Concert Program

HomeCare: A Concert on Climate Change

March 12, 2023 7:00 PM

A Note from the Artistic Director

Tonight's concert, “HomeCare,” is designed to educate us on aspects of climate change which go beyond our emotional response. For this information we have invited Luke Wallace, musician and climate activist, and Ruth Andrade from Stand LA, to share their knowledge of this issue and ways to heal our land. It is my hope that you will
leave this space aware of our limited resources and how we must work to protect them for generations to come.

Alexander Lloyd Blake
Executive/ Founding Artistic Director

Concert Program

Silence My Soul

Music by:
Francisco F. Feliciano
Text by:
Rabindranath Tagore

Silence my soul,

these trees are prayers. 

I asked the tree:

Tell me about God. 

Then it blossomed.

Cara Zydor Fesjian, soloist

New Collective Consciousness

Music by:
Joseph Trapanese
Text by:
I. Text by Andri Snœr Maganason; II. Text by Greta Thunberg From her speech to the United Nations on 23 September 2019 and her speech to a climate rally in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) on 18 October 2019

I. “We know”

Ok is the first Icelandic glacier

to lose its status as a glacier.

In the next 200 years,all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path.

This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done

Only you know if we did it.

II. “How Dare You”

How dare you!

People are suffering.

People are dying.

Entire ecosystems are collapsing.

We are in the beginning of a mass extinction,

and all you can talk about is money and

fairy tales of eternal economic growth.

How dare you!

You are failing us.

But the young people are starting

to understand your betrayal.

The eyes of all future generations are upon you.

And if you choose to fail us, I say:

We will never forgive you.

We will not let you get away with this.

Right here, right now is where we draw the line.

The world is waking up.

And change is coming, whether you like it or not.

We’re doing this because our future is at stake.

It’s Not Too Late

Music by:
Carlos Fernando Lopez
Text by:
Gabriel García Marquez

It’s not too late,

Too late to build,

It’s not too late,

Too late to dream.

The only way I dare to die,

is if I die because of love.

To share the land

A land in peace

It’s not too late

To share the land

Not too late to share the land in peace.

Anna Crumley, Solo

Flames

Music by:
Christopher O’Brien
Text by:
Christopher O’Brien

It’s a cold serene morning

In the dry forest,

Tall, thin trees loom over all.

Casting long shadows in the subtle light of dawn.

A faint glow can be seen on the horizon.

Like a harsh warning.

A flare of maroon in a sea of cool colors, 

The truth of alarming reddish hue is revealed.

Licks of flame can be seen creeping over the hillside piercing the tranquil horizon.

As all trees watch in silence,

awaiting their inevitable end,

The flames advance, foot by foot, like a battalion.

Pushing forward to the battlefield.

Soon enough, the entire forest

is engulfed in distorted heat.

The smell of burning embers

is recognizable from miles away.

Minutes turn to hours, hours turn to days,

And eventually, the flames dwindle.

It’s a cold serene morning,

In the barren, charred remains of a forest.

A tulip sprouts from the ashes,

A glimmer of hope in a sea of ashy black.

Rachel Yeo, Solo

This Land Is Your Land

Music by:
Woody Guthrie, arranged by Blake Morgan
Text by:
Woody Guthrie

This land is your land,

this land is my land,

This land was made for you and…

This land is my land;

ain’t it made for you and me?

This land is my land; shinin’ sea to sea.

Oh this land is your land, this land is my land,

From California to the New York island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters:

This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway,

I saw above me that golden skyway.

I saw below me that golden valley:

This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land,

From California to the New York island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters:

This land was made for you and me.

I’ve roamed and rambled, followed my footsteps,

To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;

All around me a voice was sounding:

This land was made for you and me!

When the sun come shinin’, then I was strollin’,

And the wheat fields wavin’, and the dust clouds rollin’,

That voice come a’chanting, yeah!, as the fog was lifting:

See, this land was made for you and me.

In the squares of the city, in the shadow of the steeple,

By the relief office, I saw my people.

And as they stood hungry, I stood there wond’ring:

Is this land made for you and…me?

My land; ain’t it made for you and me?

This land is my land; shinin’ sea to sea.

Oh, this land is your land, this land is my land,

From California to the New York island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters:

This land was made for you and me.

This land was made for you and me.

This land was made for you and me.

This land!

Mia Davitt, Bass Guitar • Christina Galisatus, Piano • Drew Tachine, Drums

When Old Men Plant Trees

Music by:
David Conley
Text by:
Text adapted from Greek Proverb

Plant trees whose shade you shall never sit in.

For a society grows great,

for a society grows strong,

when we all plant trees

whose shade we know we will never sit in.

Pani Ka Rang

Music by:
Gaayatri Kaundinya
Text by:
Gaayatri Kaundinya

Pani re pani, tera rang kya hai?

Water, O water, what is your color?

Rangon ke liye, pani, tu pyaasa hai!

For colors, dear water, you are so thirsty!

Pani ki tarhah, Mann berang hai

Just like water, the spirit is colorless

Jeevan ke rangon ko mann bhi pyaasa hai

For the colors of life, the spirit, too, is thirsty!

Life’s legacy reflects the heart’s colors!

Gaayatri, Solo • Dani Ekbote, Tabla • Anand Vemuri, Bansuri

Sons and Daughters

Music by:
Luke Wallace arr. Shawn Kirchner
Text by:
Luke Wallace

Easy on the earth, lightly on the water,

remember this place is for your sons and

daughters,

Easy on the earth, lightly on the water

Remember who this place is for

Get your kids to a garden, with the garden they'll

grow

They'll learn to go easy and learn to live slow

Just get your kids to a garden, with the garden

they'll grow

They'll learn to go easy on the earth, lightly on

the water

Remember this place is for your sons and

daughters

Easy on the earth, lightly on the water

Remember who this place is for

Get your kids to a river, with the river they'll flow

It'll teach em' how to paddle, teach em’ how to

row.

Get your kids to a river, with the river they'll flow

It'll take em' where they need to go

Ima' go easy, easy, I’m going easy yea (REPEAT)

Let em' see their reflection wherever they go

In the rain water, flood water, sleet, hail, snow

Let em' see their reflection wherever they go

And go Easy on the earth, lightly on the water,

remember this place is for your sons and

daughters,

Easy on the earth, lightly on the water

Remember who this place is for.

Earth Song

Music by:
Michael Jackson, arr. Nathan Heldman
Text by:
Michael Jackson

What about sunrise, what about rain,

What about all the things

that you said we were to gain?

What about killing fields, is there a time?

What about all the things

that you said were yours and mine?

Did you ever stop to notice

all the children dead from war,

Did you ever stop to notice

this crying earth, these weeping shores?

What have we done to the world?

Look what we’ve done.

What about all the peace

that you pledged your only son?

What about flowering fields,

Is there a time?

What about all the dreams

that you said were yours and mine?

I used to dream,

I used to glance beyond the stars,

I now don’t know where we are,

although I know we’re drifted far.

What about yesterday?

What about the sea?

The heavens are falling down,

I can’t even breathe.

What about apathy?

I need you.

What about nature’s worth?

It’s our planet’s womb.

What about animals, turned kingdoms to dust?

What about elephants, have we lost their trust?

What about crying whales, ravaging the seas?

What about forest trails, burnt despite our pleas?

What about the holy land, torn apart by creed?

What about the common man,

can we set them free?

What about children dyin’,

can’t you hear them cry?

Where did we go wrong, someone tell me why?

What about baby boy, what about the days?

What about all their joy, what about the man?

What about the cryin’ man,

what about Abraham?

What about death again, do we give a damn?

Luz Rodriguez, Solo • Mia Davitt, Bass Guitar • Nathan Heldman, Piano • Drew Tachine, Percussion

Performers

Soprano

  • Anna Crumley
  • Addy Sterrett
  • Becca Tomasko
  • Cassandra Duschane
  • Hannah Abrahim
  • Meredith Pyle

Alto

  • Hannah Lewis
  • Kim Dawson
  • Molly Pease
  • Natalie Gonzalez
  • Vera Lugo
  • Katelyn Dietz

Tenor

  • Kion Heidari
  • Adam Faruqi
  • David Morales
  • Jonathan Byram
  • Christopher Roney
  • Isaiah Chacon

Bass

  • Gregory Fletcher
  • Brandon Guzman
  • Matthew Lewis
  • Ian Gabriel Luna
  • Patrick Tsoi-A-Sue
  • Lorenzo Zapata

Instrumentalists

  • Kristen Simpson, piano
  • Christina Galisatus, piano
  • Zev Shearn-Nance, Percussion
  • Gaayatri Kaundinya, piano
  • Robin Sukhadia, Tabla
  • Aakash Pujara, Bansuri
  • Jay Hemphill, Bass

Pro Bono ASL Team:

Director or Artistic Sign Language:
Monica L. Abelar-Muñoz

Deaf Performers:
Monica L. Abelar-Muñoz
Mikey Agyin

ASL Interpreters:
Ashley Rodriguez
Gema Niebla
Melissa Marquez


Special Thanks

Company Manager

  • Hasan Crawford

Tonality Board of Directors

  • Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, Executive Director
  • Dr. David Connors, Board Chair
  • Dr. Tram Sparks, Vice Chair
  • Joe Trapanese, Secretary
  • Dr. Kimberly Bradshaw, Treasurer
  • Stacy Brightman
  • Jacob Broussard
  • Shawn Kirchner
  • Stu Marks
  • Caroline McKenzie
  • Jordan Reddout

Honorary Board Members

  • Michael Abels
  • Kris Bowers
  • Lara Downes
  • Dr. Melissa Dunphy
  • Brian Lauritzen
  • Angela Leus
  • Kevin “K.O.” Olusola

Advisory Board Members

  • Kristy Edmunds
  • Vijay Gupta
  • Jen Belladin Rogers
  • Leslie Thomas

We sincerely thank:

  • ProBono ASL
  • Luke Wallace
  • Stand LA
  • David Morales

We are gathered today on the unceded land of the Tongva peoples. We ask you to join us in acknowledging the Tongva community, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. This land has nourished, healed, protected and embraced the Tongva peoples for many generations in a relationship of balance and harmony. As members of the Tonality community we acknowledge this legacy. We promote this balance and harmony. We find inspiration from this land; the land of the Tongva. This acknowledgement demonstrates Tonality’s commitment to the process of dismantling the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism and honoring our Nation’s Indigenous Peoples.

Acknowledgments

2022-2023 Supporters of Tonality

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STAND LA is an environmental justice coalition of community groups that seeks to end neighborhood drilling to protect the health and safety of Angelenos on the front lines of urban oil extraction.

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Upcoming Events

The Wallis | At War With Ourselves - 400 Years of You
Saturday, February 15, 2025
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Music @ The Wallis is generously made possible by Terri and Jerry Kohl At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You features a text by National Book Award-winning poet Nikky Finney inspired by her 2013 poem “The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy.” The music was composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Abels, composer for the Jordan Peele films Us and Get Out. This powerful new work for string quartet, narrator, and chorus explores race relations, social justice, and civil rights in 21st century America. KRONOS QUARTET TONALITY MUSIC BY Michael Abels TEXT & NARRATION BY Nikky Finney CONDUCTED BY Alexander Lloyd Blake

The Wallis | Put Your Guns Down
Saturday, May 24, 2025
|
7:30 pm
The Wallis | Put Your Guns Down

Music @ The Wallis is generously made possible by Terri and Jerry Kohl Making their Wallis debut, GRAMMY-award winning vocal choir Tonality combines melodic harmonies to present concerts on themes of social justice in hopes to catalyze empathy and community activism. Put Your Guns Down discusses issues related to gun violence in the United States. Some of the selections will discuss mass shootings, police brutality, the effects on victims, school shootings, and suicide prevention. The concert also focuses on an active sense of peace as we come together to find solutions toward the epidemic of gun violence in this country. This evening’s performance will feature the world premiere of Alexander Lloyd Blake’s Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery.