Spectra Choir presents 'A Love Letter to Our Future Selves' in concert May 11

When director Tegan Miller rehearses with Spectra Choir, she starts by asking singers to move and shake, to stretch out hands, feet, arms, legs and torsos before even approaching their voices. Once seated at the piano, Miller then leads the ensemble through a series of traditional scales. But with a twist. Through her own innovations, she’s found that pairing scale patterns with physical motion and visualization techniques helps singers have a clearer understanding of how their bodies work in creating accurate pitch and variations in tone. After a rigorous 10 minutes’ integrating sound and body, the choir is primed and ready for making music.

On Saturday, May 11, Spectra Choir shares its second annual spring concert, “A Love Letter to Our Future Selves,” at Asbury Memorial Church, 1008 E. Henry St., Savannah. The performance begins at 2 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Livestream tickets are also available.

For Saturday’s concert, Miller began by asking members, “What would you say to your future self?” Their answers shaped the kinds of pieces Miller sought out for the performance.

“A through line developed in their responses, for example, knowing you belong somewhere, knowing that life will be hard, that we will face trials and tribulations. But there’s nothing we can’t face because we are strong; we persevere, keep going. Just breathe.”

'We have stars in our bones'

Miller went to work searching for pieces that would reflect the singers’ sentiments. When she found “Stars in Our Bones” by composer Joan Szymko, she knew she’d found the perfect cornerstone upon which to build the program. Szymko, a prolific composer for treble voices and women's choirs, teamed up with poet and Episcopal priest Dr. Alla Bozarth to write the song.

Bozarth’s lyrics express, “To feel alive, important and safe/ Know your own waters and hills but no more/ You have stars in your bones/ You belong to the land and sky of your first cry/ You belong to infinity.”

“It's the text of this piece that grabbed me so strongly,” said Miller. “The image of bones, I couldn’t shake that. The composition begins with a big bang, then a meter change occurs, indicating the earth changes. We change. We settle in our bones, and then in unison, the choir sings ‘We have stars in our bones.’ If we could remember this, that we are all a part of this, connected, how much easier our lives would be if we could just keep that one sentiment in mind.”

Rooted in the gospel tradition

Once Miller had the foundation in place, she selected “Stand Up,” from the film “Harriet” as concert opener. Written by jazz composer Joshua Campbell and lyricist Cynthia Erivo, the piece comes from the perspective of Harriet Tubman. Miller emphasized how, given the mostly white demographic of the choir, it was important to talk about gospel music and its traditions so as not to sound as if the ensemble is trying to be, or impersonate, something it isn’t.

“When we sing as a choir, we often sing music not necessarily of our experience,” said Miller. “It is important that we know in our bones the story. This opener is rooted in the gospel tradition and perspective of Harriet Tubman, and we learn from the writers of this music. We are a predominantly white choir, and many things in this music we would never know. The song expresses lived experiences from a time when systemic oppression is deeply rooted, and this oppression doesn’t affect us in the way it impacts black and brown people.”

To address the composition’s context, Miller facilitated a discussion about Tubman in which they talked about her many hard-fought achievements, and how, without her bravery and conviction, the choir likely would not exist without her legacy.

“I’m grateful we can step back, a collection of more than 30 humans in a room from different walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences and have a conversation about how oppression and discrimination still affect us today,” emphasized Miller. “We talk about how we as white people directly benefit from white supremacy, and how we are trying our best to understand our role in actively dismantling oppression and racism.”

Concert features commissioned work

The concert also features a commissioned work by composer Marybeth Kurnat, who’s also a choral singer and jazz saxophonist in Chicago. Miller and Kurnat met last summer at a music benefit for ovarian cancer in which Miller sang one of Kurnat’s works. Miller liked the song’s interesting melody lines and harmonic challenges. She wanted to work more with the inspired composer.

“Marybeth found text from poet Emory Hall,” said Miller. “The text flows like this ‘I have been a thousand different women/ For they are the bones of the temple you sit in now/ For they are the rivers of wisdom leading you towards the sea.’ In it, again, we have the imagery of bones.”

The commissioned piece took about five months to complete and rounds out Kurnat’s trilogy for treble voices “Dear Madame President.” The work is constructed around a trio and a chorus that sing throughout in call-and-response until all voices unite for the song’s ending lines.

The afternoon concert includes an a cappella piece, harp solo, and violin and piano duet. For Miller, directing the choir stands as top professional privilege in which she focuses on leading with love, never shame.

“The joy of my life is stepping back and seeing these women support each other and be so incredibly kind to one another,” reflected Miller. “I’m honored to observe this utopia. If it could be a microcosm of the world, our world would be in a much better place.”

If you go >>

What: “Spectra Choir: A Love Letter to Our Future Selves”

When: 2 p.m., May 11

Where: Asbury Memorial Church, 1008 E. Henry Street, Savannah

Cost: Tickets, $20 advance, $25 at the door

Info:spectrachoir.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Spectra Choir presents 'A Love Letter to Our Future Selves' in concert