Steven Sametz has earned increasing renown in recent years as both composer and conductor. He is the Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music and director of Lehigh University Choral Arts, one of the country's premiere choral programs. He also serves as Artistic Director for the elite a cappella ensemble, The Princeton Singers and is the founding director of The Lehigh University Choral Composer Forum, a summer course of study designed to mentor emerging choral composers. This is a wonderful collection of folk songs with songs from Bosnia, Thailand, Russia and Germany that will add a nice international flavor to your program.

A medley of songs (opening with a barbershop quartet) from the 1890's with soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists. The Heroine Triumphant links four songs which together trace the story of a young girl who comes to town in search of her brother ('Mother Was a Lady'); she is cruelly deceived by a drummer, an unscrupulous low-life, claiming to know her brother. He proposes marriage, but in 'Take Back Your Gold' we find his intentions are less than honorable. The heroine finds herself alone and cast out in 'She Is More To Be Pitied Than Censured.' Finally, she rises above her misery and woe to find a new life in 'Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay!' The opening barbershop quartet may be sung by a small ensemble, but the character voices of the narrator and the drummer should be assigned to soloists. The Heroine Triumphant easily lends itself to some simple staging. Fun!