“Rise and Shine” by Brett Dennen is a song of beginnings—of a day, a year, a new chapter or into the unknown. The lyrical imagery traverses emotional and naturalistic landscapes, a mountain trail, the ocean, the sky. We feel dawning, flying, shining, woven amongst taking stock of direct human connection “you put a smile on someone’s face” and a clearance for the soul: “give your heart permission to fail,” “give your burdens permission to fly…“. Brett Dennen is a multi-Grammy–nominated songwriter from California who has performed at the Newport Folk Festival as well as recording, writing, and touring with artists such as Natalie Merchant, Matisyahu, Jason Mraz, and more. He writes songs filled with humanity, love, uplift, sorrow, and gratitude.

Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” is a gorgeous 20th-century American choral piece. The text of the work consists of the word alleluia repeated over and over again. The only other word in the text is “Amen,” which is used once at the end. Thompson wrote that the “Alleluia” is “a slow, sad piece, and … here it is comparable to the Book of Job, where it is written, ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’” The piece has become Thompson’s most popular work and is frequently performed today. It regularly opens the Tanglewood Festival.

—Chris