<div style="overflow-wrap:break-word;margin:0px auto 1em;padding:0px;font-family:Raleway, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;text-align:justify;line-height:1;font-size:16px !important;color:rgb(81, 81, 81) !important;box-sizing:inherit">The new Virtual Chicago songSLAM remains open through May 31st at 5pm. Online audience members will vote with their dollars, starting at just $1, for their favorite team to win. The winning team’s composer will receive the first ever Chicago songSLAM commission prize: $1,000 commission from Fourth Coast Ensemble The funds that each team raises during the virtual event will be split 50/50 with the team and Fourth Coast Ensemble, who will use their portion to reinvest in future competitions and new art song initiatives.  On May 31st, total funds raised will be announced on our website and social media, including the $1,000 commission prize.</div>TEAM #11Jamey Guzman, composerDylan Engquist Bajo, pianistVictoria Schemenauer, vocalist Raise Her UpYou were so beautiful with her today, my love. You put her on your knee… she’s so small, even for three. And your hands, your hands are so big. A tiny miracle, a thing not yet embittered by the steady march of time and cons and cars. A revelation, with hair in ringlets in her face with sticky hands that clutch and reach for you. She softly starts to cry, and so do I. In my mind, I see a child with your eyes, and my smile. I see a leaf fall and you place it in her hand. And I know that there is nothing that I would ever do to end this moment as she twirls in orange and red, and leaps into the pile that you made. And when the snow comes, in a week or so… we’ll bundle her up in her coat and a scarf. We’ll make a snowman, and you will raise her up to put the carrot at the top, where it goes - it’s a nose!  And we will raise her up, you and I, we’ll raise her up. We’ll gather ringlets into pigtails on either side of her head. Then we’ll raise them up, and we will raise her up to catch her eye in the mirror and smile back. Can I hold her inside of me forever? A color that the world has never seen, a perfect blend of you and me and all the things that we have learned. All those bloody, hard-fought battles that we won. Should we raise her up? Or should we spare her from this world? Should we spare her from herself? But we could raise her up, we would raise her up, we would raise her up with love. We can’t keep hiding from the chance to right the wrongs that bound us tight, to break the cycle starting with one choice. One choice. One chance. One yes. Let’s try. You were so beautiful with her today, my love.--- Jamey Guzman is a composer and storyteller who tells necessary underrepresented stories with experimental and innovative techniques. Jamey has received major commissions from The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, Really Spicy Opera, Opera Arlington, Strange Trace Opera, ENAEnsemble, Paradox Opera, SONIT, and the Sociedad de Música de Cámara de El Salvador.  Dylan Engquist Bajo was born in Madrid, Spain, where he studied piano, composition and chamber music at the Joaquin Turina Conservatory of Music before moving to Indiana to study an undergraduate degree in piano performance. After graduating with honors, Dylan is currently pursuing a masters degree in piano while working as music director at FUMC of LaPorte.  Victoria Schemenauer, soprano, is an avid performer of song, musical theatre, and opera alike. She is passionate about arts outreach and believes that music can be a powerful tool for personal connection. A lover of new music, Victoria is thrilled to be working again with long-time collaborator Jamey Guzman.

Hello <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">First name <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{lastname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">Last name, On behalf of Jamey, Dylan, & Victoria, thanks so much for your vote, and for your support of new art songs!  Exactly half of your voting dollars go to these artists, and the other half supports Fourth Coast Ensemble as they continue to create and foster new songs and the artists who care about them! Live song and prosper,Fourth Coast Ensemble

Thank you for fundraising with us this year again! Here is more information.

<div>The new Virtual Chicago songSLAM remains open through May 31st at 5pm. Online audience members will vote with their dollars, starting at just $1, for their favorite team to win. The winning team’s composer will receive the first ever Chicago songSLAM commission prize: $1,000 commission from Fourth Coast Ensemble The funds that each team raises during the virtual event will be split 50/50 with the team and Fourth Coast Ensemble, who will use their portion to reinvest in future competitions and new art song initiatives.  On May 31st, total funds raised will be announced on our website and social media, including the $1,000 commission prize.</div>TEAM #11Jamey Guzman, composerDylan Engquist Bajo, pianistVictoria Schemenauer, vocalist Raise Her UpYou were so beautiful with her today, my love. You put her on your knee… she’s so small, even for three. And your hands, your hands are so big. A tiny miracle, a thing not yet embittered by the steady march of time and cons and cars. A revelation, with hair in ringlets in her face with sticky hands that clutch and reach for you. She softly starts to cry, and so do I. In my mind, I see a child with your eyes, and my smile. I see a leaf fall and you place it in her hand. And I know that there is nothing that I would ever do to end this moment as she twirls in orange and red, and leaps into the pile that you made. And when the snow comes, in a week or so… we’ll bundle her up in her coat and a scarf. We’ll make a snowman, and you will raise her up to put the carrot at the top, where it goes - it’s a nose!  And we will raise her up, you and I, we’ll raise her up. We’ll gather ringlets into pigtails on either side of her head. Then we’ll raise them up, and we will raise her up to catch her eye in the mirror and smile back. Can I hold her inside of me forever? A color that the world has never seen, a perfect blend of you and me and all the things that we have learned. All those bloody, hard-fought battles that we won. Should we raise her up? Or should we spare her from this world? Should we spare her from herself? But we could raise her up, we would raise her up, we would raise her up with love. We can’t keep hiding from the chance to right the wrongs that bound us tight, to break the cycle starting with one choice. One choice. One chance. One yes. Let’s try. You were so beautiful with her today, my love.--- Jamey Guzman is a composer and storyteller who tells necessary underrepresented stories with experimental and innovative techniques. Jamey has received major commissions from The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, Really Spicy Opera, Opera Arlington, Strange Trace Opera, ENAEnsemble, Paradox Opera, SONIT, and the Sociedad de Música de Cámara de El Salvador.  Dylan Engquist Bajo was born in Madrid, Spain, where he studied piano, composition and chamber music at the Joaquin Turina Conservatory of Music before moving to Indiana to study an undergraduate degree in piano performance. After graduating with honors, Dylan is currently pursuing a masters degree in piano while working as music director at FUMC of LaPorte.  Victoria Schemenauer, soprano, is an avid performer of song, musical theatre, and opera alike. She is passionate about arts outreach and believes that music can be a powerful tool for personal connection. A lover of new music, Victoria is thrilled to be working again with long-time collaborator Jamey Guzman.

Fourth Coast Ensemble

Team 11: "Raise Her Up" (Music by Jamey Guzman | Text by Jude O’Dell & Jamey Guzman)

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