THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
“Half the Sky” Levana McKenna Stenson, Director Colby White and Elaina Wilson, Assistant Directors Emma Anderson and Lisa Leaman, Collaborative Piano Narrators
(listed in order of appearance)
Olivia Ji, Audrey Baudek, Kai Jamison, Maddie Powers Natalie Aredes, Amy Arredondo, Lila Ashton Lauren Haggard, Charlotte Peters, Helena Peterson Maryan Martins Amar, Mallory McKeon, Moira Corbett Riley Craft, and Ayla Danishment Tuesday, November 3, 2026 7:30 p.m. | Opperman Music Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All… Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers. Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance. Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
PROGRAM Sorrow & Prayer Itken Pois
Anna-Mari Kähärä (b. 1963)
Sicut Erat
Nicola Porpora (1686–1768)
Ainsley Cramblet, soloist Small Ensemble: Allison Popwell, Taylor Livingston, Bia Sanchez, and Dylan Valdes Toni Curry, shaker; Colby White, Cajon
Ioana Popescu and Rachel Lawton, violin Noel Medford, viola; Turner Sperry, cello
To Sit and Dream
Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962) Seduction & Abuse
The Gypsy Chorus from Carmen
Susanne Lommler, Carmen Rachael Hayworth, choreography
Praying
Elise Tippett, Laryn Christian, and Kasie Cabral, vocals Turney Sperry, cello
Til It Happens to You
Moira Corbett, Allison Popwell, Madi Kent, lead vocals Small Ensemble: Moira Corbett, Malaya Chong, Allison Popwell, Ava Stein Juliana Davila, Kiley Berkery, Madi Kent, September Peters, and Riley Curls
Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Kesha arr. Aaron Burgett
Lady Gaga arr. Colby White
Unwritten Rules of Womanhood Just a Girl
Bia Sanchez and Jaclyn Maxwell, vocals Jordan McIntosh, guitar; Colby White, electric bass; Emilia Parsons, drum set
No Doubt
Maternal Mortality Yamo
Ioana Popescu and Rachel Lawton, violin Noel Medford, viola; Turney Sperry, cello Colby White, bongos; Toni Curry, triangle/shaker
arr. Shireen Abu-Khadar (b. 1972)
Girls Helping Girls Small is the Seed
Katerina Gimon (b. 1993) Descant: Ava Stein, Isabelle Jocelyn, Anna Oppenheiser, Mallory McKeon, and Madilyn Taylor Colby White, cajon; Rachael Hayworth, choreography
Akekho
Colby White, cajon Rachael Hayworth, choreography
arr. André van der Merwe (b. 1969)
What Can You Do? Half the Sky
— World Premiere —
Debra Penberthy arr. Zanaida Stewart Robles (b. 1979)
With thanks to Catherine (BM ‘06, MM ‘09) and Michael Giel for their generous sponsorship of this commission Still I Rise
Rosephanye Powell
Jaclyn Maxwell, Emily LaCanna, Annabelle Camargo, Toni Curry, and Isabelle Jocelyn, soloists Colby White, electric bass; Emilia Parsons, drum set
ABOUT COMPOSER AND ARRANGER OF THE COMMISSIONED WORK Penberthy: Half the Sky Debra Penberthy is an American singer-songwriter and pianist who recently relocated from North Carolina to Akron, OH whose music is infused with her Southern roots, life in progressive Midwestern cities, West Coast training in classical voice and songwriting (CalArts and USC), and DNA from the British Isles. If Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Neko Case somehow managed to make a baby, she might make music like Debra Penberthy. Genre? Americana: melding country and folk with jazz harmonies and literary lyrics, laced with a thoroughly-modern feminist perspective. Her debut EP Love in a Model Town which is also a visual album is due out soon . Written over nearly a decade, it’s an autobiographical album moving from a wistful restlessness toward a clear-eyed, take-the-bull-by-the-horns hopefulness. The visual album, shot by up-and-coming cinematographer Sam Keeble, features footage shot all across the US. Hailed as a “composer of energized and soulful music,” Zanaida Stewart Robles is an acclaimed black American female composer, teacher, singer, and conductor who specializes in choral music. She has received commissions from various organizations including the American Guild of Organists (O Magnum Mysterium – 2026), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) (The Summit is Nigh – 2025), the Los Angeles Master Chorale (The Song of Significance – 2024), ACDA Eastern (Dedication – 2024), the University of Miami Frost Chorale (His Eye is On the Sparrow – 2023), the Neue Kammer of Leipzig (Blühende Bäume – 2021), the California Choral Directors Association (She Lingers On – 2020), and Tonality (Can You See – 2019). Her published works are available from MusicSpoke, E.B. Marks Music, Pavane Publishing, Oxford University Press, Gentry Publications, Hinshaw Music, and Stainer and Bell. In 2026, she joined the composition faculty of the International Choral Conducting Institute, a week-long immersive program dedicated to nurturing and instructing choral composers and lyricists of all levels while connecting them with real-world editors and publishers. She served as an adjudicator for the CCDA ECCO Heussenstamm Choral Composition Contest and the Chicago a cappella HerVoice Emerging Woman Composers Competition from 2021-2024. Since 2019, she has served on panels and participated in clinics and sessions at choral conferences and workshops across the country, building support for choral composers at various stages of their careers. Born, raised, and educated in Southern California, she holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the USC Thornton School of Music, a Master of Music degree from CSU Northridge, a Bachelor of Music degree from CSU Long Beach, and she is a graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Itken Pois Text by Anna-Mari Kähärä, adapted from Kanteletar poetry collection. Anna-Mari Kähärä’s Itken Pois (I Weep Away) is a deeply expressive work that blends contemporary choral textures with Finnish folk influences. Kähärä, a Finnish composer and singer known for her genre-crossing compositions, crafts a setting that is both harmonically rich and rhythmically compelling. Shifting meters and dynamic contrasts enhance the piece’s raw emotionality, which mirrors the text’s themes of sorrow and healing. Itken Pois Itku silmähän tulevi, Itku vieraalla vuotehella. Olen joutunu jonnekki Kurja junnekki kulkenunna. Itken pois ihanat silmät Vieritän pois verevät kasvot, Kasvot kaunihit kaotan Itken itseni ikäni kaiken. Itken saavit, itken saunat, Itken metsät itken vuoret Itken järvet, itken joet, Itken itseni ikäni kaiken Jo tuosta joki tulevi Itkemistäni vesistä Jo tuosta meri tulevi
Tears are coming to my eyes, I’m crying in a strange bed. I’ve got somewhere to goWhat misery. I cry for these lovely eyes, I roll away the bleeding face. I’m losing your beautiful face. I cry all my life. I’m crying- crying saunas, I cry forests, I cry mountains, I cry lakes, I cry rivers I cry all my life. That’s where the river came from, from the waters of my weeping. Even from that came the sea.
Sicut Erat Text from Doxology, Gloria Patri Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, and now, and always, and unto the ages of ages, Amen.
To Sit and Dream Text by Langston Hughes To sit and dream. To sit and read. To sit and learn about the world. To sit and dream. To sit and read. To sit and learn about the world. To sit and dream. To sit and read. To sit and learn about the world. Outside our world, of here and now, Outside our world, our problem world, our problem world. Outside our world of here and now. Outside our world, our problem world, Our problem world. To dream of vast horizons of the soul, Of dreams made whole. Unfettered, free. Help me, help me. All you who are dreamers, too. Help me make a world anew. I reach out my hand to you. I reach out my hand. I reach out my hand. I reach out my hand to you. To sit and dream. To sit and read. To sit and learn about the world. To sit and dream. To sit and read. To sit and learn about the world. To sit and learn about the world. To sit and dream.
The Gypsy Chorus from Carmen Libretto by Henri Meilhac und Ludovic Halévy after the novella by Prosper Mérimée The sistrums had the clanging sound That their rods made as they were swaying, And then with that strange music playing The Gypsy girls rose to the ground. The tambourines would race along, And stubborn hands that kept up with them Gave their guitars a furious rhythm, The same refrain, the same old song, The same refrain, the same old song. Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la la la la la. The copper and the silver rings On swarthy skins were bright and shining; And skirts with red or orange lining Would flutter in the wind like wings. The dance was married to the song, The dance was married to the song, At first unsure and hesitating, Then lively and accelerating… It all kept rising, rising all along! The men, with strength as if from hell, Now beat their instruments to sound them, And with that dazzling noise around them The women fell under its spell. And to the rhythm of the song, And to the rhythm of the song, All hot and crazy, fevered, sweating, Intoxicated, they were letting The whirlwind carry them along!
Praying Text by Ke$ha, Ben Abraham, Andrew Joslyn
Till’ It Happens to You Text by Lady Gaga and Diane Warren
Well, you almost had me fooled Told me that I was nothing without you Oh, but after everything you’ve done I can thank you for how strong I have become ‘Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell I had to learn how to fight for myself And we both know all the truth I could tell I’ll just say this is “I wish you farewell” I hope you’re somewhere prayin’, prayin’ I hope your soul is changin’, changin’ I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin’ I’m proud of who I am No more monsters, I can breathe again And you said that I was done Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come ‘Cause I can make it on my own, oh And I don’t need you, I found a strength I’ve never known I’ll bring thunder, I’ll bring rain, oh When I’m finished, they won’t even know your name You brought the flames and you put me through hell I had to learn how to fight for myself And we both know all the truth I could tell I’ll just say this is “I wish you farewell” I hope you’re somewhere prayin’, prayin’ I hope your soul is changin’, changin’ I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin’ Ah sometimes, I pray for you at night, oh Someday, maybe you’ll see the light Whoa oh, some say, in life, you’re gonna get what you give But some things only God can forgive Yeah! (I hope you’re somewhere prayin’, prayin’) I hope your soul is changin’, changin’ I hope you find your peace Falling on your knees, prayin’
You tell me it gets better, it gets better in time You say I’ll pull myself together, pull it together You’ll be fine Tell me what the hell do you know What do you know Tell me how the hell could you know How could you know ‘Til it happens to you, you don’t know How it feels How it feels ‘Til it happens to you, you won’t know It won’t be real No it won’t be real Won’t know how it feels You tell me hold your head up Hold your head up and be strong ‘Cause when you fall, you gotta get up You gotta get up and move on Tell me, how the hell could you talk How could you talk? ‘Cause until you walk where I walk It’s just all talk ‘Til it happens to you, you don’t know How it feels How it feels ‘Til it happens to you, you won’t know It won’t be real (how could you know?) No it won’t be real (how could you know?) Won’t know how I feel ‘Til your world burns and crashes ‘Til you’re at the end, the end of your rope ‘Til you’re standing in my shoes, I don’t wanna hear nothing from you From you, from you, ‘cause you don’t know ‘Til it happens to you, you don’t know How I feel How I feel How I feel ‘Til it happens to you, you won’t know It won’t be real (how could you know?) No it won’t be real (how could you know?) Won’t know how it feels ‘Til it happens to you, happens to you Happens to you
Happens to you, happens to you Happens to you (how could you know?) ‘Til it happens to you, you won’t know how I feel
Oh, I’ve had it up to Oh, I’ve had it up to Oh, I’ve had it up to here
Just a Girl - No Doubt Text by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont
Yamo Text by Duraid Lahham
Take this pink ribbon off my eyes I’m exposed, and it’s no big surprise Don’t you think I know exactly where I stand? This world is forcing me to hold your hand
Yamo You bore me in your womb for nine months Endured so much pain to bring me to life I gave you a hard time while you raised me Alas, all that effort has proven futile. Yamo Yamo, Supreme mother of all beloveds, Yamo Yamo Yamo, Supreme mother of all compassionates, Yamo
‘Cause I’m just a girl, oh, little old me Well, don’t let me out of your sight Oh, I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite So don’t let me have any rights Oh, I’ve had it up to here The moment that I step outside So many reasons for me to run and hide I can’t do the little things I hold so dear ‘Cause it’s all those little things that I fear ‘Cause I’m just a girl, I’d rather not be ‘Cause they won’t let me drive late at night Oh, I’m just a girl, guess I’m some kind of freak ‘Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes Oh, I’m just a girl, take a good look at me Just your typical prototype Oh, I’ve had it up to here Oh, am I making myself clear? I’m just a girl I’m just a girl in the world That’s all that you’ll let me be Oh, I’m just a girl, living in captivity Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome Oh, I’m just a girl, what’s my destiny? What I’ve succumbed to is making me numb Oh, I’m just a girl, my apologies What I’ve become is so burdensome Oh, I’m just a girl, lucky me Twiddle-dum, there’s no comparison
How many times have you gotten cold to keep me warm? How many times have you abstained from food to feed me? How many socks have you patched for me? And all that good has not reflected in me. No matter what I do, I can never pay you back. It is only God’s grace that befits you Hold me in your heart and forgive me May God grant you longevity And keep you safe. Small is the Seed Text by Emily Patterson Small is the seed, tall is the tree, small is the rain, wide is the river. Small is the bird. strong is the wing, small is the star, bright is the gleam. Small is the stone, vast is the mountain Small is the wave, deep is the sea. Small is the breath, brave is the voice. Small are the hands, bold is the heart.
Akheko Traditional Zulu
Half the Sky Text by Debra Penberthy
Akheko ofana no Jesu! Jika, Jika, ofana Jesu! O jika, siyafuna! Hamba, jika, je!
Half the sky, We hold up half the sky in wonder But half the sky is bleeding fading from sight
Siyahamba, akekho, akekho! Siyajika, akheko! Siyafuna, akheko, akheko! Jabula, sithi siyahamba: Jesu! akheko ofana naye! Siyahamba! Akheko ofana no Jesu! Jika, Jika, ofana Jesu! O jika, siyafuna! Hamba, jika, je! We are moving—there is no one, no one! We are turning—there is no one! We are searching—there is no one, no one! Rejoice, as we move forward: Jesus! There is no one like Him! We are moving forward! here is no one like Jesus. We search, there is no one! We turn, there is no one! We walk, there is no one!
But I see the sky Oh I see the sky is changing We are gathering our sisters changing rage into might And you can call me stuck in ways You can say, I’m a dreamer. And you can tell me there’s no way that we can fight what’s always been true But you can’t tell me Darwin wasn’t right When he called us the cruelest of creatures Well he saw a glimpse of modern day We are leading our daughters like lambs As we blot our half the sky We hold up half the sky in wonder A pedestal of brush and there’s smoke in the air But I see the hard rains. I see the rains are comin’ Comin’ to see my hopes laying my heart bare. And there are people that’ll claim That most people live as the choose And there are those that find a way To say that only the loose women lose But back in abolition days People said to be a slave was a virtue Lincoln said it’s hard to find A free man who’ll ask to prove that true So we must hold up half the sky. We hold up half the sky in wonder Until the day of wonder gives way to a peace A day when half the sky rejoins Our mothers, brothers, sisters, holding the sky. Our mothers, brothers, sisters, holding our whole sky.
Still I Rise Text by Rosephanye Powell Though I have been wounded; aching heart full of pain. Still I rise, yes, still I rise.
My pray’r and faith uphold me ‘til my courage arrives. Still I rise, yes, still I rise.
Jus’ like a budding rose, my bloom is nourished by rain. Still I rise, yes, still I rise.
Though you see me slump with heartache; Heart so heavy that it breaks. Be not deceived I fly on birds’ wings. Rising sun, its healing rays.
Haven’t time to wonder why, though fearful I strive. Still I rise, yes, still I rise. My pray’r and faith uphold me ‘til my courage arrives. Still I rise, yes, still I rise. Still I rise as an eagle, Soaring above ev’ry fear. With each day I succeed, I grow strong an’ believe that it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Bolstered by courage, Yes, still I rise. Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Yes, still I rise. Still I rise. Gentle as a woman; tender sweet are my sighs. Still I rise, yes, still I rise. Strength is in my tears and healing rains in my cries. Still I rise, yes, still I rise. Plunging depths of anguish, I determine to strive. Still I rise, yes, still I rise.
Look at me, you see a woman; Gentle as a butterfly. But don’t you think, not for one moment, that I’m not strong because I cry. Yes, still I rise as an eagle, Soaring above ev’ry fear. With each day I succeed, I grow strong an’ believe that that it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Bolstered by courage, Yes, still I rise. Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Higher and higher, Yes, still I rise. Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Yes, still I rise. Still I rise. By pray’r and faith, still I rise, Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Bolstered by courage, Yes, still I rise.
Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Higher and higher, Yes, still I rise. Yes, it’s all within my reach; I’m reaching for the skies, Yes, still I rise.
Levana Personnel McKenna Stenson, Director Colby White and Elaina Wilson, Assistant Directors Soprano 1 Amy Arredondo* Malaya Chong Moira Corbett Ainsley Cramblet Caera Gallagher Olivia Ji Jacqueline LeFils Sara Marello Mallory McKeon Amelia Mesa Lily Neama Anna Oppenheiser Daniela Penaloza Helena Peterson Allison Popwell+ Natalia Reyes Edea Saylor Ava Stein * Madilyn Taylor * Katherine Ullrich Clara Weidner Rachel White Shaelyn Wilkerson
Soprano 2 Naomi Asher Lexi Barton Kristen Beck* Kiley Berkery Laryn Christian Allie Crumley Juliana Davila Alanna Desmarais Karen Ellis Jessica Estrella Marissa Fogelman Grace Foley Caera Gallagher Isabelle Jocelyn+ Ally Kelso Abigail Kirk Emily LaCanna Taylor Livingston Katharine Ma Maryan Martins Amar Jaclyn Maxwell Norah McKnight Joanna Mejia Julianna Palino Emma Reed Gabby Sierra* Kaelyn Siller River Stone Brianna Tejada Elise Tippett
Alto 1 Natalie Aredes Lila Ashton Ella Atkinson Audrey Baudek Annabelle Camargo Riley Craft Kelsey-Ann Crouse Katalina Cruzat-Golding Adeline Cycholl Natalia Echeverry Penny Ehring Harper Fisk Julianna Gargiulo Brooke Geller Alexandra Harkiewicz Kai Jamison Jackie Jenkins Nava Jones Ally Kelso Madi Kent Gwendolyn Kersey Maria Malley Jordan McIntosh Princess Nealey Alexis Peart Charlotte Peters Sophonise Pierre+ Lindsay Reese Mariajose Romero Bia Sanchez Gabrille Sasso Anika Van Rooyen Rosie Zaricki
Alto 2 Camila Aceituno Vee Bradley Kasie Cabral Mia Cruz Riley Curls Toni Curry Ayla Danishment Jagruthi Devireddy Cecilia Diaz Lila Grosso Lauren Haggard Rachael Hayworth* Allegra Hreschak Erin Kane Natalie Marsh Paola Martinez Vila Lilith Miller September Peters Maddie Powers Addison Ryan Daelynn Trottman Dylan Valdes Colista Washington Kaytlyn Warner Olivia Zelanko Rebekah Zogaib+
*Officer +Section Leader