“Can you hear the audacity of hope?” This word may be more than you can bear because pessimism has become a national epidemic. But take a moment to imagine yourself in a world where hope is acceptable. Solidify that image and hold on to it. If we come together with the power of love, we can build a bridge to that brighter future. It is never too late to change the world. Our mindsets are the only things keeping us from overcoming the audacity of hope. Too many of us refuse to believe that tomorrow will be kinder, but if we try to weave that audacious word into our lives, we can find the light. However, before we can accomplish anything, you have to want to change your situation.”
This is the opening reading, written by junior Elise Kalsnes, for the “Audacity of Hope” show live on the Lincoln High School auditorium stage Sunday, May 13 and Monday, May 14.
Cooper Sorvig, 2017 choir alum, recorded various choir members reading sentences about HOPE or the lack of HOPE along with radio clips. This will open the show as the choir students enter the stage to bring their beautiful message of HOPE to all in attendance.

Each May, the LHS choral members focus on a topic or a word that they then weave music, readings, dance, poetry, and visual art around. This year, the word is HOPE. Huge colorful boxes will be hanging on stage with the word HOPE glowing inside. Ashton Comstock, choir senior, did the artwork in all of the boxes.  Black T-shirts will be worn by all the LHS choir members with a beautiful white dove with the words “Audacity of Hope” painted from wing to wing with a beautiful burst of color behind it. The design for the T-shirt was done by choir sophomore Avery Highness.

Readings throughout the show were written by choir junior Elise Kalsnes, choir senior Autumn Larson, choir junior Aly Karow, and choir sophomore Avery Highness.  An original song specifically written for the show entitled “Will You Be” will be performed by the composer Aly Karow with the T.H.I.S. Movement players from Minneapolis, New Jersey, and New York City accompanying her.
Soloists throughout the night include freshman Wyatt Halvorson,  sophomore Asia Johnson, juniors Kailee Vigen, Aly Karow, Elise Kalsnes, and senior Anna Nordhagen. Instrumentalists include choir alum Aaron Fagerstrom on keyboard, Darnell Davis on B3 organ, Cory Wong on lead guitar, Michael O’Brien on bass, and Brian Kendrick on drums. Tonia Hughes, a dear friend of the choir, will also be singing on a few gospel solos. The female soloists got a chance to work with Tonia in April to put the finishing touches on their solos. Tonia is a professional singer from Minneapolis.
“The show in Thief River Falls has a powerful message of HOPE for all. The readings and every song throughout the night tell a story of how HOPE can change our mindsets, make tough times better, and make our world, our community, our own lives brighter and happier,” said junior Kailee Vigen.
Two of the songs will include three dancers from the Just For Kix studio in Thief River Falls. These three dancers are also choir members and have been putting in major overtime to learn all the choir parts plus two dances. The three dancers are junior Leah Sorvig, sophomore Morgan Hickerson, and freshman Kylie Alby. The two songs they are dancing to are “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” and “In Meeting We Are Blessed.”
One hundred and fourteen choir members from Franklin Middle School will also be taking the stage alongside Lincoln High School choir members. Six sixth graders open with the song “Music Changes The World” with positive comments about how changing themselves can help change the world around them. The readers include Becca Harbott, Seraphim Johnson, Sophia Kraemer, Caleb Rosendahl, Olivia Wojahn, and Juliana Armentrout.
All proceeds from the concerts will go to help pay recording costs June 6-9 in San Francisco. All concert proceeds from 2016, 2017, and 2018 will be used to pay for this very unique and exciting musical opportunity. The CD entitled “Audacity of Hope” will be ready to sell at the December 2018 Christmas show.
The 56 choir tour members, plus the professional instrumentalists, will be traveling to San Francisco June 4-14 to record eight songs from the “Audacity of Hope” show. They will be recording at Skywalker Sound near San Francisco. George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, built the recording studio to record the music for Star Wars. The only way to get onto the property is to have connections that enable you to record on the sound stage.
“I met Steve Barnett, a producer from Minneapolis, in 2000. He has opened so many doors for the choir including the invitation to record at Skywalker Ranch. This is crazy that we get to record in this very famous recording studio where music for movies such as Star Wars, Avatar, Moana and hundreds more were also recorded in,” said Darcy Reese, director of the choirs.
The choir was also invited to perform at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown San Francisco for their 11 a.m. mass on Sunday, June 10.  They will be singing prelude from 10:30-10:55 plus throughout the mass and a few songs after mass. Tell relatives and friends in the San Francisco area to attend the mass and to introduce themselves to the choir and to Mrs. Reese after the singing is done.
Get your seats for this beautiful and HOPE filled show.  Simply go to LHSchoir.com and hit the purchase ticket button. Tickets may also be purchased at the LHS office through Friday morning. Remaining tickets will also be sold at the door both nights. TICKETS ARE NONREFUNDABLE. The LHS box office will open at 6 p.m. both nights of the show. The doors to the auditorium will open at 6:15 each night with the concert starting promptly at 7 p.m.
“Thank you Thief River Falls and surrounding areas for your continued support of the choral department here in Thief River Falls. You have made wonderful and very unique musical opportunities happen for my singers and without your financial support none of the experiences over my 31 years of teaching in this district could have ever happened. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said R