Decatur All-City

I'm doing the Decatur All-City Music Festival tomorrow, Thursday, March 31. I'm happy to be able to work with choirs from Decatur High School and Austin High School. Carl and I have known each other for nearly 20 years; we attended Ole Miss together and I even accompanied some of his voice lessons.

Carl is the director at Decatur High School and you can see the website for his Decatur choirs here: www.decaturchorus.com

Music to be rehearsed and performed:

Island Songs (Stephen Leek): about stephen leek,
More about stephen Leek;
Quote about Island Songs: I have on occasions though, tried to find ways of bringing peoples together in music, and this can be most effectively seen in Island Songs which are based on popular songs from northern Australia. Direct link to recording.
Can be heard on www.DecaturChorus.com


Children of the Heavenly Father
words by Carolina Snadell Berg (history, another translation,

I'm Gonna Sing 'til the Spirit Moves (Moses Hogan)

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Full Text of the Hymn Children of the Heavenly Father:
Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge ne’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the LORD in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
Rest secure in your Defender
At His will all foes surrender.