Commissioned by: The Seattle Choral Company,
Fred Coleman, Music Director
World Premiere: 2001, Benaroya Hall,Seattle

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Juliana Rambaldi, Soprano; Carolyn Gronlund, Mezzo-Soprano;
Wesley Rogers, Tenor; William Rhodes, Bass;
Cascadian Chorale, Philip Tschopp, Music Director;
Seattle Choral Company and Orchestra,
Fred Coleman, Music Director and Conductor
(436k mp3)

First Page of Score

Chorus: Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and which to us appears changeless and eternal, may change. Today is fair. Tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds. Choir: My words are like the stars that never change… Chorus: The great chief at Washington sends us greetings of friendship and good will. Choir: …as the return of the sun or the seasons. Chorus: This is kind of him, for we know he has little need of our friendship in return. His people are many. They are like the grass that covers vast prairies. My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain. He wishes to buy our land but is willing to allow us enough to live comfortably. This indeed appears just, and may be wise, as we are no longer in need of an extensive country.                                        Chief Seattle (Dr. Henry A. Smith, trans., 1887)