It’s rare I get to share a performance so soon after the premiere, so I’m delighted to share this. Be The Change was premiered on Friday, Oct. 28 at the ACDA-Michigan Fall Conference, conducted by the remarkable Mandy Mikita Scott.
Harrison Witt wrote the beautiful piece and accompanied the premiere; I was lucky to get to arrange it for the RHS Advanced Women’s Ensemble. Harrison wrote it in response to the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting of June 12, 2016. It is relevant today and will remain so. He wrote it just weeks after graduating high school.
During the arranging process I thought a lot about high school students, powerless to effect change in elections that will have massive effects on their lives. I hope that this piece helped them feel as if they had a voice and it was heard. His final lyrics say it all:
We will raise our voice,
And we will be heard,
We will heal this broken world.
We will fight the fear, we will feel no shame,
We will see the world and we’ll be the change.
Complete Lyrics:
We need to turn hateful words into love,
We need to live for what we’re dreaming of.
An act of kindness can go a long way,
So let’s be mindful of what we say.
Let’s make the world a better place.
Let us wish for hope,
Let us pray for peace,
Let us sing in harmony.
Do not be afraid,
Do not be ashamed,
Be the change you wish to see.
Fight the fear, feel no shame,
See the world and be the change.
So many innocent lives have been lost,
My heart is aching at just the thought.
But I see a world where we all get along,
It doesn’t matter who’s right or who’s wrong.
Because we all belong.
(Refrain)
I believe that love is all we need
To make the world a safer place.
I believe that love is everything!
Love is the answer, love will win.
Love is the reason that we live.
We will wish for hope,
We will pray for peace,
We will sing in harmony.
We will raise our voice,
And we will be heard,
We will heal this broken world.
We will fight the fear, we will feel no shame,
We will see the world and we’ll be the change.