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“Our choristers loved We Will Rise, especially its empowering message. The lyrics encourage young singers to believe in themselves and overcome challenges, making the piece meaningful as well as enjoyable. The music is beautiful and uplifting, while still being accessible enough for less experienced singers to learn, master, and enjoy. It gave our choir a wonderful sense of achievement and brought so much joy to both the singers and myself. I would absolutely recommend We Will Rise to other school and youth choirs. It is a beautiful, inspiring piece that young singers can truly connect with and enjoy performing.”
— Evelyn Mitchell, Curro Nelspruit High School
“Our Tenor/Bass choir has 30 singers, and the ranges were great for a middle school singer. We talked about how no matter what you encounter in life, you can always rise above it, especially if you have a strong circle around you. This is a great piece for a beginning or intermediate Tenor/Bass Choir who is looking for a song that shows off strength with ease.”
— Ashley Pollack & Olivia Wehrung, Hill Middle School
“This was easily the Tenor/Bass choir’s favorite piece. Simple to teach, complex but deceptively easy. Filled with teachable moments. The kids never got bored of it, and it was an audience favorite!”
— Whitney Ellison, Andrews Middle School
“I loved how accessible the piece was without sounding basic. Christian really captured the heart of the words and the kids not only loved the vocal lines, but the emotional impact of the work.”
— Desiree Law, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School
“This is such a pleasure for our choir to sing. Although we are a group of mostly retired people, we enjoy the modern character of the piece. Learning this song brought a real sense of energy to our rehearsals and we love singing it.”
— Kath Backhouse, Sing2gether
“We Will Rise was a hit in my Tenor-Bass choir. The students never grew tired of performing/rehearsing this piece.”
— Kara Fortner, Madison Middle School
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Lyrics
Never will we look away
Fighting for another day
Racing through our own dismay
We will find a way
Turning to our greatest foe
Worry we will never know
Freedom burning in our eyes
We are singing:
“We will rise. We will find our strength again.”
The battle is lonely; when is it over?
This life is uncertain, searching for answers
I’m waiting for shelter; I need a savior
Until I have found you, I’ll keep on singing:
“We will rise! We will find our strength again!”
About the Music
We Will Rise offers a message of strength and humility to young students. Simple rhythms over the foundation of a constant pulse throughout the piece help singers exercise and focus on breath support and articulation. While mostly homophonic, there are some small sections of monophonic movement. One brief moment of counterpoint between two parts can be used as a great first-time experience for choirs unfamiliar with the technique. An optional timpani accompaniment will make it that much more fun and exciting to sing and listen to, as well as introduce young singers to a new kind of instrument!
Behind the Music
In my book, you can never go wrong with a good beat, or a good pulse. Low notes constantly pushing a piece forward has always been a draw to me, even if the rhythm is very simple; this piece is a great example of that. As I wrote We Will Rise, I knew it had that sort of tough grit to it. The lyrics began to appear quite easily as the music was written. It was enjoyable to have it speaking about strength and fortitude, however I felt like it needed a little extra depth to the meaning, which is where the lyrics for the B section came in. It offers a stark contrast to the first verse, expressing loneliness, confusion, and the need for help. In truth, this is how I believe we all feel at times in our life, young and old. Even the strongest of us need to be provided hope. In fact, admitting that it’s necessary and choosing to seek it out might be one of the strongest things we could ever do. You might say that we can’t truly rise until we’ve accepted the fact that we’ve fallen. That’s the true battle of We Will Rise!
Kara Fortner –
We Will Rise was a hit in my Tenor-Bass choir. The students never grew tired of performing/rehearsing this piece.
Desiree Law –
I loved how accessible the piece was without sounding basic. Christian really captured the heart of the words and the kids not only loved the vocal lines, but the emotional impact of the work.
Whitney Ellison –
This was easily the Tenor/Bass choir’s favorite piece. Simple to teach, complex but deceptively easy. Filled with teachable moments. The kids never got bored of it, and it was an audience favorite!