Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Recorded live at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall on August 7, 2023. Learn more about Ravinia Steans Music Institute's Program for Singers at ravinia.org/SteansSingers
The “other,” the stranger in a strange land, has always been with us. The hope of those seeking to better their lives, the fears of those forced to flee danger at home, and the despair of the enslaved migrant have inspired music that captures the full range of their experience. This program traces the migrant experience in music ranging across songs of the Sephardim expelled from Inquisition Spain; Schubert and Schumann’s German Romantic “Wanderer”; the Africans brought forcibly to our shores; the Jewish, Irish, Italian, and Asian refugees who built 20th-century America; and today’s songs of asylum seekers fleeing Ukraine and Latin America.
I. “HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND?”
Anonymous (c. 1620) “By Babel’s Waters”
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
II. “TO WANDER ALONE…”
Schumann (1810 – 1856) “In der Fremde” from Liederkreis, Op. 39, No. 1
Yuntong Han, tenor
Matthew Gemmill, piano
Berg (1885 – 1935) “Schlafend trägt man mich in mein Heimatland” from Vier Gesänge, Op. 2, No. 2
Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone
Michael Sikich, piano
Lang (1815 – 1880) “Mignons Klage” from Sechs Lieder, Op. 10, No. 2
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Lucas Nogara, piano
Schubert (1797 – 1828) “Mignon und der Harfner” from Gesänge aus ‘Wilhelm Meister’, D. 877, No. 1
Gabrielle Turgeon, soprano
Moses Sunghyun Park, tenor
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Schumann “Kennst du das Land” from Lieder und Gesänge aus ‘Wilhelm Meister’, Op.98a, No.1
Yvette Keong, soprano
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
III. “MY HEART IS FULL OF SORROW AND MY EYES ARE FULL OF TEARS”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
arr. Bonds (1913 – 1972) “Lord, I Just Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes”
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
Lucas Nogara, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
arr. Moore (1904 – 1989) “Watch and Pray”
Melissa Joseph, soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
IV. “WHERE OUR DREAMS LIE BURIED”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) “Farewell, Granada” from Spanish Songs, Op. 100, No. 1
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Milhaud (1892 – 1974) “Chant de nourrice” from Poèmes Juifs, Op. 34, No. 1
Gabrielle Turgeon, soprano
Matthew Gemmill, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Weill (1900 – 1950) “Youkali: Tango habanera”
Elissa Pfaender, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Gemmill, piano
V. “NO ONE TO WELCOME YOU HOME”
Anonymous (c. 1890) “The Emigrant’s Lament”
Erik Grendahl, baritone
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Mario (1884 – 1961) “Santa Lucia luntana”
Edmond Rodriguez, tenor
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
VI. “THE GOLDEN LAND”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Jagoda (1923 – 2021) “La yave de Espanya”
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
Zunser (1840 – 1913) arr. Feinsinger “Dos goldene land”
Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone
Michael Sikich, piano
Olshanetsky (1892 – 1946) “Mayn shtetele Belz”
Kyle Miller, baritone
Lucas Nogara, piano
VII. “AWED BY THE WORK OF ANGELS”
Chen (b. 1975) “to belong”
Yvette Keong, soprano
Elissa Pfaender, mezzo-soprano
Yuntong Han, tenor
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
Jung (b. 1996) 참 맑은 물살 (“Such a Clear Current”)
Moses Sunghyun Park, tenor
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Huang Ruo (b. 1976) “The Work of Angels”
Madeleine Lyon, mezzo-soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
VIII. “CHASED OUT OF PARADISE”
Stepovyi (1883 – 1921) “Dumka”
Celeste Morales, soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
Turkewich (1898 – 1977) “Emigration Elegy”
Kyle Miller, baritone
Lucas Nogara, piano
Anonymous (c. 1940) arr. Feinsinger “Nyet, Vladimir”
Erik Grendahl, baritone
Ting Ting Wong, piano
IX. “WIND THAT BLOWS WHERE I CANNOT GO”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Lecuona (1895 – 1963) “Canción de amor triste”
Celeste Morales, soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
Sosa (b. 1976) “Yo solita me arrullo” (world premiere)
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Hoffman/Guthrie (1912 – 1967) “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)”
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Celeste Morales, soprano
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Edmond Rodriguez, tenor
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
Verdi (1813 – 1901) "Va Pensiero" from Nabucco
Full Company
Recorded live at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall on August 7, 2023. Learn more about Ravinia Steans Music Institute's Program for Singers at ravinia.org/SteansSingers
The “other,” the stranger in a strange land, has always been with us. The hope of those seeking to better their lives, the fears of those forced to flee danger at home, and the despair of the enslaved migrant have inspired music that captures the full range of their experience. This program traces the migrant experience in music ranging across songs of the Sephardim expelled from Inquisition Spain; Schubert and Schumann’s German Romantic “Wanderer”; the Africans brought forcibly to our shores; the Jewish, Irish, Italian, and Asian refugees who built 20th-century America; and today’s songs of asylum seekers fleeing Ukraine and Latin America.
I. “HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND?”
Anonymous (c. 1620) “By Babel’s Waters”
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
II. “TO WANDER ALONE…”
Schumann (1810 – 1856) “In der Fremde” from Liederkreis, Op. 39, No. 1
Yuntong Han, tenor
Matthew Gemmill, piano
Berg (1885 – 1935) “Schlafend trägt man mich in mein Heimatland” from Vier Gesänge, Op. 2, No. 2
Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone
Michael Sikich, piano
Lang (1815 – 1880) “Mignons Klage” from Sechs Lieder, Op. 10, No. 2
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Lucas Nogara, piano
Schubert (1797 – 1828) “Mignon und der Harfner” from Gesänge aus ‘Wilhelm Meister’, D. 877, No. 1
Gabrielle Turgeon, soprano
Moses Sunghyun Park, tenor
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Schumann “Kennst du das Land” from Lieder und Gesänge aus ‘Wilhelm Meister’, Op.98a, No.1
Yvette Keong, soprano
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
III. “MY HEART IS FULL OF SORROW AND MY EYES ARE FULL OF TEARS”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
arr. Bonds (1913 – 1972) “Lord, I Just Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes”
Cierra Byrd, mezzo-soprano
Lucas Nogara, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
arr. Moore (1904 – 1989) “Watch and Pray”
Melissa Joseph, soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
IV. “WHERE OUR DREAMS LIE BURIED”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) “Farewell, Granada” from Spanish Songs, Op. 100, No. 1
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Milhaud (1892 – 1974) “Chant de nourrice” from Poèmes Juifs, Op. 34, No. 1
Gabrielle Turgeon, soprano
Matthew Gemmill, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Weill (1900 – 1950) “Youkali: Tango habanera”
Elissa Pfaender, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Gemmill, piano
V. “NO ONE TO WELCOME YOU HOME”
Anonymous (c. 1890) “The Emigrant’s Lament”
Erik Grendahl, baritone
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Mario (1884 – 1961) “Santa Lucia luntana”
Edmond Rodriguez, tenor
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
VI. “THE GOLDEN LAND”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Jagoda (1923 – 2021) “La yave de Espanya”
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
Zunser (1840 – 1913) arr. Feinsinger “Dos goldene land”
Nathaniel Sullivan, baritone
Michael Sikich, piano
Olshanetsky (1892 – 1946) “Mayn shtetele Belz”
Kyle Miller, baritone
Lucas Nogara, piano
VII. “AWED BY THE WORK OF ANGELS”
Chen (b. 1975) “to belong”
Yvette Keong, soprano
Elissa Pfaender, mezzo-soprano
Yuntong Han, tenor
Nikolay Verevkin, piano
Jung (b. 1996) 참 맑은 물살 (“Such a Clear Current”)
Moses Sunghyun Park, tenor
Ting Ting Wong, piano
Huang Ruo (b. 1976) “The Work of Angels”
Madeleine Lyon, mezzo-soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
VIII. “CHASED OUT OF PARADISE”
Stepovyi (1883 – 1921) “Dumka”
Celeste Morales, soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
Turkewich (1898 – 1977) “Emigration Elegy”
Kyle Miller, baritone
Lucas Nogara, piano
Anonymous (c. 1940) arr. Feinsinger “Nyet, Vladimir”
Erik Grendahl, baritone
Ting Ting Wong, piano
IX. “WIND THAT BLOWS WHERE I CANNOT GO”
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Lecuona (1895 – 1963) “Canción de amor triste”
Celeste Morales, soprano
Michael Sikich, piano
Sosa (b. 1976) “Yo solita me arrullo” (world premiere)
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Ting Ting Wong, piano
PERFORMED AND REMOVED FROM PUBLIC RECORDING
Hoffman/Guthrie (1912 – 1967) “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)”
Jacinta Barbachano de Agüero, soprano
Celeste Morales, soprano
Ana Mora, mezzo-soprano
Edmond Rodriguez, tenor
Alejandro Urzagaste, guitar
Verdi (1813 – 1901) "Va Pensiero" from Nabucco
Full Company
