THE RISING SONG
For SATB a cappella
Composition: The Rising Song
Ensemble: Brookfield East High School Chamber Choir
Conductor: Kari Doepke
Sheet Music
Available for SATB a cappella directly through the composer.
Composer Notes:
This piece is a tribute to belonging and growth—the “full‑circle” moments that make choir life unforgettable. So many of my own milestones were dreams first, realized only through the steady encouragement of mentors, friends, and family.
To honor that journey, I wrote a brief feature for a small ensemble within the larger choir. It’s a nod to the freshmen I once taught: timid, wide‑eyed singers who, by senior year, had grown into confident leaders. The most thrilling moment was always the day a once‑quiet student stepped forward to audition for a solo (in font of the choir)—finishing to thunderous applause from their peers.
That same surge of support is woven into the finale: the small group delivers the soaring theme while the full choir surrounds them with warm, luminous harmonies—lifting them up, just as a choir should.
- Zachary J. Moore
The Rising Song
Don’t you want it to rise in your chest like a song?
Don’t you lift it high, and startlingly strong?
This day encircling your head like a crown?
It’s all come around.
I never guessed it’d be so simple
in the blink of an eye it was gone
But better than I remembered
Memories like rain come pouring down
Don’t forget the moment it made sense
Don’t ever sit on the fence --
When it comes to your future; you need
To see a clear and single deed
And It’s all about the rising sound
And It’s all about the rising sound
- Sarah Gajkowski Hill
