The Choral Project - Famine Song

Famine Song - by VIDA, arr. by Matthew Culloton. Performed by The Choral Project, June 6, 2010 at Mission Santa Clara de Asis.
This unique a cappella work captures the drama of the survival of the Sudanese people during the famine of the 1980s. "Ease my spirit, ease my soul, please free my hands from this barren soil. Ease my mother, ease my child, earth and sky be reconciled..."
Audio recording by Johnson Digital Audio.
Video recording by Video Impressions
Artistic Director: Daniel Hughes
** The Choral Project is a nonprofit arts organization located in San Jose, CA. We could not exist without the generous support of our donors and sponsors. Want to help us continue to present choral excellence to our community and beyond? PLEASE GIVE AT: www.choralproject.org/give/
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[@kristinbaxter1154]

Full of sorrow and determination, this choir takes us on a journey. When the rain finally arrives after the long drought, the relief is palpable; they would survive. WOW!

[@TheForceOfMusic101]

Don't get me wrong. This whole piece is just brilliant and amazing. But that last chord. Good F**king God!!. Just pure magic and a beautiful reminder of how powerful one chord can be.

[@donnyboy4019]

I can feel the low basses note on "my child"

[@blazebumgardner4862]

We are doing this song in choir it is so powerful...I hope we can bring the emotion like they do! You can feel it. I love music you can feel.

[@boby1769]

+blaze Bumgardner As am i ^^ what section are u in?

[@hypress_the_music]

+boby1765 im singing this song too! im an alto 1 but i wish i was singing alto 2

[@topazjas]

My chamber choir did this song 2012-2013. Whenever I'm missing choir I always come back to this video.

[@imsocoolilke]

ME TONIGHT!

[@JetFuueled]

The bass voices holy crap.... Stunning!!

[@TheForceOfMusic101]

That last 'RAIN' at the very end send goosebumps and shivers down my spine for the entire time the note was sustained. Such a beautiful peace of music.

[@deadend3826]

I'll be singing this song for my sophomore year of high school and I can't stop listening to this haunting song. The chorus with the hand movements, the soloists, and the men section! Every single part of this song is extremely well composed. Whoever this Matthew Culloton guy is, he is a legend 🙌 👏.

[@aevand299]

This is the best version on KZbin that I've found, though I did think it was a little too slow. My school's coed choir sang this piece (alas, I'm in the all-girls choir!), and I literally cried the first time I heard it. It's so haunting and just...magical in the way music is.

[@nnosd]

I have listened to most every recording of this piece on here and I think that this performance nails the desperation of the circumstances. Plus the intonation is so much better than other choirs. Also, the low bass Eb is clear and discernible each time. Very moving and clearly synced to the emotion.

[@BettyHarrisonchorus]

Remove a single cane from a basket, and the basket will slowly, but surely, fall apart. Thank you for this beautiful song.

[@Bethany430]

Beautiful voices! This reminds me of the Great Famine in Ireland! (My teacher showed my class this song! Extremely AMAZING singing!)

[@kristinbaxter1154]

That is cool that your teacher made that connection for you!

[@ronnieluntsford6514]

did this song for all county choir where only few are selected from each highschool and sounded amazing, gives me chills when I still sing iy

[@thetab0179]

Ronnie Luntsford ours did it this yeah, the last note of our first song (The Runner) we tied into the first note of famine song, it was awesome. Funny part is that we have a small school system, but we have the biggest choirs in the district (our school has 6 choirs, Bass choir, freshmen girls Choir, 9-12 girls choir, acapella, show choir, and concert choir). Last year we performed in the New Holland Center along with 7 other schools and a professional symphony singing Carmina Burana, the total amount of students singing was just over 500.

[@thetab0179]

Ronnie Luntsford ours did it this year, the last note of our first song (The Runner) we tied into the first note of famine song, it was awesome. Funny part is that we have a small school system, but we have the biggest choirs in the district (our school has 6 choirs, Bass choir, freshmen girls Choir, 9-12 girls choir, acapella, show choir, and concert choir). Last year we performed in the New Holland Center along with 7 other schools and a professional symphony singing Carmina Burana, the total amount of students singing was just over 500.

[@sugus__5321]

We did the same. We were over 400 people. I get chilles everytime I hear this song. I had tears in my eyes on the stage, because the stage was vibrating.

[@thetab0179]

sugus __ that's amazing. I don't recall the stage vibrating since out sound was very directed towards the audience. But it most likely was vibrating and I just didn't notice from my excitement and awe.

[@heritage.home.crochet]

Uhm WOW! The sheer power of the male voices and then the harmony of the females...ohh and nice round vowels and sharp consonants. Breathtaking!

[@madelineh6041]

BEST performance I have heard of this beloved piece. Amazing job! Clean, clean vowels and the men are so strong but not overpowering.

[@fiish2334]

Omg the coolest part was when they were snapping at the end to make it sound like rain drops :D

[@ChoralProject]

This recording of "Famine Song" was recently featured on Episode One (The Black Atlantic) of the new PBS series "The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross."

[@anneliesedavis8184]

My choir is performing this song in hopes of holding on to our two state titles. This song will more than do the job, it's absolutely beautiful!

[@lukedunham4461]

Man I listen to this like 10x a month. So amazing

[@teacher_shep]

We sang this song in High School for our Concert Chior at state competition, our choir director showed us this exact video before we started learning the song so we could get a feel for how it should be sung, it brought tears to my eyes with how beautiful you sang it. It definitely helped us know how to sing it with the perfect reverence and soul.

[@naunieg]

Holy carp! I am transfixed! That is absolutely lovely and yes, brings tears to my eyes.

[@Waves53]

Literally got shivers. Absolutely flawless.

[@fredreindljr1996]

This takes me back to senior year at Croatan High School.

[@musicsavedmylife2110]

I love the dynamics

[@theresahayes53]

Amazing. And so very moving...

[@emilymaee17]

This is so amazing

[@cindycarey]

So beauteous!

[@JustBeingMys3lf]

The most perfect balance , great tone and intonation , and emotions? GOD YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST

[@13lewiatan]

Słucha się z zapartym tchem,pięknie.

[@djbassphase]

makes me cry every time. :')

[@dancingdreamstar]

Omg luv it

[@GLAMOROUSNE55]

My honors choir for ordway is singing this in our program. I love it. I'm a solo soprano for this piece!

[@MsBridged]

Goosebumps !!!!!! Great performance!

[@wulunkus8185]

Fr no cap

[@ttrilian]

chills

[@benvandriel]

Minnetonka concert choir did this 2 years ago and it was about the same if not better. I saw it live though

[@captainkunucky]

U can def feel those low basses on the second rain

[@foodandfeathers]

It is arranged by Matthew Culloton

[@nikkirose9641]

our*

[@telemachus53]

Hi! I'm planning to do this with my high school choir but I can't seem to get a clear impression as to who or what Vada is. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

[@stephanieandjulianheideman8277]

It was written by VIDA, a world music vocal quartet (now disbanded), arranged by Culloton, however in listening to it, Culloton didn't change anything in the original arrangement: facebook.com/pages/VIDA/133196116695477

[@telemachus53]

Stephanie and Julian Heidemann-Douglas Thanks!Actually I already made an arrangement based what I believed to be the melody. We've performed it quite a few times and the pupils love the song.

[@ashleyesh550]

Does anyone know of a simpler arrangement of this song?

[@biancagalvan1266]

Ashley Esh my choir did this but altos 2 were the bases and tenors part of HMMM BA DUM HMMM. it’s pretty easy doing a ssaa or even just saa

[@PhazonX]

what arrangement is this?

[@theoceanfrog]

Hi Felix, any chance you've discovered the arrangement of this (Famine Song)?

[@k3ybump]

Matthew Culloton

[@DuhGuyWithRye999]

Shako High 19'

[@alexgiberson9029]

My 7th grade chorus is doing this!

[@nikkirose9641]

my choirs doing this song for out music festival, I'm doing both of the solo's

[@4x4crx]

Beautiful, but not the song I was expecting

[@mathwizardgenius]

2:17 :0 ....

[@wavell14]

This isn’t the famine song I know

[@EyesToSee33]

Genocide

[@PhazonX]

Sorry, no luck :/

[@logical_volcel]

I thought this was gonna be the famine is over song and now im dissapointed, thanks for nothing

[@kristinbaxter1154]

It is a song of survival. In the end, the rain does come and the crops will grow again. 💧💦🌧The famine is finally over!👍🏼

[@kristinbaxter1154]

It is a song of survival, but at the end, the rain does come and the crops do grow again. 💧💦🌧 The famine is finally over!👍🏼😊

[@logical_volcel]

@@kristinbaxter1154 nah i mean the famine is over by the thornly boys

[@foodandfeathers]

It is arranged by Matthew Culloton