The Beauty of Sound and Poetry
Program Notes by
Kira Rugen
Dr. Kira Zeeman Rugen is a composer, conductor, academic professor, and professional soprano from Scottsdale, Arizona. Kira currently serves as the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities as a residential faculty member at Scottsdale Community College. Now in her twenty-eighth year as a music educator, she conducts Concert Choir and ArtieVox (Jazz Vocal Ensemble) at Scottsdale Community College and is the music director for Musical Theater. Previously, she worked as the Director of Choral Activities and Musical Director for Musical Theater at Arizona Christian University. Before that, she worked at Grand Canyon University, teaching Music History, Conducting, and Fundamentals of Music and Culture for Diverse Learners. As a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, Kira conducted Choral Union, a 100+-member community choir, and Schola Cantorum, a SATB choir, predominantly for music majors.
Learn more about Kira’s work on her website, kirarugen.com
Atmosphere
Do, do do do
Dah!
This piece comes from an album by Kira Zeeman Rugen called Sanctuary. Each piece on the album sets the listener on a journey from darkness into light.
This choral arrangement is meant to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity. It is a piece without words, and its meaning is derived from how it makes the listener feel. Does it evoke the mystery of the universe, the complexity of human emotion, memories, or a faraway place? You decide!
A Golden Thread Will Find You
When you hold out your hand to a stranger,
a single thread is woven. When you stop
to listen to another, you are both unburdened.
When you speak aloud your gratitude,
when you swing wide your gates,
when you add a chair to the table, a golden thread
becomes a stream becomes a journey,
wide river to calmest seas, a tapestry
that countless human hands still weave.
When storms of fear crack lightning
and harsh words thunder in your brain
and you doubt your heart can handle
the hurt along the way, one hand reaches
to another, weaves another thread: a golden thread.
How do we get to the world turned gold
from the simple threads we weave?
One hand reaches to another to another to another…
threads unending beyond the seas.
However hard the travels, dark the night,
don’t despair: my hand is reaching,
and another golden thread will find you
where you let your kindness guide you.
(Text: Dr. Ben McClendon)
In 1986, Robert Fulghum published the book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” The best-selling book quickly became a success because of its simple yet profound messages. Filled with whimsical quips about life, the book included such gems as “Share everything,” “Play Fair,” “Put things back where you found them,” and “Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.” Or even funny reminders like “Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you” or simply “Flush.” Robert Fulghum’s clever juxtaposition of the “Kindergarten Credo” with the adult version of creating a civilized society continues to resonate today.
This sentiment is echoed in the commission for the Western Division ACDA Conference in San Jose, titled “A Tapestry of Voices.” Dr. Ben McClendon’s text, “A Golden Thread Will Find You,” serves as a powerful reminder that we are the Golden Thread that weaves love and kindness through our tapestry of humanity. When we choose to reach out our hand and open our gates wide, we chart a path that countless humans have taken, where kindness guides our actions and words.