We Toast the Days
Poet/Lyricist:
Linda Kachelmeier
Originally written to be sung at midnight on New Year's Eve with friends and family as a new kind of 'Auld Lang Syne', this piece grew into a full-fledged choral piece. For quartets to large choirs, it has been performed by community choirs, high schools, and professional groups such as Lumina, Lorelei, and this winter, Cantus.
Premiere:
The Schubert Club, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Text:
We Toast the Days
When the clock strikes twelve and another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you
As remembrance of the past we have shared and the future yet to come.
We toast the days, both good and bad,
the old friends and the new.
When the clock strikes twelve and another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you.
While the night is long and the bitter cold has come,
we lengthen our embrace
To sustain us as we mourn our regrets and the fear of days unknown.
We toast the days...
As we stand on the edge of another bright new year,
I take your hand in mine
With assurance of the courage we will find
and the hope that leads us on.
We toast the days...