2020 songSLAM Book

SOURCE SONG FESTIVAL
and
SPARKS & WIRY CRIES
present the
2020
song
SLAM
A COMPETITION
FOR NEW ART SONG
FEATURING
VOICE,
PIANO,
COMPOSER
TEAMS
www.sparksandwirycries.org/songSLAM
JANUARY 9 TH , 2020
DOORS OPEN @ 7
ICEHOUSE MPLS
2528 NICOLLET AVE
MINNEALPOLIS

“...Source quickly has established itself
as a major fixture in the Twin Cities
classical calendar, purveying
international standards of excellence.”
-Star Tribune
Source is a generative force.
Source re-imagines the song festival by not only delivering fresh and
innovative concerts, recitals and masterclasses, but more importantly by
empowering and inspiring a new generation of musicians- composers,
performers and audience members alike- through the creation of new
works, the initiation of conversation, and the fostering of relationships
within Minnesota’s vibrant community.
www.sourcesongfestival.org
Cultivating excellence in Art Song for artists and audiences.
Sparks & Wiry Cries promotes the
advancement and preservation of
art song by providing opportunities to
its creators and performers.
Our activities include:
• Presentation of the annual songSLAM Festival in NYC
• Creation and Co-production of songSLAM competitions for emerging
composers and performers around the world
• Commission and premiere of new works
• Publication of the Art Song Magazine
Sparks & Wiry Cries is a registered 501(c) (3)
‘The Art Song Magazine Inc.’
www.sparksandwirycries.org

Chris Koza - host
Chris Koza is a musician, composer and performer living and working in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Koza’s storytelling and observations are
thoughtfully navigated by melodies that both migrate through the seasons
and burrow through the earth.
Koza has headlined the legendary First Avenue Mainroom. But he’s rocked
all of Minneapolis’ famous venues—including the Varsity Theatre, The
Fitzgerald, the Fine Line, the Cedar Cultural Center. Although he has six
solo albums and a film score under his belt, Koza does plenty of writing
and performing with Rogue Valley. A Minnesota State Arts Board Arts on
Tour recipient, Koza regularly plays and guest lectures at the Institute of
Production and Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis.
Catch Chris Koza at Upcoming Events:
1/11
1/17
1/18
2/1
Chris Koza Band
Solo Show
Chris Koza Band
Solo Show
Top Hat Theatre
Bad Habit Brewing
Big River Theatre
Paradise Center for the Arts
Ulen, MN
St Joseph, MN
Alma, WI
Faribault, MN
very special thanks to the LEAD SPONSOR
of the THIRD annual songSLAM - MPLS
408 Snelling Ave South | St Paul, MN | 55105
https://www.wellspianos.com/

Emily Boyajian
Annie Tillotson & Emily Boyajian
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
— Robert Frost
Emily Boyajian is a composer with a background as a music theorist, which she uses
to write music that is structured yet emotionally powerful. She has written solo piano
works, chamber music, orchestral music, and art songs. Emily is also interested in early
music performance, and has played harpsichord in Baroque music ensembles. Emily also
has a interest in mathematics and likes volunteering for LGBTQ organizations, playing
board games, and biking in her spare time.
Annie Tillotson has an intense affinity for art song, primarily works by new American
composers. This summer she was thrilled to develop this love in Source Song’s MNduo
program. Annie also performs musical theatre and opera, returning from touring Ireland
and Northern Ireland as an opera soloist in June. When not performing, Annie teaches
music privately and has newly become a Teaching Artist with Minnesota Opera.

Micah Dombrower
Micah Dombrower & Jacob Wilde
Christmas Music
It is September and I am homesick for Christmas music
and homesick is not the right word, you might say,
but I assure you it is –
there is no other word for seeing lights that wind their way around
and around and around the tree
a steady soft yellow in a dark house
There is no other word for the wooden angel at the top,
her spiral base shoved over an empty toilet paper roll
wrapped in green to blend in so that she will not fall
because the spindly straight branch out the top of the tree
hopes to be stronger than it really is
There is no better word to bring back the smell of a warm kitchen
with peppermint spiral cookies cooling on silver racks atop the counter
even if they haven’t been made for five years now
because that golden brown aura of crisp delight
only happens in December, you know
There is no better word to say that I am ready to give up my aversion
to Christmas music, for a few days at least,
to be surrounded by the notes of contentment
that by now have probably woven their way into the fabric of the stockings
hanging on the mantelpiece underneath the stuffed penguins
Home for the holidays is where my heart wants to be
So I am homesick for Christmas music, I tell you,
but please don’t turn it on just yet
— Bronwynn Woodsworth (b. 1999)
Jacob Wilde currently studies at St. Olaf. He also conducts, and loves any form of musical
collaboration. He thinks he enjoys doing reckless things, but actually never does
anything terribly reckless at all. He loves nature and being outdoors. He is working
passionately towards a career in opera and recital.
Micah Dombrower currently studies composition and piano at St. Olaf College, where he
has sung in the choirs and plays piano in jazz band. He has also played French horn and
saxophone, and enjoys musicals and many decades of pop music. He is from Boulder, CO
and loves the Mountains.

Stanford Felix
Christina Christensen & Carson Schneider
Trunken müssen wir alle sein!
Chorus
Trunken müssen wir alle sein!
Jugend ist Trunkenheit ohne Wein;
Trinkt sich das Alter wieder zu Jugend,
So ist es wundervolle Tugend.
Drunk! We all ought to be
drunk!
Chorus
Drunk! We all ought to be drunk!
Youth is drunkenness without wine;
If old age can drink itself back to youth
That is a wonderful virtue.
Verse 1
Für Sorgen sorgt das liebe Leben
Und Sorgenbrecher sind die Reben.
Da wird nicht mehr nachgefragt,
Wein ist ernstlich untersagt.
CHORUS
Verse 2
Soll den doch getrunken sein,
Trinke nur vom besten Wein!
Doppelt wärst du en Ketzer
In verdammnis um den Kratzer.
CHORUS
Trunken Müssen wir alle sein!
Trunken! Trunken!
Verse 1
Cares are part of our lovely life
But an antidote to care is available in grapes.
Let’s hear no more about it,
Wine is seriously forbidden.
CHORUS
Verse 2
So if we are going to get drunk
Let’s drink only the best wine!
You would be a double heretic
to be damned for drinking plonk.
CHORUS
Drunk! We all ought to be drunk!
Drunk! Drunk!
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Stanford Felix, DMA, is a professional bass-baritone who until late 2017 was Executive/
Musical Director of Minnesota Concert Opera. Although he composes in many genres
his favorites include Art Song and choral composition. He currently teaches voice in his
private voice studio in Farmington, MN (where he lives with his wife, Antonia) and has
just finished writing a book on vocal technique.
Christina Christensen, mezzo soprano, has been praised for her “reserved elegance” and
“spot-on vocals,” Her 2019-2020 performances include Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia,
mezzo soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, and a recital with pianist
Carson Rose Schneider. Other recent performances include Suzy in La Rondine, and
Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.
Carson Rose Schneider is a collaborative pianist/coach in the Twin Cities. Recently, she
was Music Director for Skylark Opera Theatre’s “Most Happy Fella” and became partner
in The Lied Society. 2019-2020 also includes work at Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Bay View
Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, LOON, and Arbeit Opera Theatre.

Linda Kachelmeier
Linh Kauffman & Linda Kachelmeier
La Promesse
That night held a breeze
But the warmth of him had me melting my head on his chest,
Safe in his arms, wrapped in his scent,
Losing myself in each pulse of his heart
Falling into his breathing
As he whispered promises he could not keep
“The moon?” or was it the stars?
“I’ll fetch every one”
Drunk off each word, I believed him
Yet I remember wishing I could have danced with my father that night.
Lighting came crackling in
The thunder boldly rolled after
My heart was violently trying to escape my chest
Running to my father for refuge
Hiding my head in his chest protecting myself in his arms
He told me a tale about giants dancing in the sky
He looked down on me with his brown…or were they hazel eyes?
He promised “I will always be there to protect you”
My brother never heard this story,
I could not tell it the same way.
There is this scorching pain devouring me from within
I don’t remember that swing or the empty seat.
Was he waiting for…
I promised him the moon and the stars
I promised him protection
I promised him I would never leave
I should not have promised anything.
Can wounds from broken promised be healed?
— Alayna Jacqueline (b. 1991)
Linda Kachelmeier is a composer, conductor, and professional singer in St. Paul, Minnesota.
She has received numerous grants and commissions, and in 2017 she was awarded
the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Composition. Since 1991 she has been the Director
of Music at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul.
Praised as “vocally and dramatically powerful” by the Washington Post soprano Linh
Kauffman performs with leading Twin Cities arts organizations as well as nationally and
internationally in concert and opera. She has performed and recorded works by many
Minnesota composers and has sung for Source Song Festival since its inaugural year.

Kelly Krebs
Evan Tyler Wilson & Kathy Thomsen
I GOT THE HOTS FOR MOMMA
When I was a boy I was normal enough,
I played with my toys and I acted tough.
But later on somethin’ just seemed to change,
And people started sayin’ I was acting strange.
I never knew what spooked ‘em, I felt fine
But one day somethin’ drove me outta my mind.
And that’s when I knew: I had the hots for Momma!
It wasn’t long after I turned fifteen,
I got a glimpse of Momma from behind her screen.
She was puttin’ on her nightshirt, gettin’ ready for bed,
My pulse started racin’ and my face turned red.
My clothes felt tight! I got so hard!
That night I ran naked all through the back yard!
Yeah, that’s just how bad I had the hots for Momma!
I have the hots for Momma!
M-O-M-M-A Momma!
A few months later Momma figured it out.
She finally understood what it was all about.
She found my stash of her special things;
She spanked me so hard and I loved the sting!
THE HOTS FOR MOMMA!
I GOT THE HOTS FOR MOMMA!
I GOT THE HOTS FOR MOMMA!
OH, MOMMA, MOMMA!
Now some folks say it ain’t quite right,
But they ain’t workin’ here day and night.
I get my pleasure in the way I must,
Even if makes you feel disgust.
So don’t you judge me! I work damn hard!
I wash the sheets and I mow the back yard.
Yes, I have the hots,
I have the hots for Momma!
I have the hots for Momma!
M-O-M-M-A, Momma!
© 2019 David F. Smith. All rights reserved.
Kelly Krebs is a Twin Cities-based composer who loves writing in diverse genres for the
voice. (Art song, musical theater, and choral). He was selected as a composer for the
MNSong Program at the 2017 Source Song Festival and in 2018 was part of the Composer-Librettist
Studio with Nautilus Music-Theater. He is currently participating in the
year-long ReMix mentorship program with VocalEssence.
Evan Tyler Wilson is an actor and singer in Minneapolis with a passion for new work.
He’s performed with Artistry, Theater Latté Da, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and
was most recently seen as the soloist in All is Calm. Evan will be seen next singing tenor
in the quartet in The Music Man at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Kathy Thomsen is professor of music at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN where she
teaches piano, theory, history, and conducts the University Chorale. In the summer she
teaches courses in Dalcroze eurhythmics (music and movement) for the University of St.
Thomas in their Graduate Programs in Music Education. Playing new songs by Kelly Krebs
is one of her favorite musical activities!

Isaac Lovdahl
Kristina Rodel Sorum & Avery Wong
How Close I’d Love to Be
:closer than the reproductions, the reports,
the dirty windows, closer than my own eyes
allow. I can hear gunshots in the alley,
a woman’s voice yelling in the apartment building
next door; I can see the moon
in the tree branches
turn rooftops a sooty purple.
If I could truly be with you,
then the songs that come out of
my body would touch your skin and still
be warm.
—Anna George Meek (b. 1969)
Isaac Lovdahl is a composer, conductor, educator, and vocalist currently based in Fargo,
North Dakota, where he is pursuing a Master’s Degree in choral conducting. He is also
the music director at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minnesota. Since
graduating from Concordia College in 2015, he has directed school, church, and community
choirs throughout Minnesota. His music has been performed in the United States,
Great Britain, and Germany by a wide range of ensembles and soloists. For more information,
please visit isaaclovdahl.com.
Kristina Rodel Sorum, mezzo soprano, is a versatile artist, equally comfortable in art
song, choral music, chamber music, and opera. She has held membership in groups such
as VocalEssence, The Singers- Minnesota Choral Artists, the Minnesota Chorale, MPLS
(imPulse), Twin Cities Fringe Opera, the Twin Cities Early Music Festival, and the Lakes
Area Music Festival. She has been heard as a soloist in operas, cantatas, and recitals
throughout the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the Czech Republic.
Avery Wong is a Minneapolis-based pianist who enjoys collaborating with musicians
in many different genres. In addition to working with singers for auditions, recordings,
and competitions, Avery has played keyboard for several local bands- most notably the
Jillian Rae Band. He has served as pianist for Mixed Precipitation’s Picnic Operetta since
2018. When not playing the piano, he can be found arranging a capella music, singing, or
playing the melodica.

Liam Moore
Justin Spenner & Lynn Hu
You Seem Most Full
You seem most full
when I see you kneeling
round the little blue flax,
turning last evening’s fall
of pear-pip petals
into dusky earth.
Then sun-bleached morning
slips honey-lightly round the rocks,
and the smooth green snake underneath
pours under the rose
when you turn its darkness over.
Briefly you raise your head
to watch the running of the breeze
through the maple stands
and to seek the pinlight blue
of iris in the sedge.
— Richard Meacock
Liam Moore is a composer, baritone and lover of language. He primarily writes choral
music, chamber music and art song. In addition to singing and composing, he generally
plays stringed instruments well and specifically plays the trombone poorly. Liam lives in
Saint Paul.
Justin Anthony Spenner is known for his engaging versatility from Schubert to Stockhausen.
He can regularly be seen in operatic, experimental, concert, and recital platforms
throughout the Midwest, and especially in MN. His two cats, Percy and Motley, serve as
his studio mascots and artistic oversight committee.
Lynn Hu has performed as an improvisor on stages across the Twin Cities as well as in
China. She showcases her versatility as an artist by leveraging her classical piano training
in musical improv performances. She is a fierce advocate for her community and
uplifting marginalized voices.

Greg Schaffner
Angie Paulson & Bryon Wilson
Spheksophobia
I cringe at the sight of you, scoot to the
other side of the deck, watch to be sure
you come no closer.
I have heard how you can summon your peers,
work together to stop a perceived threat.
I try to be still.
You flick your wings on the sunny deck rail,
forage for food for your young wasps-to-be,
your work pre-ordained,
required for survival.
It occurs to me that you are not
responsible for my revulsion, that
you did not ask to be a wasp.
— Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
This is the first secular song Greg Schaffner has composed in years. Many of his works
for choir and organ have been performed in churches locally and California. A work for
organ was presented at the AGO. He is co-founder of the Choral Composers Anonymous
support group (now in remission).
A native of the Twin Cities, Angie Paulson has been performing regionally and teaching
voice locally since graduating from Luther College. Credits include International Young
Singer of the Year finalist (Wales) and Schubert Club Scholarship Competition Level III
Voice winner. This is Angie’s first songSLAM, and she is super chuffed.
Bryon Wilson is a pianist, vocal coach, and piano teacher in the Twin Cities. This fall he
performed with Source Song Festival, Out of the Box Opera, Art Song Minnesota, and
River Sounds (Fort Lauderdale). He spends summers commercial fishing in Bristol Bay,
Alaska. Bryon’s spheksophobia is a 3 out of 10.
Kathleen Cassen Mickelson is a Minnesota-based writer who runs the One Minnesota
Writer blog, and is a founding editor of the quarterly contemporary poetry journal Gyroscope
Review. She loves coffee, whiskey, and pizza, but hates wasps.

Martha Helen Schmidt
Krista Costin & Ann DuHamel
Mediterranean Suns
Mediterranean Suns!
Shine on, in, and around
To light up our sterns and our prows
And to keep us out of trouble
By showing us the waves
That loop around our boat!
It’s made of wood
And linen. Come down
From Antibes, come down
From Nice, from Cannes
Come down into my boat.
The Mediterranean Sun
Is shining on the boat.
Won’t you come, too,
From the fresh air
Of these resorts?
Just climb down.
— Kenneth Koch
Martha Helen Schmidt is a Twin Cities composer who loves writing Art Songs and Song
Cycles. She recently retired from teaching (choir/theory/piano) to dedicate more time to
composing. Martha has participated in two Source Song Festivals as well as the Art Song
Lab in Vancouver, Canada. She has studied with Nadia Boulanger, Louise Talma, Steven
Stucky, Karel Husa, Libby Larsen, and James Ming. Upcoming performances include
participation in the Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University in March. She
continues to work on her new website with hopes of having it finished in the next month
or two. Find her at: marthahelenschmidt.com
Mezzo-Soprano Krista Costin is thrilled to kick off 2020 performing in this year’s song-
SLAM. In collaboration with pianist Mindy Eschedor, she won first place in the inaugural
2018 songSLAM, performing How to Triumph Like a Girl written for her by composer
Timothy Takach. Krista is a soloist, ensemble singer, and voice educator based in St.
Paul. www.kristacostin.com
Pianist Ann DuHamel is delighted to return to the SongSLAM stage. An ardent proponent
of modern music, she recently commissioned and premiered works of Marc Chan (CT),
Luke Dahn (UT), Joseph Dangerfield (WV), Jocelyn Hagen (MN), Edie Hill (MN), and Tyler
Kline (FL). Past performances include venues in sixteen countries and over twenty-five
states, with two appearances in Carnegie Weill Recital Hall.

Simon Sperl
Laurel Armstrong & Simon Sperl
Why Am I Alone?
No, no, no
Why am I alone?
Where is my mom?
Why am I alone?
Where is my mom?
Is this my fault?
What did I do?
— Simon Sperl
Simon Sperl and his writing partner, Louise Wonder Woman Sperl (a diluted calico cat),
peer out the window of their Saint Paul home as they compose music every morning.
Much of their music is meditative and poignant but, it can also be full of jubilation and
energy.
Laurel Armstrong is a Twin-Cities based singer, actress, and voice-over artist. Recent
projects include “Most Happy Fella” at Skylark Theater, and a singer for the Composer/
Librettist studio at Nautilus Music-Theater, in addition to regular voice-over work. Upcoming:
“We Foxes” with Theater Elision, and finally getting her website up.

Timothy C. Takach
Amy Wolf & Jared Miller
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Reviewed as “gorgeous” (Washington Post) and “stunning” (Lawrence Journal-World),
the music of Timothy C. Takach has risen fast in the concert world. Applauded for his
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performances from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Roomful of Teeth, St. Olaf Band,
Cantus, Lorelei Ensemble, VocalEssence, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and
numerous other organizations.
Amy Wolf has been hailed as “alluring, whimsical, and seductive”. Amy has performed
with Utah Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera on the James, Journey North Opera, Duluth
Festival Opera, Arbeit Opera Theater, Garden of Song Opera, Opera Reading Project
and Theatre Latte Da. When she’s not howling at home Amy enjoys spending time with
her husband Keith, daughters, dogs and working as Artistic Director with Journey North
Opera Company.
Jared Miller received a B.A. in Music from St. Olaf College, and a Master’s in Collaborative
Piano and Coaching from the University of Minnesota. Jared has worked with
Calliope Women’s Chorus, BorderCrosSing, Schubert Club, Mississippi Valley Orchestra,
Minnesota Opera, Mill City Opera, Arbeit Opera Theatre, and Journey North Opera
Company.

Jeremy Walker
Jason Harms & Jeremy Walker
Forest Garden
When I call you Please walk with me
To this divine verdant garden
I may not pass this way tomorrow
don’t allow your heart to harden
When I call you Please walk with me
To this divine verdant garden
since this green may not be here tomorrow
I promise there will be no pardon
We will be the two to share this moment
We will be the two to share this secret
We wandered to the forest
No one ever forced us
To find What came so naturally
We never had to forage
Our hearts had endless storage
For the fruits we ate that set us free
All the complainers
All the nay sayers
Are empty containers
With sad empty prayers
What remains while all the rest is lost in the breeze
We are the same Branch from different trees
Walk with me
Through this verdant garden
Walk with me
— Greg Foley Copyright © 2019
Jeremy Walker is a performing composer. His new release of original jazz art songs,
Haunted Blue (heard on APM’s Composers Datebook and MPR’s New Classical Tracks)
features mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, Anthony Cox and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu. Walker’s
suite 7 Psalms was most recently performed at Orchestra Hall Minneapolis.
Jason Harms is a vocalist/guitarist/composer who has performed internationally. He has
performed in Thailand, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Ireland, London, Scotland, Kosovo,
Romania and Poland. He composed The Ballad of Job for 22-piece orchestra/6 soloists/1
poet. Harms directs the Bethel University Jazz Orchestras.

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