On August 26th, the choir, accompanied by Nancy Hayashibara will present an original composition by Sadie Sonntag, our choir director.  She said this about the piece:

“Our family has a tradition of traveling over the summer, going into our own history, taking a break from the present, and pausing for reflection on what is, and what could be. 

“Each time we journey through incredibly varied States, I am awestruck by the beauty of each new and different scene.  I am intrigued by the differences of personalities of the people we meet and by the diversity in small pockets of culture we encounter.

“Recently, these trips have inspired me to write music around the theme of the United States of America and what that means to me personally. The resulting composition, ‘The Golden Door’, uses the text by Emma Lazurus which is engraved on the side of the Statue of Liberty; ‘Give me your tired, your poor….’ 

“I have written this piece with the aim of creating something enduring with a very singable and memorable melody.  This is for the UU choir and for the congregation, to give voice to those who would feel strongly connected to these words, that they might be heard.”