Maryknoll Choir presents "Water of Life" Spring Concert 2023 (May 16, 2023)

THE MARYKNOLL CHOIR PRESENTS

Cover Art by Maryknoll 8th Grade Art Students: Joleenna Tran, Keahi Yuen, Ella Quemuel-Labrador, Kiyomi Asayama, & Megan Collier

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | 6:00pm Sacred Heart Church 1701 Wilder Ave Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR Rylen Aoki ’27 Madelyn Badua ’27 Kyle Chan ’28 Eden Chong ’28 Aiden Ganoy ’27 Aiyana Itoga ’29 Brynne Kaahanui ’28 Adam Keanu ’27 Sophia Kiesel-Kaalekahi ’27 Ihsan Korsak ’27 Nathen Korsak ’27 Nicole Kubota ’27 Morgan Lau ’28

Jett Lee ’27 Samantha Lee ’28 Noah Loomis ’28 Caylah Medeiros ’29 Jemuel Val Melegrito ’28 Mia Morris ’28 Mick Panos ’27 Clara Portillo ’29 Mia Tory ’29 Joanna Tran ’28 Sophie Wong ’29 Namlyn Young ’28

CONCERT CHOIR (HIGH SCHOOL) Kailieha Bobbitt ’23 Malachi Cape ’25 Angelica Gascon ’24 TJ Ho ’24 Marcus Naito ’26

Sachie Theuriet ’26 Warren Uy ’23 Elizabeth Van De Water ’24 Mia Wong ’23

A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome to the Maryknoll Choir 2023 Spring Concert, “Water of Life!” We invite you to join us on a musical journey celebrating water in its many forms— gentle rain, relaxing natural springs, powerful thunderstorms, flowing rivers, mighty ocean waves, and the healing water of life.

The importance of water is honored around the world through the sharing of cultural stories and music. After you experience the variety of songs about water presented in this concert, please take some time to discuss your favorite moments with your family and share about the new things that you learned. Our choir hopes this concert will inspire our audience to research more about the significance of water and continue a conversation about how we can do our part to care for this precious resource.

GIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER Are you interested in helping people who do not have accessible safe, clean water? Catholic Relief Services: Give Clean Water is an organization that helps the most vulnerable people around the world improve sources of clean water for drinking, cooking, washing, caring for their livestock, and irrigating their fields. A donation of $30 can provide a hand washing station for a school, refugee camp, or community center, and $235 can provide water pump tools for communities to learn to dig wells for accessible, safe water, and training for local mechanics to maintain sanitation systems.

Check out their website to learn more or scan the QR Code! Thank you for making a difference. → https://gifts.crs.org/give-gift-water

PROGRAM Julianne Hiu, choir director

Lena Wong, accompanist

Sesere Eyee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combined Choirs Traditional song and dance from the Torres Strait Islands, arr. Mark O’Leary Sesere eeye is a song from the Torres Strait Islands about a kingfisher bird that dives into the water and back out again catching a fish. The traditional dance that accompanies the song mimics the kingfisher diving in and out of the water.

No Ka Beauty O Honokōhau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middle School Choir Mailelauli‘i Naki and Herb Mahelona No Ka Beauty O Honokōhau was written after a trip to Honokōhau, Maui. Honokōhau is the longest valley on the island, and streams flow from the piko or center (or “source”) of Maui. This song invites us to return to our “source” and find serenity and renewal in the beauty of nature.

Niška Banja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middle School Choir Romani Dance, arr. Nick Page Niška Banja has become the unofficial song of Niš in southeast Serbia. The lyrics humorously represent the joy of life, music, and dance. Today, Niška Banja is a natural hot mineral spring health resort about ten kilometers east of the town of Niš. It is believed that the waters help people with cardiovascular diseases.

Surf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middle School Choir Ka‘au Crater Boys featuring soloists Clara Portillo ’29, Aiden Ganoy ’27 and Namlyn Young ’28 Surf by the Ka‘au Crater Boys is a classic song about surfing with friends at the best local surf spots and enjoying the awesomeness of the ocean! As our choir learned this song, they had an opportunity to try a new skill and had fun learning to play the ukulele.

Listen to the Rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combined Choirs Stephen L. Lawrence Listen to the Rain describes the pleasure of listening to the rain as the quiet pitter-patter of raindrops grows into a heavy downpour. In the middle of this song, we will invite the audience to participate with the choir to create the sounds of a thunderstorm using body percussion.

Hold Me, Rock Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Concert Choir Brian Tate featuring soloists Warren Uy ’23 and Malachi Cape ’25 Hold Me, Rock Me is a cappella song about yearning to find a home and a sense of peace on the other side.

Throughout the song, the imagery of water is a metaphor for change and hope. “My life is a runnin’ river flowin’ from the mountains to the distant sea. I’ve known many hills and valleys, but when I reach that ocean, I’ll be free.”

How Far I’ll Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Concert Choir Lin-Manuel Miranda, arr. Ed Lojeski featuring soloist Mia Wong ’23 How Far I’ll Go is an inspirational ballad from Disney’s Moana about strength, independence, and finding your way in the world. We dedicate this song to our seniors as we wish them a fond aloha.

“See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me, and no one knows how far it goes. If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me, one day, I’ll know. If I go, there’s just no telling how far I’ll go.”

Take Me to the Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Combined Choirs Rollo Dilworth Take Me to the Water is a contemporary gospel-style piece that incorporates quotes from two African American spirituals: “Down by the Riverside” and “Wade in the Water.” In many sacred songs, water is viewed as a means of spiritual cleansing and purification. Throughout the period of slavery in the United States, spirituals were sung not only as expressions of religious devotion but could also contain secret codes.

For example, the lyrics of “Wade in the Water” reference the Biblical story of the Israelites crossing the river Jordan, but they also remind those seeking freedom to walk in the rivers so that tracking dogs and slavecatchers could not follow their footprints or scent.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Maryknoll School’s Parents & Families Maryknoll Faculty & Staff Volunteers Father EJ Resinto, Sacred Heart Church Shana Tong, President, Head of School Chelsea Malefyt, Grade School Division Head, Grades PK-5 Dan Nagami, Middle & High School Division Head, Grades 6–12 John Madriaga, Director of School Culture & Curriculum Naomi Saito, Executive Assistant to the President Lester Oshiro, Facilities & Facilities Staff

Lori Carlos, Office of Marketing, Communications, and Community Engagement Wendy Chang, Grade School Music Teacher Jabari Prevost, Band Director Mellissa Shelverton, Middle School Art Teacher Budd Lauer, Office of Institutional Advancement Foundation for Maryknoll School Leo Delgado, Campus Ministry Cindy Lam, Chief Financial Officer Jim Morris, Technology Ben Valle, Athletics