Spring Concert Preview: Paper Crane

By Annie Nichol

Concentus Women’s Chorus will present our spring concert in just a few weeks, on May 31 and June 1. Titled “Songs through the Senses,” this beautifully programmed concert invites singers and listeners to savor the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Before attending this concert, I invite you to reflect on the pace of daily life. Text alerts, email notifications, phone calls requiring action. Life moves at the speed of light and logistics of daily living are relentless. Music has the power to help us pause, reflect, and reset.

One of our musical selections is “Paper Crane” by J. Reese Norris. This moving work is based on the story of Sadako Sasaki, who was a two year old living in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb exploded just one mile from her house. Though her home was demolished, she was physically unharmed. Over the next nine years, she joined others in rebuilding their homes and their lives. At age eleven, she was diagnosed with leukemia. During this time, Sadako learned the legend of the paper cranes, where one wish will come true if you fold a thousand paper cranes. While in the hospital, she made over 1,000. Sadako’s strength compelled others in the community to build a statue of her to remain in Hiroshima Peace Park. The engraving reads, “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace for the world.”

“Paper Crane” begins with a slow, simple melodic motif. Just like a bird taking flight, the tempo increases, the melody swells, and the harmonies increase in complexity. Within a few pages, the song soars and the rhythmic movement intensifies. This song transports both the singer and listener to a world where one act of kindness spreads like the ripples from a pebble dropped into a pond. As we sing the lyrics, “You will fly all over this world, peace upon your wings,” you will hear our voices and hearts called to action. Though the world moves at a breakneck speed, an intentional meditation of grounding oneself in the senses can allow for the message and movement of peace to take flight. We, Concentus, invite you to join us in song and in our wish for peace.

Check out our other concert preview blogs:

Spring Concert Preview: Song of Miriam

Spring Concert Preview: Everyday Wonders

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This concert honors the work of Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services (RRRS). RRRS offers services and opportunities to ensure assimilation of refugees into our society by providing assistance as they strive to be self-sustaining neighbors while still maintaining their own cultural heritage. Concentus will be making a donation to the organization, in addition to working to raise awareness of RRRS in the community.