Just before their final performance for this fall, Mrs. Cassel recorded her students singing “Sicut Cervus” by Giovanni Palestrina.  This song is described as being tranquil, calming, and healing in a way.

It all started when Las Vegas choral director Joe Sphensen posted this on Facebook, “Do you want to do something that will help?  If you are a musician or part of a group of musicians, record your group making music that can comfort, heal, or uplift and send it to me to share with my students.  What we need is a sense of connection and community, and this is where out shared profession and passion can help us begin to rebuild our lost sense of wholeness.”

“I met him [when he was] choir director at Fort Dodge.” Said Cassel, “He is someone who cares deeply for students as well as maintaining a high level of artistry.”

Sicut Cervus is a religious song, according to Cassel it goes on to say, “Like a deer needs water so my soul longs for thee.”  Cassel takes this to mean that, “We need each other, we need community, we need music and hope. We need to reach out and meet each other.”

The very sound of the song is akin to a conversation, and although in the renaissance era it was solely a conversation with the Lord, now it can be construed as a conversation between us and those who need to hear healing words.

After receiving our choir’s recording Sphensen replied with, “Thank you so much for this.  We are fortunate that none of our students were killed or injured, though several of them have friends, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors who were injured.  In a few instances our choir students were close to individuals who were killed.”

The majority of the city has friends or family who either work on or frequent the Strip, the entire city directly felt this loss.

“Not everyone will be ready for it yet, but when they are ready to be vulnerable, I think that they see there is kindness and compassion and empathy in the music of strangers. It is an important lesson in our current world.”