Songs of Advent: "This is Your Justice"

Matt Reichert, Craig Colson, and Zack Stachowski at the 2018 NPM Convention in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Happy Advent! As we journey through this sacred season toward the celebration of Christ’s birth we are spending time revisiting some of our favorite Advent music. Today we feature a conversation with Craig Colson about his piece “This is Your Justice,” filled with references to texts from the prophet Isaiah. In addition to excerpts from our interview with Craig you’ll hear an extended playlist, journeying through new and familiar music for the season. Make sure to visit our social media pages for more Advent music, and make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss our upcoming Christmas special features, including the 2020 edition of our annual OYH Lessons and Carols.

So, please open your hymnals to “This is Your Justice” and the music of Advent!

Episode links

For more information about Craig Colson and his other compositions, visit his composer pages at GIA Publications and OCP.

You can purchase a copy of the score and a copy of the song recording for "This is Your Justice” from GIA Publications. You can also purchase the other song recordings you heard in this episode: Instrumental arrangement of “People Look East” (arr. Sondra Tucker), “Why Don’t You Tear Apart the Heavens” (John L. Bell), “Maranatha, Lord Messiah” (Kathy Powell), “Preparen el Camino” (Fernando Rodriguez), “Cantaré Eternamente/Forever I Will Sing” (Mary Frances Reza), “Prepare the Way for the Coming of the Lord” (Jalonda Robertson), “Gaudete” (Albert Coppo), “Magnificat” (Janèt Sullivan Whitaker), “Your Light Will Come Jerusalem” (Bob Hurd), “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord” (Kenneth Louis), and the instrumental arrangement of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” for organ and brass (arr. Sondra Tucker).

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All content of this podcast is property of Look Up Here Productions or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

Songs for This Time of Pain and Darkness

Artwork by Bro. Mickey McGrath (used with permission)

As with all of you, things at Open Your Hymnal have been different the last several weeks. So, we’re behind with our new episodes. We promise we’ll get back to them very soon. 

In the meantime, though, we can’t ignore the things that are happening in our communities. We’re feeling the pile up of grief, sadness, anger, and hopelessness. So, we offer these songs to you, hoping they meet you wherever you are, that they accompany you, speak to you. At a time when, on the one hand we’ve lost our ability to sing together and, on the other hand, we’re made speechless by so much pain and injustice, we hope that we can still be fed, lead, and joined together by a power that can only come through music. 

There won’t be any conversation in this episode, just the music. Thank you for spending this time with us in prayer and reflection. May we be healed, but never the same. May we all respond to the call, accept the commission, for real work, real action, real justice. 

Episode links

You can purchase the song recordings you heard in this episode: piano instrumental of “The Cloud’s Veil” (arr. Paul Tate), “The Cloud’s Veil” (Liam Lawton), “Christ Be Our Light” (Bernadette Farrell), “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (Tony Alonso), “How Long, O Lord” (John L. Bell), “There is a Longing” (Anne Quigley), “Have Mercy on Us for We Have Sinned” (W. Clifford Petty), “What You Have Done” (Ed Eicker), “Hold on To Love” (Jesse Manibusan), “Day of Peace” (Janet Sullivan Whitaker), “Love Burn Bright” (Chris de Silva), “Koinonia” (arr. James Abbington), “When One Among Us” (Lori True), and “We Shall Overcome” (arr. Robert T. Gibson).

All content of this podcast is property of Look Up Here Productions or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

In Review: One Call Institute, 2019

OCI 2019 participants in rehearsal at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN

It’s our first audio “yearbook”! In this episode, co-hosts Zack Stachowski and Matt Reichert bring you musical highlights from the 2019 One Call Institute. One Call exists to help support, empower, and engage young pastoral musicians and their advocates. This year, participants gathered from across the country to learn, pray, and make music together. Most importantly, the participants were sent out to continue using their skills and talents in their home communities. Today’s episode explores a selection of the music used by OCI participants during prayer, the end-of-week concert, and final Mass.

So, please open your hymnals!

Episode links

For more information about the One Call Institute, visit the program website at www.onecallinstitute.org.

You can help support this podcast by supporting our sponsors. For more information about the sponsors of this episode - Ministry Scheduler Pro software, the Ministry Monday podcast, and Great Catholic Music - visit their links.

You can purchase a copy of the song recordings you heard in this episode: “Nzamuranza” (tr. Mozabique/Cameroon), “Canticle of the Turning” (Cooney), “Take, O Take Me As I Am” (Bell), “Take This Moment” (Bell), “Psalm 63: My Soul is Thirsting” (Angrisano), “Psalm 19: Words of Everlasting Life” (Alonso), “Psalm 25: I Lift My Soul” (True), “Ubi Caritas” (tr. chant), “Table Prayer: God of Life and of the Living” (Joncas), “Psalm 91: Be With Me, Lord” (Hart/Stephan), “Psalm 51: Have Mercy On Us for We Have Sinned” (Petty), “Belong” (de Silva), “10,000 Reasons” (Myrin/Redman), “Salve Regina” (tr. chant), “Da Pacem, Domine” (Franck), “This is Your Justice” (Colson), “In the Morning, In the Evening” (Gaunt), “In the Breaking of the Bread” (Ward), “Dame Tu Paz” (Betancourt), “Soli Deo Gloria” (Haugen), “From the Many, Make Us One” (Alonso), “With Rejoicing Hearts” (Cortez), “Jerusalem, My Destiny” (Cooney), “Dios Nos Bendiga” (Manibusan), and “Go Out” (Petty) .

Don't forget to "subscribe" so you'll never miss an episode!

All content of this podcast is property of Look Up Here Productions or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.