorrow and light — grief for what is lost, but also wisdom, humility, and enduring love. The composer herself said the music seemed to rise naturally from the poem, and you can feel that in every phrase. After nearly twelve years of war and immense human loss, this text resonates deeply with Ukrainians. Yet when we sing “Pisnia,” I also hear resilience, humanity, and hope. In Ukrainian tradition, the red ruta flower symbolizes pure and eternal love. To me, this music is not only about mourning, but about preserving light and peace even through darkness. I am profoundly grateful to my fellow choir members for carrying this message with such sincerity through music.

The Vancouver Master Chorale will end its upcoming concerts with the uplifting, Gospel-styled “A Jubilant Day” by renowned composer Judy Rose of Portland.

Rose, who formerly lived in Vancouver, has composed numerous choral pieces that have been performed in the Portland area.

She was born in West Virginia and spent her first five years in foster care, according to a 2025 article in Oregon ArtsWatch. As a girl, Rose loved music and realized that she had perfect pitch. She went to high school in La Grande, Ore., where her school choral director encouraged her and asked her to help him conduct.

Rose has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Portland State University and has taught in Portland schools.

Rose composed “A Jubilant Day” in 2016. In an introduction to the song at the time, she wrote, “I believe that getting though what we are all experiencing in the world right now, that there has to be some joy in the world. If there is to be that joy, we must create it.”

Rose told an interviewer from the Portland Tribune that spirituals have roots as protest songs sung by slaves in the South and that her song is about overcoming the troubles she faced as a black woman.

She told ArtsWatch that the seed of “A Jubilant Day” came out of a moment in her life when she was targeted in a highway incident. When she got home, she wrote the beginning of the piece:

Each day begins and ends with me.
Oh, yes, my lord, I’ve found me a jubilant day.
There’s a day in my heart that’s burnin’ in my soul.
Ain’t no trouble comin’ over me. I am gonna shout ‘til I am finally free.
Ain’t no trouble comin’ over me.
Evil can’t win unless you let it in,
but sometimes I forget I am strong beyond all measure.
Ain’t no trouble comin’ over me, Ain’t no trouble comin’ over me.
Sometimes this journey’s hard, yet I’ve found love.
Oh, my lord, yes, my lord, I have found this beautiful day.
Each day begins and ends with me,
I’ve found a jubilant day.