Phone & FAX: 844.687.7653 • Email: notes@musicspoke.com P.O. Box 10026 | Kansas City, MO 64171
California Choral Directors Association 2025 Summer Conference
Andre Ramsey Reading Sessions
Dum Spiro Spero (SSA) Andrea Ramsey
Imaginary Creatures (SA) Andrea Ramsey
1941 (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
For You (TBB) Andrea Ramsey
See Amid the Winter's Snow (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
O Vos Omnes (TB) Andrea Ramsey
We Cannot Keep From Singing (SSAA) Andrea Ramsey
Sewn Anew (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
The Wilderness of You Vocal Score (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
Hope Lingers On (SATB) Lissa Schneckenburger, arr. Andrea Ramsey
I Had No Time to Hate (SATB) Nathan Howe
The Journey (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
Sikirileke/Koloi (SATB) Sabelo Mthembu
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5 Dum Spiro Spero (SSA) Andrea Ramsey
16 Imaginary Creatures (SA) Andrea Ramsey
29 1941 (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
41 For You (TBB) Andrea Ramsey
48 See Amid the Winter’s Snow (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
57 O Vos Omnes (TB) Andrea Ramsey
64 We Cannot Keep From Singing (SSAA) Andrea Ramsey
75 Sewn Anew (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
86 The Wilderness of You Vocal Score (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
166 Hope Lingers On (SATB) Lissa Schneckenburger, arr. Andrea Ramsey
174 I Had No Time to Hate (SATB) Nathan Howe
178 The Journey (SATB) Andrea Ramsey
189 Sikirileke/Koloi (SATB) Sabelo Mthembu
CCDA 2025
Text: Latin phrase of unknown origin; State motto of South Carolina
Commisioned by the Niceville High School Chorus Catherine Feazell, conductor
Originally commisioned by the California Choral Directors Association for the SATB All-State Honor Choir 2022 Dr. Jeffery Redding, director * also available for SSAATTBB voices.
Toss hair and shake head from side to side. Sing roughly at pitch, but with a fast vibrato that mimics the neighing of a horse. Conductor can take lots of time on the gliss.
Text by Jackson Fox, (age
Music by Andrea Ramsey
Text by Ewan MacMullen, (age 8)
4. Imaginary Friend
by Andrea Ramsey
Music
CCDA 2025
Text by Avery and Jackson Fox, (ages 7 & 4) Adam and Coen Linscheid, (ages 9 & 8)
* Separate destroys & everything with slight glottal attack.
** altos make an open-mouthed hissing sound (no ss sounds) just open-mouthed breathing, unpitched, but with crescendo and an accented finish on an unpitched/unvoiced "ah." Scream to follow should be on the
Andrea Ramsey
CCDA 2025
SATB choir & piano
Text by Shirley Eberth
Shirley Eberth
For the 2016-2017 University Choir at the University of Colorado Boulder, Dr. Andrea Ramsey, conductor
In memory of Barbara Schultes Bell, who blessed our lives with love and encouragement, and who inspired us with courage and grace. Commissioned with eternal love by her sister Lisa Schultes O’Connell and Dan, Elizabeth and Jimmy O’Connell
See Amid the Winter's Snow
SSAATB Chorus, Descant, Baritone Solo with Piano and String Quartet*
Double Chorus, SA (or 2-part) Treble and SATB Mixed Choruses and Piano
Music by Andrea Ramsey quoting "His Eye is On the Sparrow" by Charles H. Gabriel (1905), and "How Can I Keep From Singing" by Robert Lowry (1868)
& & & ? & ?
& & ? & ?
Slower,
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A separate cello part is found on page 12.
Sewn Anew
Text by Aisha Sharif
Music by Andrea Ramsey
b
& V ? ? & ?
~ ~ ~ ~gliss. ~~~~~ gliss. ~~~~ gliss. œ œ ˙ of our bones, œ œ ˙ of our bones, œ œ ˙ of our bones,
of our bones,
doubt
wade,
wade, doubt
wade, doubt
& V ? ? &
b
b b b b b b
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(heartbeat effect: use soft side of closed fist to strike body of cello-- not the part of fist you would use for knocking on a door, but the pinky-edge side)
& & V
? ? & ?
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The Wilderness of You
CCDA 2025
choral/piano score
Andrea R amse y
The Wilderness of You
choral/piano score
Andrea Ramsey
An extended work in five movements exploring the elemental wonders of the human body and the interconnected intricacies of our shared humanity. Composed for SATB chorus with flexible instrumentation: piano, optional strings/string quartet, and percussion
Composer’s Program Notes
When I was gifted a copy of Jarod K. Anderson’s Field Guide to the Haunted Forest at Christmas in 2023, I inhaled the book in one sitting. The world he presented was interconnected, natural, and imposingly rich in its awe and wonder. I loved the dramatic shifts in perspective and decided to reach out. Though he was busy with the release of Something In the Woods Loves You, he collaborated enthusiastically, helping me stitch together ideas from the breadth of his existing poems to fulfill the lyrical aspect of this work.
At times, being a creative feels futile. Absorbing the world’s troubles and wanting to affect change—but with what? Basket-loads of empathy? Groups of people singing? My small voice in my narrow niche? It seems saccharine or naive: the idea of affecting change with any artistic pursuit. However, if imagination drives creation, then why would it be unreasonable to believe the creation of a more compassionate world would begin with our ability to imagine one? It’s emboldening to realize the power we hold: small spheres of our imagining leading to action and larger spheres of change. The Wilderness of You was composed to illumine human connection and commonalities—not just to bring us to a place of overlap among our collective Venn diagrams, but to stir wonder for our shared traits at this elemental level and help us dwell a bit in aspects of life that unite us.
Our bodies hold us. The systems within them are worthy of awe and confounding in their intricacies. We live in these bodies, yet we also are these bodies. These bodies carry us through illness, alert us to danger, and can also vex us with pains and surprises. Life can take tolls on our physical attributes. Some of us are missing di fferent aspects of our bodies or born with certain challenges. The Wilderness of You centers on those components of our bodies most common and present among all our varied iterations.
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When the anxieties of this world coil around me, I return to my breath. I come home to myself. Meditation and mindulness have become new friends to me. The Wilderness of You aspires to be a musical means of bringing us home to our bodies. Media and content creators may gain revenue by appealing to anger, tribalism, and entrenchment. Our wellbeing and relationships may bear the costs of this engagement. It is a weary-making cycle of rage, exhaustion, and distrust; yet I believe most of us aspire to a nobler humanity than this. Most of us prefer rapport to antagonism. Most of us are peacemakers. Most of us care for others. May we gather—all of us— on a derelict bridge somewhere out beyond our di fferences to honor the connections and community we share in their most elemental forms: blood, breath, biome, brain, and being. May we fi nd shared delight in the wonders our bodies hold. May we hold ourselves in awe as wonderful creations worthy of dignity and decency. This is my hope (naive or not) for The Wilderness of You.
Performance Considerations
This work was created with fl exibility in mind. It may be performed with SATB chorus and piano only; with SATB chorus, piano, and percussion only; with SATB chorus, piano, and reduced percussion; with SATB chorus, piano, and string quartet only; or with SATB chorus, piano, expanded string section, and percussion. Parts and full score are available for purchase. Please take care to observe the many articulations and directions throughout regarding style/ tonal approach. The tempi provided here are my best guesses. So often, I will feel certain about a tempo while composing the work— only to feel quite di ff erently once I’m at the podium conducting it. All this to say, conductors, please meld your good judgement with my best guesses and adjust as needed to make things work for your ensembles and performance venues.
Blood
Explore the many moods here—there is much to evoke! Take care of the melodic content for “a lump of iron” with crisp consonants and an energetic sound—one that is buoyant, yet packed with the feeling of releasing a secret. It should dance with a sense of rhythmic agility. Be mindful of the word “iron”. It has two distinct syllables. When treated as an eighth note, give each syllable one eighth note. In these other instances, please sustain the primary vowel sound and fl ip to the second syllable on the beats listed here: Soprano m. 37- beat 4 & 1/2 ; Alto measure 38- beat 4 & 1/2; Tenor & Bass measure 39- beat 2. Play with the speed of the glissandi throughout— see what works for your ensemble and for each moment. Observe the note at m. 54 regarding sopranos and basses mouthing the words “silent explosion” . Later, in the singing of the elements ( water, earth, air, and fi re) consider how each of these elements might take on di ff erent timbral identities in the voice and exploit those contrasts.
Breath
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Note the instructions for inhalation/exhalation. Sense the passage of minutes as time ticks by in the opening measures and each new layer of sound appears. Let the four-bar structure of the phrase govern your dynamic build and release. Always drive toward the downbeat of the fourth bar and avoid breathing in the middle of the four-bar grouping. This movement has ample opportunity for contrast. Singers can explore sterile, clean sounds (e.g., m. 1-43) while inviting more warmth in moments like m. 46-56. Let m. 60 be fully chantlike (each nourishing breath, a sacred vow) and consider gradually lessening vibrato measures 60-67 until the texture feels gossamer or almost transparent. Llet the altos be at their most vulnerable and tender while singing “intimate as ‘I love you’”. Let the ensemble’s sound grow in warmth, unfolding through the build toward the full-voiced beauty of m. 100 before beginning a slow taper leading to the quiet completion of this movement.
Biome
Maybe my favorite and the most unique challenge of this project was composing a movement about the gut biome. There is so much whimsical delight in the word “ belly” that I couldn’t resist playing with it a bit m. 12-14. You, too, should bring a sense of playfulness to your voices. Throughout this work, don’t shy from the slow glissandi where notated speci fi cally as such — really lean into the stretch of them and enjoy evoking the strange, sliding, in-between sounds of
Biome. For measure 19, use the “speeseez” pronunciation of “species”, not “speesheez.” The sounds of harmonic overtones appear in m. 86-93/100-105 and should be created by two to fi ve singers who are able to achieve strong, present overtones. In approaching the singing of harmonic overtones, it may be helpful to explore this fi rst by humming. Sustain a long note in your mid-low register and place your fi ngers in your ears listening to how the harmonics change when you adjust your tongue and jaw positions. From here, you can slowly open your mouth and sustain nn-oh-or-ar-rr-ree sounds to hear the upper partials. Adjust your mouth shape and focus to give clarity to the harmonics. These incredible sounds have roots in secular and sacred traditions—originating in Khöömei singing (indigenous to Western Mongolia and Tuva); and also in the overtone chanting traditions found within Tantric Tibetan Buddhism. In the overall balance of the work, the overtones may not be overt—this is fi ne. The e ff ect will still provide a unique quality to the moment. The text of this movement is particularly dear to me. Even alone we are communities is a compelling sentiment, and I love that the text which inspired the title of the entire work (The Wilderness of You) is tucked away in this middle movement. For that fi nal question, “what do they name the wilderness of you?” allow the question to hang—consider reducing vibrato as you come to the fi nal two chords and be sure to let the soprano, tenor, and bass voices decrescendo so the alto’s questioning glissando can be heard in the texture.
Brain
While preparing this work for its Carnegie Hall premiere, my colleague and friend Dr. Kristina Caswell MacMullen, wrote of this movement in her notes to the choir: “No other movement [of The Wilderness of You] captures the dialogue of physical and metaphysical better than Brain. Think of yourself as birfurcated with two sounds: machine and spirit. We will associate two tonal concepts accordingly. The machine should be senza vibrato. The spirit should be warm and con vibrato.” I loved this insight and agree fully. The work moves at quite a fast click, so please take to heart the note at the outset which encourages: “don’t let your mouth work too hard.” Keep the articulation light and seamless. Take care with the diphthong of “now” to sustain the primary vowel. Sense the subdivision in your body, and let rhythmic accuracy be an extension of that. Use the few legato moments found within this particular movement to bring more warmth and contrast to the rest of it. Be unafraid of the drama of the “ your skull” moment and let that forte ring as a free extension of the dramatic expression— without forcing the tone or creating tension.
Being
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There is simplicity and solemnity to this fi nal movement. In general, all moving notes should come to the foreground and dynamics will tend to follow the natural arch of the melodic lines throughout. For measures 74 through the end, lead the listener’s ear toward the word “home.” This fi nal movement asks us to return to ourselves. Apart from one active section where we look outwardly at the world, the rest of the work embodies a mood of calm introspection. See this movement as an opportunity to connect with your own spirit. As you sing the interweaving lines of “ just be you” I hope you will grant yourself (and your voice) that sense of freedom and beauty.
Full Texts of The Wilderness of You
By Jarod K. Anderson; adapted by Andrea Ramsey
1. Blood
Unimaginably long ago, Unimaginably far from here, Propelled by a silent explosion, A lump of iron in the heart of a red super-giant journeyed to Earth Was forged into a sword. Forged into a hammer. Forged into a ring. Our blood is red because of iron: 2,000 gallons a day, Gushing through the chambers of each pumping heart; This giant star.
Flowing crimson in the veins of every sleeping child, This silent explosion. Our blood is mostly water, The water is just visiting. It was a thunderstorm a week ago. It will be an ocean soon enough. Most of your cells come and go like morning dew. Water. Earth. Air. Fire. Look at what you are. Look at how you live. You are not born to this place. You are born of this place.
2. Breath
Fifteen times a minute, with or without thought, Your breath. The curve of your ribs. You converse with forests and seas, vast and green. Each nourishing breath a sacred vow, Intimate as “I love you,” Your breath. The curve of your ribs. In the stream,
CCDA 2025
A ribcage cathedral braids hymns from water and light. Your breath. The curve of your ribs. Fifteen times a minute. Your breath.
3. Biome
There is a garden in your belly. A warm orchard of perpetual bounty. Half the cells in our bodies belong to other species. Deep in our center, a singular truth—
Even alone we are communities
Thriving in the dark to the rhythm of our heart. Generations blooming. How many generations have you hosted?
What do they name the wilderness of you?
4. Brain
A machine that makes reality. Now.
Here.
Encased in the living stone of your skull:
The seat of your consciousness.
Water and memory.
Flesh and electricity. Natural as a leaf.
Schematics bloom within.
Thoughts, like ivy, creep and rise. Your skull is where facts flower into meaning.
5. Being
When in doubt, Come home to you.
To now.
Become an acolyte Of what’s within reach. Of forgiveness. Of the palm of your hand. Of feeling each breath. There will always be problems to big for you.
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An unknown future.
A tragic world.
Just be you. You’re the world too.
Refocus. Come home.
The Wilderness of You Consortium Members
Immense gratitude to these organizations and their leadership for bringing this work to life
Commissioned jointly by:
National Concerts, Matthew Workman
Temple University, Dr. Dustin Cates and Dr. Elizabeth Parker
Baylor University, Dr. Kristina MacMullen
Bridgewater State University, Dr. Bradford Morin Dumont
Lin fi eld University, Dr. Julie Cross
University of Oregon University Singers, Dr. Melissa Brunkan, conductor
Cantate Carlisle, Michelle DiBona Trefren
The E.O. Smith High School Choirs, Amanda Hanzlik, Director
Lake Nona High School, Justin Chase and Aaron Kass
Rider University Chorale, Professor Tom Shelton
University of Michigan, Dr. Eugene Rogers
UMKC Choirs, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dr. Charles Robinson and Dr. Jennifer Sengin
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Additional Acknowledgements
This work would not exist without the assistance of so many people. I am grateful to Jarod K. Anderson for his words and his openness to collaboration and to Dr. Kristina Caswell MacMullen for her friendship and enthusiasm in discussing the early days of this project with me and bringing it to life in its Carnegie Hall premiere. To Julie Cross and Justin Chase, thank you for your editorial insights and error detection as early viewers of drafts of the work. Much gratitude to Andrea Cira for the stunning cover artwork, Luke Benton for the compelling string arrangements, and to James Green for his skilled engraving. Finally, thank you to cocommissioners Temple University (Dr. Dustin Cates and Dr. Elizabeth Parker) and to National Concerts and Matthew Workman, specifically, for believing in this project and organizing the consortium that made it possible.
Text by Jarod K. Anderson
Adapted by Andrea Ramsey
* Full score and parts are available separately
Commissioned by National Concerts, Matthew Workman; and Temple University, Dr. Dustin Cates and Dr. Elizabeth Parker
The Wilderness of You
Blood SATB Chorus with Piano, Optional String Quartet and Percussion*
opt. RH piano: bracketed items only to be played in rehearsal or choral/piano performance score in absence of vibraphone.
senza vibrato, light in weight, only accent what is accented P
with or with out thought.
sterile, senza vibrato, light in weight, only accent what is accented P * With lips shaped loosely in an "oo" vowel, inhale and exhale audibly by passing the air through the teeth and lips.
With lips shaped loosely in an "oo" vowel, inhale and exhale audibly by passing the air through the teeth
& V ? & ?
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[exhale] [inhale]
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with or with out thought.
& V ? & ?
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The curve of your
ribs. Your
breath. The curve of your
& V ? & ?
The curve of your
ribs. Your
breath. The curve of your
Your breath.
The curve of your
Your breath.
The curve of your
stream,
& V ? & ?
stream,
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w ribs. w ribs.
sterile, senza vibrato, light in weight, only accent what is accented P
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sterile, senza vibrato, light in weight, only accent what is accented
The curve of your
& V ? & ?
The curve of your
may add a few baritones
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sterile, senza vibrato, light in weight, only accent what is accented
3. Biome
Text by Jarod K. Anderson
Adapted by Andrea Ramsey
by Andrea L. Ramsey; Words by Jarod K. Anderson
by Andrea Ramsey
Music
There
There
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A bit more urgency ( q.»ca. 80 - 86 )
buoyant--think marcato but lighter
Half the cells in our
buoyant--think marcato but lighter
Half the cells in our
buoyant--think marcato but lighter
Half the cells in our
buoyant--think marcato but lighter
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Half the cells in our
A bit more urgency ( q.»ca. 80 - 86 )
Building momentum ( q»ca. 120 )
sotto voce, with cutting consonants
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Thri ving in the dark,
sotto voce, with cutting consonants sotto voce, with cutting consonants sotto voce, with cutting consonants
Thri ving in the dark,
Building momentum ( q»ca. 120
œ ‰ j œ ‰ j œ œ rhy thm of our heart,
œ ‰ j œ ‰ j œ œ rhy thm of our heart,
œ ‰ j œ ‰ j
œ
thm of our heart,
Thri ving in the dark,
Thri ving in the dark,
Thri ving in the dark,
P P P loco (feel free to add a few baritones to tenor - m. 33-36 for balance)
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Close to the “n” of “alone” immediately and sustain “nn” throughout.
Altos and tenors sustain the vowel through m. 82 and then close immediately to the “zz” sound of the “s” of communities on beat
Harmonic overtone series adjust mouth shape to manipulate harmonics
+2-5 soloists (of any voice part) manipulating harmonic overtone sequence, staggering their breathing (see performance notes)
& ? & ?
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* All voices close to the “n” of “alone” immediately and sustain “nn” throughout.
Tenor, begin aleatory here, see notes below**
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**Sopranos, altos and tenors should sing the bracketed melody at will, independent of tempo. Some individuals singing faster, some slower, but growing and tapering in volume and activity as led by the conductor.
Basses should immediately close to the "ng" of "blooming" and sustain an "ng" hum throughout providing a drone to the SA aleatoric section.
Conductor may repeat this section multiple times for desired effect.
During the final taper, the 2-5 soloists who manipulated harmonic overtones can return, creating gentle overtone effects as all singers return to the drone on C.
Text
by
Jarod K. Anderson
Adapted by Andrea Ramsey
Detached ( q»ca. 152 - 158
Detached ( q»ca.
Music by Andrea Ramsey
* Vowel is short "i" as in the word "knit", articulated lightly, think kinetic energy, electricity bound up and humming, ready to be released. Dont'work too hard. Set the first vowel on "nih" just behind the front teeth and only move the tongue to reiterate the "n".
Unpitched--a deep breath/sigh, as if processing (on inhale) and releasing (on exhale) all the troubles of the world.
palm of your hand. Of
hand, your hand. Of
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Pause, gather & reassure yourself. Move forward in strength.
slight rit. slight rit.
feel ing each
breath. [inhale]*
breath. [inhale]*
breath. [inhale]*
* With lips shaped loosely in an "oo" vowel, inhale and exhale as if taking a deep breath to alleviate stress. Increase the volume in the sound by passing the air through the teeth and lips.
& V ? & ?
There
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There
& V ? & ?
b
& V ? & ?
& & V ? & ?
you.
you,
you,
you.
you,
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you.
you. Just be
you.
Just be you, be
you. Just be
you. Just be
you. Just be
you. Just be
& V ? & ?
you.
you.
you.
you.
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V
& V ? &
?
Rubato, a bit slower
& & V ? & ?
b
doubt,
home. When in
doubt, come
home. When in
home. When in
doubt, come
home. When in
doubt, come
Rubato, a bit slower
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Body Perc. (option)
Body Perc. (option)
Body Perc. (option)
Egg shaker Low Drum (Cajon, Djembe, similar)
* Also available for SSAA ** See Arranger notes on page 2 Commissioned by the Vancouver Youth Choir
mo tho a mo tho a we la, ha re ba we la, ha re ba mo tho a mo tho a we la, we la, ha re ba ha re ba pa la mo tho pa la mo tho a we la, a we la, pa la pa la mo tho mo tho a we la, a we la, mo tho a mo tho a mo tho a wel'. Si ki we la. ri... Re ne we la mo tho a we la re ba pa la mo tho a we la.
S al Coda
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Ko loi Ko loi hae e me, ko hae e
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About the song: About the song:
This is medley of two tradional Sotho folk songs The first songs is a stor y of two children playing and the other one falls into a pit The other child is now explaining to the parents what happened The second song is about a car that is moving at a ver y high speed and needs to be stopped, which is a metaphor for life that moves by so fast and the need to sometimes stop and appreciate the little things
