Note:
This piece is a radiant, uplifting anthem that celebrates the people who make our world brighter. Using the act of making music as a metaphor for human kindness and connection, this piece reminds singers and listeners alike that each of us has the power to be “an instrument of joy.”

Jodi Hills’ heartfelt text begins with quiet gratitude—“I never thought it would be you who changed my life”—and blossoms into a musical affirmation of the ways we touch each other’s lives. Takach sets these words with graceful repetition, lyrical lines, and accessible part writing that make the piece a joy to learn and perform. Developing choirs will find opportunities to build vocal independence, ensemble awareness, and expressive phrasing, while the audience will be drawn in by its warmth and sincerity.

Two optional endings invite participation from the audience, turning performance into shared celebration—a true reflection of the piece’s message: when we lift our voices together, we create a song.

Composer’s Note:

For this commission, Seattle Sings asked if I would include a portion where the audience could be invited to sing along. Those last few lines of Jodi’s text jumped out as the most salient moment, something worth repeating and bringing a room, a concert hall, a community together in singing. And so I started at the end first, something I rarely do. I went through 4 different versions of what that section could be before I walked away and moved on, hoping that by going back to write the first two thirds of the piece I’d know, when I got there, how the end should go.

I didn’t. I still didn’t know.

I had two equally viable ideas in my head: one was a four part round and the other was a partner song. I was also thinking about what might happen if the audience didn’t want to sing along. (It happens. Not here in Minnesota, but it happens.) So I wrote both, and YOU get to pick. Hand out the music beforehand in the printed program. Teach it in the moment by rote, which is my favorite idea for the partner song. Just remember to have fun with it! Be an instrument of joy.

– Timothy C. Takach, 2025