Clements High School Chorale Women have been selected to perform at the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA) conference in March 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In honor of this auspicious performance, Fort Bend ISD Department of Fine Arts has commissioned a work from nationally renowned composer Jocelyn Hagen. The work is entitled I Count It All Joy and is in memory of Heather Michelle Menzie, daughter of the Chorale Women’s conductor Janet Menzie. Heather Michelle Menzie (8/18/1991-5/13/2015) had two passions—the violin and research science. She was a second year doctoral student at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and her work continues to live on in the research being done and in the Heather Menzie Endowed Memorial Fund and the Heather Menzie Endowed Excellence Fund for FRI.
The composition, I Count It All Joy, is scored for SSA Chorus, violin, harp, and piano. The text, the music and the texture of the instruments beautifully weave a song that celebrates the life and work of Heather Michelle Menzie. The text chosen is 1 James 2-4 (NIV), selected for its emphasis on perseverance and joy amidst life’s trials.
