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Michael's long-awaited CD of sacred/inspirational music! With an intimate accompaniment of classical piano, Canadian pianist Cheryl Emery joins Michael for this uplifting listening experience. This CD explores faith, transformation and hope through Michael's expressive and passionate interpretations of these timeless inspirational classics:

TRACK LISTING

1. Artist Of My Soul
2. Blue Boat Home
3. Let Me
4. The Holy City
5. On Eagle's Wings
6. Goin' Home
7. Ave Maria (bassoon entr'acte)
8. I'll Walk With God
9. How Great Thou Art
10. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
11. Rock of Ages
12. Mary Did You Know
13. The Lord's Prayer
14. Amazing Grace

Engineered, Mixed and Recorded by Cinnamon Anderson
Manufacturing: Canada Disc & Tape, Calgary, Alberta
Mastering: Richard Harrow, audiomastering.com
Piano Maintenance + Extra TLC: Anne Phillips
Gear and Technical Support: Tim Dubber
Creative Photography: Trudie Lee
Jacket Design: Sacha Kiefer
Produced by Michael Hope

Recorded September 2008 at Cantos Music Foundation, Calgary Alberta, Canada

THANKS TO

Cantos Music Foundation

MICHAEL'S THOUGHTS ON THIS CD:

For years I have had the honour of singing at church services, funerals and weddings. And even to those in their last hours at palliative care facilities and hospices. At all of these occasions I have been amazed at how music can bring people closer to their faith, and bring them the solace that we all need from time to time.


DETAILED TRACK LISTING

Artist of My Soul (Rick Vale)
I've long been fascinated by the idea that music and art come from another place. And that musicians and artists are the vessels through which these divine creations pass en route to humanity. I believe that art is mankind's ongoing legacy to our world. This lovely song has a great melody, but also profound lyrics, which to me, are about how blessed artists are to be part of this creative phenomenon.

Blue Boat Home (Traditional Melody with words by Peter Mayer)
I first heard this lovely hymn when attending services at the Unitarian Church of Calgary; it is a standard from the Unitarian Hymnal. I was taken, not only with the lilting tune and accompaniment, but also with the song's message: The idea that we are all together on a journey towards eternity, and that our earthly existence is the vessel on which we travel towards that destination. I have always deeply appreciated the Unitarian Faith for its core belief that Nature and our beautiful planet are glorious and divine beings among us.

Let Me (Paul Schwartz/Lisbeth Scott)
This rare song has a melody and a lyric that transcend all faiths, and thus offers a gift of universal love. In one of my favourite Star Trek episodes ("The Bridge Across Forever") one of the characters suggests that the words "Let Me Help" are even more powerful than the words "I Love You." I'm reminded of this every time I sing this song. Cheryl's piano solo in the middle is hauntingly beautiful...

The Holy City (Frederick Edward Weatherly & Stephen Adams)
This marvellous solo is one of the most stirring pieces I know. It became popular in the music halls of Victorian England, where the songs of the music halls were often of a high moral tone. While it expresses Victorian ideals, "The Holy City" has a gloriously uplifting tone and a huge dramatic sweep.

I am told (mostly by my accompanists!) that I sing this song faster than just about everybody.

On Eagle's Wings (Michael Joncas)
There is something about this 1979 song that always lifts me up. I could sing it over and over again ... Perhaps because of its promise that we are not alone, and that there is always a greater power available to us, offering not only refuge and peace but also the challenge to soar above the clouds.

Goin' Home (A. Dvorák)
I first heard the melody of "Goin' Home" when playing Dvorák's Symphony #9 ("From The New World"). Listeners can spot "Goin' Home" in the famous English Horn solo in the 2nd movement.

Dvorák 's New World Symphony is based on Negro spirituals (One may notice shades of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" appearing in the symphony's first movement), but "Goin' Home" is an original melody that Dvorák composed himself. Later, the now famous lyrics were applied to the melody to create this consoling soliloquy about the life's final transfiguration.

Ave Maria (bassoon entr'acte) (F. Schubert)
Ave Maria began as a "Lied" (a German song, typically performed at 18th and 19th century house concerts called "Liederabende") and has since become one of the most recognizable melodies in the sacred repertoire. Despite its simplicity, I have always found this song to be fiendishly challenging - both to sing and now to play. This is because Schubert wrote into it a purity that requires a flawless level of musicianship. I have been performing this age-old classic for many years, but have never actually performed it on the bassoon until now.

I'll Walk With God (Nicholas Brodsky/Paul Webster)
Fans of Mario Lanza may remember this song from the movie, "The Student Prince" in which Lanza performed it at the coffin of his grandfather, the King of Carlsburg. I love it for its affirming message and the subtle echoes in the text from the 23rd Psalm ("The Lord Is My Shepherd...").

How Great Thou Art (Boberg/ Hine)
This song is a hymn written by Carl Gustav Boberg in Sweden in 1885, translated into English by Stuart K. Hine. It was popularized by George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during the Billy Graham crusades. Boberg wrote the hymn following a two-mile walk through a thunderstorm following a church meeting; hence the references to "rolling thunder" right off the top.

When singing this, I have always loved the gentle environmental references in the second verse. It truly is a reminder of the beauty of the world around us, and of the miracle of creation.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Traditional Negro Spiritual written by Wallis Willis)
This simple but powerful song speaks to me about the promise of a gentle afterlife, filled with friends and loved ones who are waiting for us. I sing this at hospices a lot, and love how the song strikes just the right note for people every time. What a gift it is.

Rock of Ages (Augustus Toplady)
Reverend Toplady composed "Rock of Ages" in 1763, while taking refuge inside a rock gorge during a storm (more music written during a storm!). Today it is still one of the most popular hymns, often sung at times when spiritual refuge is needed from the storms around us.

The Lord's Prayer (Albert Hay Malotte)
I am asked to sing this 1935 setting of "The Lord's Prayer" probably more than any other solo. Malotte's music takes words that we all know and transforms them into a stirring two-and-a-half-minute spiritual experience. One that truly compels us to pay attention to what we are saying when we bow our heads and utter the words "Our father who art in heaven..."

Mary Did You Know (Mark Lowry/Buddy Greene)
So what was Mary thinking on Christmas Eve? This song explores Mary's thoughts with its haunting melody and subtle rhymes. To me, it's a companion piece to "Joseph's Lullaby" that appears in my Christmas album "Silent Night."

Amazing Grace (John Newton)
This hymn with its promise of redemption is probably one of the most important pieces of music that people listen to today. I'm asked to sing it everywhere for all kinds of occasions. It moves me because its message reminds us that - no matter what - it is always possible for us to improve ourselves, and to be inspiring examples of goodness to those around us.

For the title track of this album, we chose a gospel-like setting of "Amazing Grace" with a reflective procession at the beginning that builds to a joyous peak, and then returns full circle to a point of utter serenity...
 

                                         Michael