Heaven Help Us All (originally performed by Stevie Wonder)
AfterGlow Chorus is deep in rehearsals for our two special concerts Oakland on October 30th and November 6th called "Virtual Insanity: Mass Shootings & Madness of the Modern World." Ten years after the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, we honor and remember victims of mass shootings through the power of music. We will be singing profound music that explores a broad range of complex emotions, including grief, loss, anger, and healing. We're excited to be singing "Heaven Help Us All," which was originally performed by the great Stevie Wonder. Here are some of the moving lyrics: "Heaven help the boy who won't reach twenty-one Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall Lord, Heaven help us all!"
In exploring the emotions surrounding this difficult theme, here are a few of the other intense pieces that we will be performing:
"Let My Love Be Heard" by Jake Runestead (a modern choral classic stunning in its emotional impact with a direct connection to the Paris 2015 Bataclan shootings)
"Lacrimosa (Take My Life)" by Isaac Cates (an incredible, original Gospel reimagining of the Lacrimosa movement from the Mozart Requiem)
"Water Guns" by Todrick Hall (a hard-hitting song about gun violence)
"We Shall Walk in the Valley of Peace" by Moses Hogan (a gorgeous setting of an African-American spiritual)
"Change" by Christina Aguilera (a lyrical, moving song written in the aftermath of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings in 2016)
"Lamentations of Jeremiah" by Z. Randall Stroope (one of the great choral pieces in the past 25 years with immense emotional power)
"Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai (a well-known classic from the British funk band with prescient warnings about a technology-obsessed society)
The wonderful jazz / R&B singer Clif Payne will also be our very special Guest Artist for these concerts. We hope that you will be able to join us for these special concerts on October 30th and November 6th. A limited number of discounted tickets are selling quickly, so don't miss out!