In which an irresponsibly large piece of AV equipment and a chance meeting with a former Secretary of State result in a choral work honoring the Mississippi and human resilience.
The Beginning: A Screen and a Vision
It began with a screen. Literally, a 10-by-20-foot beast. It was Fall 2023, and I found myself on the tech crew for a Crescendo Community Chorus concert. The vision was simple: project video behind the singers. The reality, less so. The funny thing is, when one looks at an online catalog, 10 x 20 seems like a nice size, and hey, it’s freestanding with lots of room underneath for the choir.
However, when they delivered the whole system in its large road cases, the pros from the supply house gave us a look – you know the one that says, “do you people have any clue what you are doing?”
I learned that day that screens of this size are properly flown from rigging. We, however, were in a church. Charming acoustics, but not an abundance of load-bearing fly points above the altar. So we built up the freestanding option, which required about 300 pounds of sandbags to keep it upright and not squash any choristers.
Somewhere in this drama of Allen wrenches and audiovisual ambition, I ended up collaborating with former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who has a personal connection to the chorus. Mark didn’t know me, but we had a mutual connection in my high school buddy Whitney Clark, longtime executive director of Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR). I mentioned Whitney, and Mark immediately responded by saying “Hey, FMR and Crescendo should partner on a concert in honor of the river!”
Ok then! Well, it was the kind of idea that carried “why not?” energy. I brought it to Dr. Randall Buikema, the chorus director. “Why not?” I brought it to Whitney. “Why not?” And somewhere in that current, the three of us decided we were doing it. Should there be a new piece for the occasion? Wild and Precious had been well received (although the request was, please write something a little easier…). “Why not?” I said… and that was the beginning of River Song.
On the River and Its Lessons
River Song is a musical meditation on humanity’s evolving relationship with rivers, especially our tendency to love them first for what they give, and later, to demand more than they can bear. It begins in innocence: the river as life-giver, sustainer, spiritual force. But soon we use it to drive progress, to power factories and dreams. Then, subtly and inevitably, we begin to take more than we return. We constrain its flow, choke its banks, fill it with the byproducts of ambition.
The video includes imagery of rivers around the world – majestic, wounded, resilient. One clip of the Thames near Battersea Power Station, for example, shows a river hemmed in by concrete and industry, barely visible behind it all. Elsewhere, rivers run through cities like afterthoughts. Some are clogged with refuse. Others are quietly reclaiming their courses.
But the river, as it turns out, has its own voice. It floods. It surges. It reminds us that reciprocity is not optional in the long run. And if there is a lesson, it is this: let go.
Let go of domination. Let go of control. Let go of the illusion that we are anything but passengers on this ancient flow. If we do this, if we loosen our grip – we may yet endure the storm and the deluge. We may even discover a new solidarity, a shared rhythm. Something like harmony.
The ideas for this piece took shape in early 2025, just as the United States was undergoing a turbulent transfer of political power. That context inevitably colored the music. But beyond politics, River Song speaks to something older and deeper: the truth that, like water, we survive not through force, but through persistence and grace.
Watch and Listen
Two videos of River Song (as sung by the Macrófona choir) are posted:
A printed version of River Song is available for choirs, please contact me if interested.
River Song was premiered on May 15th, 2025 at DeLaSalle High School, on Nicollet Island in the Mississippi in the heart of Old Minneapolis, a city built on the Mississippi’s power. Whitney introduced my piece, and I’m thrilled that this became reality.
View the livestream of the premiere
The Text
River Song
Dedicated to Friends of the Mississippi
Words and music by Charles T. Betz
(Men)
I fell asleep beside the mighty river
Peaceful and serene
Refreshing and sustaining all my needs
Nourishing my body and my spirit
And my spirit
(Women)
I fell asleep beside the mighty river
Longing for a home
A simple place for family and hope
Trusting its benevolence and goodness
And goodness
(All)
The river will soothe
the river will nurture
the river will gently convey
All our desires
And all of our dreams
Meandering on its way
Meandering on its way
We fell asleep beside the mighty river
Mirroring our dreams
Realizing all our visions in its flow
Quenching all the thirst of our creations
Our creations
We fell asleep beside the mighty river
Listen to it sing
Grieving for its crystal clarity
When it was unconfined and flowing freely
Flowing free, free
The river it cries
the river it rages
the river it washes away.
All our illusions
And all of our pride
The debt that we must repay
The debt that we must repay
How can we survive the flood
How will we endure the deluge
Our hope and our humanity
are dancing in the storm
And the river flows through us
renewing and cleansing our soul
Listen to the river’s deepest teaching:
“Let go”
We shall endure
We shall endure
The river reflects
the river embraces
the river sustains as we pray
(with) All of our passion
And all of our love
And all that we are today
All that we are today
(tag)
All of our passion
And all of our love
And all that we are today
Acknowledgements
Thanks to:
- Randy Buikema and the singers and board of Crescendo Community Chorus for premiering this work
- Whitney Clark and Friends of the Mississippi River for partnering on the 5/15/2025 River Concert
- A very special thanks to Mark Ritchie for suggesting a partnership concert
- Franco Holder for piano accompaniment consultation
- Andrew Raiher for demo production assistance
Demo recording by the Macrófona choir:
- Carla Sargiotto
- Eugenia Redoni
- Cinthya Molina
- Victoria Bellone
- Juan Leoni
- Santiago Brusco
- Mariano Acosta
- Nahuel Camargo
Directed by Héctor Muñoz (@hectormusiq).
Hire him and his talented singers via Fiverr
Images provided by Pexels, Pixabay, and Storyblocks
Colophon
Scored in Dorico, mixed in Logic Audio with the assistance of Andrew Raiher. Piano is MIDI+VST sample. Video produced in Camtasia.
No AI was used in the conception of any themes, lyrics, melodies, or harmonies. AI singers (SynthV) were used for initial mockups and rehearsal tracks.
Words and music copyright © 2025, by Charles T. Betz, all rights reserved.
Sheet music available via charlestbetz.com
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Charlie Betz (composer), Josiah Thomas Turner (librettist), Josh Row (tenor), Jake Endres (baritone), Norah Long (soprano)