Originally written to be sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve with friends and family as a new kind of ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ this piece soars as a full-fledged choral piece. Suitable for quartets to large choirs, all levels of singers will enjoy performing this lovely piece. While it makes a perfect secular addition to a holiday concert, it is also appropriate for graduations and other celebrating times.

“Each half of the (Cantus) concert ended with something that shone a lovely spotlight on the group’s harmonic artistry. A bright future could be glimpsed in the program-closing ‘We Toast the Days’ by Twin Cities composer Linda Kachelmeier, who may have created a 21st-century ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ a beautiful ballad that deserves to become a standard of the season.”
– Rob Hubbard, Dec. 11, 2024, Minnesota StarTribune

Composer’s Notes

Originally written to be sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve with friends and family as a new kind of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, this piece grew into a full-fledged choral piece. From quartets to large choirs, it has been sung by community choirs, high schools, and professional groups alike. While it makes a perfect secular addition to a holiday concert, it is also appropriate for graduations and other celebrating times.

– Linda Kachelmeier

Text

When the clock strikes twelve
And another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you
As remembrance of the past we have shared
And the future yet to come.

We toast the days, both good and bad,
The old friends and the new.
When the clock strikes twelve
And another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you.

While the night is long
And the bitter cold has come,
We lengthen our embrace
To sustain us as we mourn our regrets
And the fear of days unknown.

We toast the days…

As we stand on the edge
Of another bright new year,
I take your hand in mine
With assurance of
The courage we will find
And the hope that leads us on.

We toast the days…

– Linda Kachelmeier

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