Tomorrow night, don’t miss the YouTube premiere of the west coast Mission Opera production of Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle). It was a thrill for me and Kirsten to premiere our opera in concert in 2022 with Wilmington Concert Opera, and to premiere it fully-staged (costumes, sets, scenery, the works!) in 2023. This production not only expands the visual world of Girondines, but also its sonic world [as the 2023 production was the first time the opera’s harp part was performed as part of its orchestration.] Tune in on Sunday November 10 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern:
Girondines, based on historical fact, is a new opera which focuses on the story of French Revolutionaries who presumably knew one another, met in secret before the Reign of Terror, and supported one another during the political upheaval. All six of the revolutionaries are women, and of these, three are guillotined and three live. I composed the opera’s score and crafted electronic soundscapes to intertwine with the music.
Access the Girondines Mission Opera Production Virtual Playbill/Program here: http://bit.ly/48mczgS to read about the opera’s and this production’s cast and crew. Mission Opera, Kirsten, and I acknowledge, celebrate, and salute not only the cast being featured in tomorrow’s premiere, but also members of the second cast from this Girondines Mission Opera production whose performances were also captured on video and will premiere online at a later date.
An opera by women for women singers, the timeless, tragic Girondines tale epitomizes inequities, turmoil, abuse, and violence with which women continue to wrestle, struggling for autonomy of mind, body, and soul. Women worldwide pursuing science, literature, arts, and activism are still threatened. Opera itself is one of the battlegrounds on which women still fight to be fairly represented and treated in life and art. Vive la résistance!
Want to bring this show to your opera company, theater company, college, or high school?Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 – there are even some autographed copies available for purchase!)
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score is nearly complete!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure or my Canon in D – Harp Trio Single), visit the platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Tonight, don’t miss the YouTube premiere of the east coast concert opera production of Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle). This YouTube Premiere will feature subtitles as well as Live Chat with myself and other production team members. This concert is being released as part of Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO)’s Dr. William and Mrs. Dawn Will Schlotterer Virtual Recital Series. Tune in tonight (August 16) at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern:
Girondines, based on historical fact, is a new opera which focuses on the story of French Revolutionaries who presumably knew one another, met in secret before the Reign of Terror, and supported one another during the political upheaval. All six of the revolutionaries are women, and of these, three are guillotined and three live. I composed the opera’s score and crafted electronic soundscapes to intertwine with the music.
*Who’s Who in tonight’s WCO YouTube Premiere*
Charlotte Corday…………………………………………….………………………..Kirsten C. Kunkle
Olympe de Gouges…………………………………………………………………………Ashley Becker
Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze Lavoisier……………………………………Marisa Robinson
Madame Manon Roland…………………………….……………………..Alyssa Maria Lehman
Madame Germaine de Staël……………………..……………………………Raffaella Lo Castro
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun……………….……………………………………..Tracy Sturgis
Pianist/Music Director/Technical Director/Subtitles……………..Sarah Van Sciver
An opera by women for women singers, the timeless, tragic Girondines tale epitomizes inequities, turmoil, abuse, and violence with which women continue to wrestle, struggling for autonomy of mind, body, and soul. Women worldwide pursuing science, literature, arts, and activism are still threatened. Opera itself is one of the battlegrounds on which women still fight to be fairly represented and treated in life and art. Vive la résistance!
Want to bring this show to your opera company, theater company, college, or high school?Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 – there are even some autographed copies available for purchase!)
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score will be released soon!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure or my Canon in D – Harp Trio Single), visit the platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Yesterday was opening day for Mission Opera (MO)’s west coast premiere of Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle) as its first 2023-2024 season production! I am extremely proud of the team Kirsten and I assembled with MO to bring this together. The first two performances yesterday were well-received, and we look forward to presenting the show twice more today. Production photographer Wesley Jow took absolutely exquisite photos of both casts which you can explore here:
Girondines is sung in English, accompanied by piano, harp, cello, violin, and electronics. The Girondines story chronicles French Revolution events through timeless, tragic true stories of the lives, deaths, and legacies of six women. This production features supertitles (captions) in English, French, and Spanish. A full list of the MO Girondines team follows – we have two casts, and you have the opportunity to see both groups perform today!
Alexis Wesley: Madame Germaine de Staël (Saturday evening/Sunday matinee)
Leeza Yorke: Madame Manon Roland (Saturday evening/Sunday matinee)
Want to see the show? Your final chance to see the MO Girondines production is TODAY Sunday, October 29, 2023 with performances at 3pm and 7:30pm. You can purchase tickets here or at the door. Due to mature themes, this opera is recommended for ages 13+.
Want to bring this show to your opera company, theater company, college, high school, or community?Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 – there are even some autographed copies available for purchase!)
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score will be released soon!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure or my Canon in D – Harp Trio Single), visit the platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Hello from sunny Southern California! Thrilled to share exciting news with you:
This October in Santa Clarita, CA, Mission Opera (MO) will present the west coast premiere of Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle) as its first 2023-2024 season production! Girondines is sung in English, accompanied by piano, harp, cello, violin, and electronics. The Girondines story chronicles the events of the French Revolution through timeless, tragic true stories of the lives, deaths, and legacies of six women. This presentation of the opera will be fully staged with costumes, lights, sets, props, and choreography rather than presenting the music ‘in concert’ as was the case in the east coast premiere presented by Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO) in October 2022. The MO production will feature supertitles (captions) in English, French, and Spanish.
Kirsten will stage direct, choreograph, and reprise her role as Charlotte Corday; Ashley Becker will reprise her role as Olympe de Gouges (with deep thanks to Ashley for encouraging MO to produce this show!); and I will reprise my role as pianist-music director in addition to taking on several other production team roles. Six fabulous folks (Kirsten, Ashley, Laurice Simmons Kennel, Marisa Robinson, Kaitlyn Tierney, and myself) from the WCO production are involved in this Girondines iteration alongside dozens of stellar Southern Californians. Kirsten and I are grateful to MO for assembling a terrific, talented, hard-working group! A full list of the MO Girondines team follows – we have two casts each with two scheduled performances:
Alexis Wesley: Madame Germaine de Staël (Saturday evening/Sunday matinee)
Leeza Yorke: Madame Manon Roland (Saturday evening/Sunday matinee)
Want to see the show? Halloween Weekend (HalloWeekend), you’re invited to visit our Haunted (Opera) House ~ the MO Girondines production runs Saturday and Sunday, October 28 and 29, 2023 with performances at 3pm and 7:30pm each day. You can purchase tickets here. Please note that due to mature themes and content, this opera is recommended for ages 13+.
Want to support the show as a sponsor or donor?Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to promote your business to a Southern Californian audience and help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 .)
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score is nearly complete!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure), visit the same platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical copies of CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Greetings from sunny Southern California! I am psyched to share exciting opera news with you:
This October in Santa Clarita, CA, Mission Opera will present Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle) as its first 2023-2024 season production! Girondines is sung in English, accompanied by piano, strings, and electronics. It chronicles the events of the French Revolution through timeless, tragic true stories of lives, deaths, and legacies of six women. Mission Opera plans to present this opera fully staged as opposed to presenting the music ‘in concert’ as was the case with Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO) in October 2022. Kirsten will stage direct and reprise her role as Charlotte Corday, Ashley Becker will reprise her role as Olympe de Gouges, I will reprise my role as pianist-music director, and we anticipate featuring other folks from the original WCO company – stay tuned for announcements!
Want to be in the show? Casting is ongoing; for those interested, please submit an audition via this GoogleForm by July 11th, 2023 at 11:59pmPST. Auditions will take place Sunday, July 16th, 2023 by invitation only:
Here is a list of roles with their accompanying voice parts:
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun – Full Lyric Soprano
Charlotte Corday – Spinto Soprano
Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze – Soubrette Soprano
Olympe de Gouges – Dramatic Soprano
Madame Manon Roland– Lyric Mezzo-Soprano
Madame Germaine de Staël – Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano/Contralto
Want to see the show? Mark your calendars! The production will run Friday through Sunday, October 27-29, 2023* (*showtimes will be announced soon). When they become available, you will be able to purchase tickets here.
Want to support the show?Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to promote your business to a Southern Californian audience and help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 .)
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score is nearly complete!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure), visit the same platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical copies of CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Greetings from sunny Southern California! I am excited to share some opera news with you:
On February 3, 2023, the Wilmington Concert Opera Original Cast Recording album for Girondines was released! [I confess it is a tad amusing to me to have the release date of this opera featuring several waltzes to be “2-3-23.”] You can stream the album via AmazonMusic, Spotify, AppleMusic, Pandora, YouTubeMusic, and more platforms… Physical CD copies of the album are being manufactured presently by DiscMakers and will be available to ship in May! Click the button below for CDs:
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO), an exclusively woman- and minority-run company founded on principles of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 .)
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This album is receiving great reviews, including a write-up on the Operaville blog:
“Composer Sarah Van Sciver and librettist Kirsten C. Kunkle have created a stirring, intriguing concert opera about six prominent women of the French Revolution… Kunkle addresses the imposing morass of French politics by approaching at an intimate level, beginning with the good possibility that these six women conferred with each other on a regular basis. Van Sciver delivers these meetings with propulsive piano parts that convey the tension and terror in the Paris streets, while the addition of cello and violin add the feel of an 18th century salon. Especially in the early pieces, she works these meetings into conversational fugues, imbued with fascinating layers, harmonics and rhythms. The primary subject of these discussions is Charlotte Corday…[who] reveals her plan to murder Jean-Paul Marat, the Montagnards’ leader (“September Massacre.”) Librettist Kunkle sings the piece herself, deploying a powerful soprano and a great sense for emotion and dynamics. Two of the top notes are so forceful and exposed that they will stop the listener cold… Other intriguing pieces in the work are “My Dear Marie-Antoinette,” a musing by the queen’s favorite portraitist, Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun (sung by Tracy Sturgis), and “Bonaparte,” a comic jab at Napoleon by writer Madame De Stael, sung with great wit and enunciation by Raffaella Lo Castro. …a remarkable and stimulating creation.” – Michael J. Vaughn, Operaville
And the music has been enjoyed by industry professionals who were introduced to the album via Groover:
“The lyrics are impressive.” -AFIF
“Listening to this artistic artwork is enjoyable for every audience.” -AK-47
“Such a great sound.” -Behrouz
“Amazing performance with powerful lyrics.” -Best Songs from MH
“La sensibilité et l’intensité sont au rendez-vous… servi avec des arrangements d’une grande richesse musicale. (Sensitivity and intensity rendezvous… served with arrangements of great musical richness.)”-Boulimique de Musique
“I really love the experimentation and mix of genres that you create.” -Gabriele Carone (NewAir Studio)
“The beautiful melody of your music mesmerizes my heart.” -Chaam Sound
“The songwriting is excellent.” -Dust Might
“Bellissimo il vocale molto espressivo (very expressive beautiful vocals).” -Frequenze Musicali
“…a moving release with a gorgeous string arrangement and stunning vocals…” –FV Music Blog
“Melody that transports… voice that pierces the soul. I like the atmosphere. Wonderful bravo.”-Journal d’une tatouée
“Excellent opera performance.” –Last Day Leaf
“Sicuramente potenza vocale e carisma (definitely vocal power and charisma).” -PAKO Music
“The entire composition is a masterpiece.” -PlaylistCamps
“…an emotional and powerful performance, creating a dramatic and intense atmosphere… piano and the strings complement the sound with complex and enveloping harmonies. The composition is capable of provoking a deep reflection on the social issues that still affect women around the world… a manifesto against gender inequalities and violence, demonstrating the strength and resilience of those who fight for justice and equality. The opera is impressive… sure to leave a lasting mark on listeners’ hearts and minds.” -Rádio Armazém
“…vocals are truly remarkable… music is calming and uplifting, with a blend of classical and modern elements that create a unique sound… production is top-notch.” -Showland Productions
“This masterpiece is inspiring.” -UTH Sound
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Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO) produced this Live Original Cast Recording of Girondines, a new opera in English by composer Sarah Van Sciver (c’est moi!) and librettist Kirsten C. Kunkle. Kirsten is a voting citizen of the Muscogee (Mvskoke) Nation who has been lauded as the leading Native American soprano in today’s classical music world. And Sarah writes, arranges, records, and produces scores, songs, sounds, images, and video for opera, film/TV, theater, concert, and studio album productions, blending classical, contemporary, experimental, and commercial styles.
Girondines features a vocal sextet accompanied by piano and strings. The opera shares the interconnected stories of six real-life feminist, intellectual, revolutionary, creative French Revolution women. Three are guillotined: radical murderess Charlotte Corday, moderate feminist writer Madame Manon Roland, and radical feminist writer Olympe de Gouges. Three survive political upheaval: prolific portrait-painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun; political theorist Madame Germaine de Staël; and inventive chemist Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze.
Women are still fighting for their voices. Gender disparity pervades opera composer and librettist distribution, and stereotypes dominate lead opera roles. Stories about real women and their personal goals, desires, and relationships with one another shift opera audience perspectives to be more inclusive of women’s lived experiences. The Girondines story epitomizes inequities, turmoil, abuse, and violence with which women continue to wrestle, struggling for autonomy of mind, body, and soul. Women worldwide pursuing science, literature, arts, and activism are still threatened. Opera itself is one of the battlegrounds on which women still fight to be fairly represented and treated in life and art. The Girondines team is proud to harness the power of opera in a fight for a better future. Vive la résistance!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OPERA & ARTISTS FEATURED ON THIS ALBUM
For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score will be available soon – stay tuned!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus film-scoring and concert music EP Overture to an Adventure), visit the same platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical copies of CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
THE ALBUM will become available on Amazon, eMusic, and more in the weeks to come! Physical copies are available to order at CDBaby.
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Special thanks to the band – Jay Edelman (bass), Steve Kuzmicki (guitar), and Harry Van Sciver (drums); to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
THE ALBUM will become available on Amazon, eMusic, and more in the weeks to come! Physical copies are available to order at CDBaby.
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Special thanks to the band – Jay Edelman (bass), Steve Kuzmicki (guitar), and Harry Van Sciver (drums); to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
THE ALBUM will become available on Amazon, eMusic, and more in the weeks to come! Physical copies are available to order at CDBaby.
~
Special thanks to the band – Jay Edelman (bass), Steve Kuzmicki (guitar), and Harry Van Sciver (drums); to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
The album is featured on CDBaby’s new arrivals page:
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PREVIEW VIDEO:
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THE ALBUM will become available on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and more in the weeks to come! Physical copies and digital downloads will become available soon at several of these stores, including CDBaby.
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Special thanks to the band – Jay Edelman (bass), Steve Kuzmicki (guitar), and Harry Van Sciver (drums); to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); and to Sean Smith and the team at DiscMakers (manufacturing).
It’s like trying to shake down leaves off of springtime trees
You say something clever, cleverer than it had to be
You and me together, I picked your lock but was not the key
And then you picked me, and you set me free
Even though I didn’t want to be
We didn’t fit, like pieces of a puzzle that fool you for a second I reckoned
We’d work out together, but forevers turned to nevers
You ruined it, you showed me when you told me our edges didn’t match up quite right
In the shadows at night it wasn’t plain to see that you were never cut out for me
Can’t resist to think of you, I don’t even pretend to try (no I don’t)
I still find myself saying good, we didn’t finish saying goodbye (goodbye)
Unrequited and unsaid, there are so many things we didn’t do (never ever ever ever)
I deny it and hide it but instead, I’d rather tell you the truth (never ever ever ever)
That I think we had a shot, I feel bitter and not
That if we found ourselves in the same plot, I’d be caught
We didn’t fit, like pieces of a puzzle that fool you for a second I reckoned
We’d work out together, but forevers turned to nevers
You ruined it, you showed me when you told me our edges didn’t match up quite right
In the shadows at night it wasn’t plain to see that you were never cut out for me
Please don’t mistake me or take me for one of the common fools
Know I’d never intentionally break any hearts or any rules
You meant more to me, you kept more of me than I can express or admit
It’s such a shame you give yourself all the blame when we both made such a mess of it
Baby don’t go, I’ll fall apart
You’ve still got pieces of my heart
I’m begging you, just think this through, please don’t go
Baby don’t go, I’ll fall apart
You’ve still got puzzle pieces of my heart
I’m begging you, just think this through, don’t go
We didn’t fit, like pieces of a puzzle that fool you for a second I reckoned
We’d work out together, but forevers turned to nevers
You ruined it, you showed me when you told me our edges didn’t match up quite right
In the shadows at night it wasn’t plain to see that you were never cut out for me
Cut it out, cut it out, no no you were never cut out for me
2. OAK LEAF
Seasons are changing, I can taste it in the rain
And the wind that whispers down your autumn sky
Bringing cold and bleak of night and warmer light to say goodbye
Real love is natural like the phases of the moon
And the tide running to the open sea
So I stand tall and long and still
Knowing you will come back to me
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when I’ll leave you
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when we’ll fade away
You say it’s over, sonata rondo so to speak
And your song it echoes down the stormy shore
But tides will rip and sunbeams burn ‘til you return to me once more
My roots run deeper, far below to waters pure
And springs that murmur songs as old as life
Seasons change and I’ll still be here
Waiting near to be your wife
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when I’ll leave you
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when we’ll fade away
I’ll fade away, but baby not today
We’ll fade away, but baby not today
No baby, not today
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when I’ll leave you
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when we’ll fade away
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when I’ll leave you
When the last oak leaf falls, that’s when we’ll fade away
But baby, not today
3. REVERB RADIO
Every day we’re twisting up the volume
My little hum is building to a buzz
Solo nights all I do is dream a song of you
Where we swing upon the chord that ever was
Our amplifier, let’s drive it ’til we sing
I echo you, your loving radio
Soul station in the night
I echo you, the highest frequency you know
Dashboard dial bright
Audience is missing what we’re playing
Only we know there is no perfect third
Don’t listen to our vetted verse they’re slaying
Our poetry is writ in wet not word
Our desire, let’s drive it ‘til we sing
I echo you, your loving radio
Soul station in the night
I echo you, the highest frequency you know
Dashboard dial bright tonight
We can’t explain it, contain it or
Modulate a thing
I never fake it, please don’t break it
Evermore, nevermore, ever, ever, nevermore
Nevermore was spoken by the raven
Lust that lingered longing for Lenore
But I mean never more to be without your
Scatenato riven to my core
Not a lyre, let’s drive it ‘til we sing
I echo you, your loving radio
Soul station in the night
I echo you, the highest frequency you know
Dashboard dial bright, dashboard dial bright …
4. EVER AFTER
After the fall I couldn’t stand to be alone anymore
After it all I wanted something different from before
I started out feeling free, but I ended up feeling trapped in me
After the fall I wanted someone to love me for me
After the winter I still hadn’t found you, yet
Still a beginner, I learned to forgive but not to forget
I started out looking in my past, but it caught up with me pretty fast
After the winter I wanted someone to love me for me
After the snow I wanted to know there was somebody for me
When we met, I felt like I remembered you already
Like we were lovers before in a classic film, going steady
Things just clicked, a diamond in the rough I picked you out
From the crowd, and you picked me
After the spring I was a cynic but still convinced
You kiss a lot of frogs before you lock lips with your charming prince
I started out an epic fail, but ended up living in a fairytale
After the spring I found someone who loved me for me
When we met, I felt like I remembered you already
Like we were lovers before in a classic film, going steady
Things just clicked, a diamond in the rough I picked you out
From the crowd, and you picked me
Never ever, ever, ever after
Never ever, ever, ever after
After fall, after winter, after spring
Never knew I’d fall, after winter, after spring
When we met, I felt like I remembered you already
Like we were lovers before in a classic film, going steady
Things just clicked, a diamond in the rough I picked you out
From the crowd, and you picked me
5. BURN
You were always a quick chat, never a sit-down-and-talk
With no warning you left me at the corner of walk-don’t-walk
And now I don’t know where to turn
And now I don’t know how to feel, all I can do is burn, burn, burn
Burn, burn, burn
You were always making trouble, never could sit still
Maybe the saddest part of all is I think you never will, I know you never will
And now I don’t know where to turn
And now I don’t know how to feel, all I can do is burn, burn
Burn every picture, burn every ticket stub
Burn every reminder we were ever in love
It’d be easier to say it was nothing, but the ashes tell the truth
I can’t burn away the scraps of love I’m still clinging to
In another time zone, in another place you’re charming some other girl like me
She’s intoxicated by the smile on your face, but she’ll sober up you’ll see
And then she won’t know where to turn
And then she won’t know how to feel, all she can do is burn, burn
Burn every picture, burn every ticket stub
Burn every reminder we were ever in love
It’d be easier to say it was nothing, but the ashes tell the truth
I can’t burn away the scraps of love I’m still clinging to
If not by fire, maybe by rain
If at first I don’t succeed I’ll try, try again
If I can’t drown desire, I’ll bury it alive
I gotta let it all out from where it’s buried deep inside
If I can’t drown desire, I’ll bury it alive
I gotta let it all out, I gotta burn it all down, burn, burn
Burn every picture, burn every ticket stub
Burn every reminder we were ever in love
It’d be easier to say it was nothing, but the ashes tell the truth
I can’t burn away the scraps of love I’m still clinging to
I’m still clinging to you
6. ELEANOR (LIVE)
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
Even more it seems like you’re lying
You know you’re not even trying, and I’m not buying it
Yesterday you said you’d throw them all away
Then today I found it all in your bottom drawer
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
He’s not coming back you’ve been betrayed and
You know that you’ve been played
There’s so much more to you than him
Don’t let him win this war Eleanor
Eleanor why are you still keeping score
At your core I thought you wanted a new chapter
Unhappy-ever-after suits you less than your lost laughter
On the phone you said that you were all alone
I should have known you let him in again back for more
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
He’s not coming back you’ve been betrayed and
You know that you’ve been played
There’s so much more to you than him
Don’t let him win this war Eleanor
You’re letting him in you’re letting him win
You’re letting him spin you back around in circles
You’re letting him break you’re letting him take
You’re letting him waste your heart Eleanor
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
Eleanor change the locks on all your doors
Eleanor, Eleanor
Eleanor you’ve been through this all before
Eleanor why are you still keeping score
Eleanor, Eleanor
Eleanor, Eleanor
PREVIEW VIDEO:
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TRACK LISTING:
1. Puzzle Pieces
2. Oak Leaf
3. Reverb Radio
4. Ever After
5. Burn
6. Eleanor (Live)
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CHECK OUT THESE PHOTOS FROM THE STUDIO SESSIONS:
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COVER ART:
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FEATURING…
Jay Edelman … bass,
Steve Kuzmicki … guitars,
Harry Van Sciver … drums, &
Sarah Van Sciver … piano, keyboards, and vocals.
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STAY TUNED for SNEAK PEEKS:
* ALBUM ART
* AND MORE !
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THE ALBUM will be available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, eMusic, and more!
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Special thanks to the band; to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
THE ALBUM will be available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, eMusic, and more!
~
Special thanks to the band; to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
THE ALBUM will be available at HERE as well as on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, eMusic, and more!
~
Special thanks to the band; to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
THE ALBUM will be available at HERE as well as on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, eMusic, and more!
~
Special thanks to the band; to Scott Herzog and Winthrop Stevens (Third Story Recording); to Michael Harmon and Kosta Johnson (Studio Crash); to DiscMakers (manufacturing); to Will Murdoch for Graphic Design.
Start off the new year by giving the gift of music to schools and community organizations – across the United States – that need your help!
When you purchase any of my music at REVERB NATION, 50% of proceeds go directly to the Fender Music Foundation.
About Fender Music Foundation
The Fender Music Foundation believes that music participation is an essential element in the fabric of an enduring society. The public charity provides musical instruments to schools and community organizations nationally. Founded in 2005, this nonprofit has reached over 187,000 people through its grants. With the support of manufacturers, retailers and the public, the organization is aiming to donate 15,000 instruments to music programs in need — this year alone. Learn More.
Sarah Van Sciver 