I vividly remember the first time I listened to the National Lutheran Choir's (NLC) performance of Paul John Rudoi's composition, Hope and Quietly Wait. I sat down on my couch after a very long day and began listening to the NLC's new recording, The Caged Bird Sings. They were making glorious sounds throughout, but when I got to Rudoi's piece, I was moved to tears. Don't get me wrong, the entire CD is incredibly moving, but there was something extraordinary about the honesty in the singing, and the deliberate simplicity of Rudoi's composition that resonated deeply with me.
After reading the complete story on this work, it became abundantly clear that this music and story needed to be shared with those out there that have impacted by dementia.
During our interview, I asked Tim Schmidt, the commissioner of the work and a second bass in the NLC, how did the song make you feel then and how does it make you feel now? Tim said through tears, "the time listening to that piece was mine, and it gave me the time to process and say ok...we're going to do this tomorrow, we're going to do this the day after, this is how the rest of it is going to be."
To hear the complete story about Hope and Quietly Wait in this week's episode of Sing To Inspire, click the audio player above.
#SingToInspire Performance of the Week
Hope and Quietly Wait - Paul John Rudoi
National Lutheran Choir, performer
David Cherwien, conductor
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