May 30, 2026, 7:00 PM
St. Mary of the Bay
645 Main Street
Warren, RI
May 3, 2026, 3:00 PM
Grace Episcopal Church
300 Westminster
Providence, RI
About the Music
This concert traces a journey from searching to belonging. Jake Runestad opens our path with The Secret of the Sea and The Peace of Wild Things, music that listens closely to the natural world for wisdom we often forget to hear. His later works tonight — Flower Into Kindness and The Hope of Loving — turn that listening inward, asking what it means to love with intention.
Dale Trumbore’s If I Say Yes captures the fragile moment when we step toward change, while Ēriks Ešenvalds’ radiant Amazing Grace reminds us that transformation is often born from humility.
Eric Whitacre’s Sing Gently and Ola Gjeilo’s Westminster Bridge widen the lens, offering visions of a world held together by tenderness and wonder.
Craig Hella Johnson’s All of Us brings the journey to its emotional summit. Drawn from Considering Matthew Shepard, it affirms that our greatest strength lies in choosing empathy — in building a world where every person is seen, valued, and embraced.
This is music that does not shy away from the complexities of being human. Instead, it gathers them gently and points us toward hope.
Program Journey
The Secret of the Sea by Jake Runestad
The Peace of Wild Things by Jake Runestad
If I Say Yes by Dale Trumbore
Amazing Grace arranged by Ēriks Ešenvalds
Cat Monfette, Soprano
Sing Gently by Eric Whitaker
Westminster Bridge by Ola Gjeilo
Flower Into Kindness by Jake Runestad
Camila Brito, Soprano
Small Ensemble:
Sopranos: Julianne Fournier, Maija Spence, Crace Clawson, Marykate McCutcheon
Altos: Heidi Iuliano, Elizabeth Mueller, Emily Medizza, Sue Farrier
Tenors: Darrel Miller, Shay Hernandez, Raffi Rachdouni
Basses: Ben Passarelli, Alex Gould, John Brooks
The Hope of Loving by Jake Runestad
I. Yield to Love (Rabia)
II: Wild Forces (St. Francis of Assisi)
III. Wondrous Creatures (Hafiz)
Andrew Boyacigiller, Tenor
IV. In the Heart's Veil
V. My Soul is a Candle (St. John of the Cross)
Danielle Tocco, Soprano and Ben Passarelli, Bass
VI. The Hope of Loving (Meister Eckhart)
All of Us by Craig Hella Johnson
(from Considering Matthew Shepard)
Gospel Singers:
Cat Monfette, Emilee Eastman, Danielle Toco
Elizabeth Mueller, Heidi Iuliano, Jasmine Bright
In a deeply divided world, how can we truly connect?
Connect with the unknown. The Secret of the Sea by Jake Runestad.
Runestad calls the piece a “journey of the human spirit.” Whitman and Longfellow open it with joy, wonder, and a longing to understand the “secret of the sea,” a metaphor for the search for meaning. The second part turns turbulent, with the sea reflecting chaos and fear. The final movement, drawn from Inuit tradition, brings a moment of illumination as light breaks in. By opening ourselves to nature’s vastness, we glimpse clarity, renewal, and spiritual freedom.
Connect with the earth. The Peace of Wild Things by Jake Runestad
When anxiety and despair become overwhelming, nature offers a refuge from the burdens of human thought, especially the "forethought of grief" that wild creatures never carry. By entering the quiet presence of the natural world, one can find temporary freedom from fear and a return to inner balance.
Connect in the present. If I Say Yes by Dale Trumbore
Love and commitment are not about certainty or predicting the future, but about choosing one another in the present, with honesty, vulnerability, and the awareness of life's imperfections. It's about embracing uncertainty, choosing each other every day, and finding meaning in the small, imperfect moments that make a life together.
Connect through grace. Amazing Grace arranged by Ēriks Ešenvalds
Grace begins personally but expands outward, becoming something shared, sustaining, and universal. The arrangement starts with the personal confession of a solo voice, moves to communal support as the choir surrounds the melody, and expands into a rich, eight-part texture as the music concludes with a ecstatic, transcendent affirmation.
Connect through music. Sing Gently by Eric Whitacre
Composed during the pandemic and recorded by a virtual choir of 17,572 people from 129 countries, Sing Gently embodies the belief that community, unity, empathy and compassion enable us to endure and heal.
Connect with beauty in unlikely places. Westminster Bridge by Ola Gjeilo
Ola Gjeilo sets a poem by William Wordsword inspired by a dawn view of London. The text captures a moment when the line between the natural world and the city softens, suggesting that beauty and calm can emerge in unexpected placed when we pause long enough to truly see them.
Connect with our deepest nature. Flower into Kindness by Jake Runestad.
Love is our deepest nature: We are made of love; we are called to love; when we act from love, kindness naturally blooms.
Connect through love. The Hope of Loving by Jake Runestad
The Hope of Loving suggests that love—vulnerable, active, and compassionate—is the force that sustains us and connects us to one another.
Connect. All of Us by Craig Hella Johnson (from Considering Matthew Shepard)
The gospel-inspired finale of Considering Matthew Shepard reminds us that Matthew’s death is not just one person’s tragedy. Healing, justice, and transformation become possible only when we embrace our shared humanity—and choose to build a world where dignity and compassion prevail.
About the Composers
Jake Runestad (b. 1986) is an award‑winning American composer and conductor whose music has been praised as “highly imaginative” and “stirring and uplifting.” Based in Minneapolis, he has emerged as one of the leading voices in contemporary choral and orchestral music, with works performed thousands of times worldwide. His compositions—known for their emotional immediacy, lyrical writing, and deep connection to text—span choir, orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber music, and opera.
Runestad’s commitment to socially conscious art is a hallmark of his output. Many of his recent works explore themes such as mental health, immigration, gender equality, disability, loss, and the climate crisis, often created through extensive research and collaboration. His music has earned significant recognition, including a 2022 Emmy Award for Musical Composition and GRAMMY nominations in 2020 and 2025.
The Providence Singers performed Runestad's Proud Music of the Storm in March as a companion piece to Carmina Burana. Other works in recent repertoire are Let My Love Be Heard and Come to the Woods,
Dale Trumbore (b. 1987) is a Los Angeles–based composer and writer whose music has been praised as “devastatingly beautiful” by The Washington Post and noted for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies” by The New York Times. Her works—especially her choral music—are performed widely across the United States and internationally by ensembles such as the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Conspirare, the Miró Quartet, the Modesto Symphony, and the National Youth Choir of Scotland.
Trumbore is also known for her writing on the creative process. Her first book, Staying Composed: Overcoming Anxiety and Self‑Doubt Within a Creative Life, has been widely praised for its practical guidance for artists, and her second book, Composing a Living, was recently released by Oxford University Press. Her essays on creativity and artistic life appear in Cantate Magazine, the Center for New Music, and NewMusicBox. She is also a poet who writes original text for some of her vocal works, including "If I Say Yes."
Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977) is internationally recognized as one of the leading choral voices of his generation. His music—praised for its radiant harmonies, atmospheric textures, and compelling narrative sense—has been performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie, and Sydney Opera House.
Ešenvalds’ work blends folk influences, sacred traditions, and contemporary sonorities, often incorporating unusual timbres such as tuned glasses, whistling, and natural soundscapes. His ability to combine accessibility with modern technique has made him one of the most frequently performed living choral composers worldwide.
The Providence Singers have performed several of his compositions, including The Long Road, Only in Sleep, and Northern Lights. During the 2020-21 "virtual season," his author chat via Zoom gave our members and guests a fascinating glimpse into his creative process.
Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) is a Grammy Award–winning American composer, conductor, and speaker, celebrated as one of the most performed and influential musicians of his generation. Known especially for his choral works, Whitacre has achieved international acclaim for pieces such as Lux Aurumque, Sleep, Water Night, and Cloudburst, which are now staples of the contemporary choral repertoire.
Whitacre continues to compose, conduct, and speak internationally, admired for his distinctive harmonic language, lush choral textures, and visionary approach to musical community‑building.
Works performed by the Providence Singers including Cloudburst, Little Man in a Hurry, Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine, and Five Hebrew Love Songs.
Norwegian‑American composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978) is one of today’s most frequently performed choral composers, celebrated for his lush harmonies, cinematic sound, and improvisatory piano style. Born in Skui, Norway, he began composing at age five and later studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music in London, and the Juilliard School, where he completed his master’s degree.
His major works include the widely performed Sunrise Mass, The Ground, Northern Lights, Ubi Caritas, and Dreamweaver, the latter based on the medieval Norwegian ballad Draumkvedet. His style is shaped by classical training as well as influences from jazz pianists like Keith Jarrett and film composers such as Thomas Newman, resulting in music often described as warm, atmospheric, and emotionally direct.
The Providence Singers have performed his Dark Night of the Soul, Luminous Night of the Soul, Uni Caritas, The Ground, and Westminster Bridge, which we commissioned in 2017.
Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1962) is an acclaimed American conductor, composer, arranger, and educator, widely recognized as one of the leading voices in contemporary choral music. He is the founding artistic director of Conspirare, the Grammy‑winning professional choir based in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, Conspirare earned the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for The Sacred Spirit of Russia and has become an internationally respected ensemble.
Born in Minnesota, Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, the University of Illinois, and Yale University, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
As a composer and arranger, Johnson is known for his expressive, stylistically wide‑ranging writing. His most significant original work is Considering Matthew Shepard (2016), a concert‑length fusion oratorio honoring the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard. The piece has been performed widely across the United States and internationally and is regarded as one of the most important choral works of the past decade.