Our Rising Up

Here’s a letter I wrote to some friends who attended our SFGMC concert last Friday, May 16, 2008.

Hey all,
I just wanted to send thanks and love for attending my concert and supporting my little hobby. It really made a difference to know that you all were sitting in the audience, and I felt like I was singing for you (even though I couldn’t see you… wasn’t wearing my glasses!).

I hope you left the concert inspired and moved. I know after singing the entire concert, some of the words of the music really started to sink in to me (“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.”). And with the recent ruling regarding same-sex marriage in CA, I feel like there was even more relevance to the concert, and I was so
happy to be able to share it with you all.

Thanks again for joining me last evening, and I hope you’ll continue to join me in this movement!

With love and respect,
Rey

PS – Here is a great blog entry from an award-winning songwriter about Safeer El-Layl, one of our songs from last night (it certainly moved him, me, and I’m sure many others!):

http://bonusroundblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/ilyas-work-of-art.html

Thanks Coy for the awesome picture of us at the concert above. And as a bonus, songwriter Steve Schalchlin, snuck a camera into our rehearsal on Friday, and recorded us singing “My Rising Up,” which is a song he wrote. I’m in there somewhere, wearing the red shirt.