Changed By Beauty

From the Composer:

I was 17 years old and was asked to sing in a Minnesota collegiate
honor choir, conducted by Dale Warland. I certainly knew who he was
but had never heard his choir, much less worked with him in the same
room. Right away in the first rehearsal, the whole room could sense
that he was kind and warm-hearted but also so purposeful in his work:
we knew we’d be able to make great music together.

Today, I feel privileged to call Dale a colleague AND a friend. I’ve sung
for him a number of times, I publish some of his music, I’ve taken him
out to coffee to talk about musical ideas, and he and his wife have been
over for dinner. To be asked to write this piece in honor of his life’s
work and his musical legacy is a true compliment.

I love what Brian Newhouse has done with this libretto. Making stained
glass windows as a metaphor for a conductor shaping vocal color is
brilliant and so apt – imperfect hands striving for perfection. And
those final lines, asking us to always reach for what binds together our
broken and beautiful world, those lines capture so well what we try to
do with our art, what Dale has done so well with his life through his
work and his kindness.

– Timothy C. Takach (2021)

From the Poet:
Dale Warland once mentioned to me, “Nothing is stronger than
beauty.” When I think of the force of war, or greed, or fear, I wonder
if those words are true. And yet: humans will move heaven and earth to
protect the things we love most, those things (usually people) dearest
to us — what we hold as beautiful. Dale is right. Nothing is stronger.

As Dale’s 90th birthday approached, I wanted somehow to celebrate
this artist who has created so much beauty for this world. Could I
capture this idea in a new text somehow? I brought the idea to Timothy
C. Takach, whose music I admire particularly for its beauty, and how it
always balances freshness, challenge and singability. Tim immediately
saw one piece as not big enough for someone of Dale’s national and
global impact. Tim had a lovely idea for three movements, and he gave
each a working concept of Inspiration, Work, and Legacy. So I set
to writing three texts instead of one. My hope was to tell the story of
surprising beginnings; then the fierce dedication to the work, even to
the point of madness; and finally the gift for future generations that
might come of all this — everything centered around the creation of
beauty. I have never worked with greater joy.

I’ve added a little epigraph of context and introduction for the singer
and the audience regardless of their knowledge of Dale. My hope is
that these pieces outlive us all and speak not just for one beloved artist,
but for the necessity of art-making in a world thirsting for beauty.

– Brian Newhouse (2021)