Latest release

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing

​Our alumni and current group came together to create a virtual choir of 'Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing,' the Black National Anthem in America.

​Arrangement:
Nalini Calamur
*Z* McClelland

Soloists (in order of appearance):
Imani Roach, Garry Mitchell, Taylor Crutison,
Akua Nyarko-Odoom, Bria Holmes-Lewis, Willie Hercule,
Shantelle Williams-Valadié, Jelanie Munroe, Uche Amakiri,
John Okhiulu, Taylor Wright, Samantha Williams,
Stephanie Fischer, Will Tarpeh

Production:
Video - John Okhiulu
Audio - Noelle Chow, Kai Fox, and Chris Kiagiri

​Albums

Stanford Talisman Live (2020)

A compilation of live Talisman performances from the 2018-2019 Talisman group.

Copy and paste this link into your browser to find the album on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/album/6zJlkGBLSg6Vw4MOfnJcPR?si=qWYGSzdpRR-lKohfCp3Byw

or access the album using the embedded Spotify link below. 

Your Voice, Above the Storm (2020)

This album presents voices of Talisman members spanning from 2008-2014. With this album, we immortalize the memories shared through this music and the stories of loved ones lost along the way. 

Copy and paste this link into your browser to find the album on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/album/4WPd0sFJF8RSZ3MjRpVuKd?si=Y6gNE6B6RCqD15N1A558ag

or access the album using the embedded Spotify link below. 

Song Notes

One by One
"Woza Mfana", sung in Zulu, translates to "come, boy" and was sung as a call to meeting. Our version is based off the "Power of One" soundtrack. "One by One" is a song sung in Xhosa, one of the African languages of South Africa. It was written during the Apartheid era and expresses solidarity in the struggle against oppression. The lyrics translate as: "Hold on tight my people. Do not get weary, do not lose your strength. For you can see they wanted to finish us. But one by one, they will not succeed. One by one, we will win. We will win because we know who we are. Come and see the cowards! They are running away, come and see. The color of my skin is dark, I am proud of it. The color of my skin is dark, I will die with it. Oh yes, it is beautiful in Africa. And we shall win, one by one."
Arranged by: Chisara Asomugha
Soloists: Mia Divecha, Nicholas Biddle, Eme Williams-Blake, Trudy Park, Hannah Martinson, Kiana Shelton

Hawai'i 78
“Hawai’i ’78" and “E Ala E” are two Hawaiian songs popularized by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. “Hawai’i ’78" considers what is left of the Hawaiian Kingdom and its legacy, weaving in the chant, “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono,” which is commonly translated to, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” “E Ala E” calls its audience to “rise up” and advocates for the freedom of the Hawaiian people.
Arranged by: Lyn Mehe'ula, Owen Liu, Adrien Wagner
Soloists: Kevin Baumgartner, Vinney Le, Lyn Mehe’ula, Mikaela Kelly

Asimbonanga/Biko
Asimbonanga/Biko is our combination of two songs honoring South African activists Nelson Mandela and Stephen Biko. Our rendition of “Asimbonanga” is adapted from the Soweto Gospel Choir, and Biko is based off Sweet Honey in the Rock's interpretation of Peter Gabriel's song. The lyrics translate to: "We have not seen him/ We have not seen Mandela/ In the place where he is/ In the place where he is kept/ Hey you and you as well/ When will we arrive at our destination?"
Arranged by: Nate Stockham, Nathaniel Olin, Kevin Baumgartner
Soloists: Adrien Wagner, Christine Evans, William Tarpeh

Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Hard Time Killing Floor Blues was written by American Delta blues singer and guitarist Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James in 1931 describing the tremendous hardship and hopelessness of living through America's Great Depression.
Arranged by: Adrien Wagner
Soloists: Adrien Wagner, Stuart Upfill-Brown, Sterling Camden, Mia Divecha, Koyel Bhattacharyya, Daniel Wong

Deep River
Deep River is a compilation of traditional African American spirituals "Deep River" and "I Know I've Been Changed," a Limpopo River work song from Zimbabwe, and Aretha Franklin's gospel rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." River imagery tells the story of a spiritual transformation. The cold shock of the water is a realization of the existence of something bigger than the self. We rejoice, have finally crossed the river, but our origins and the suffering we have endured will never be forgotten.
Arranged by: Daniel Wong, Kiana Shelton, Robi Bucayu, Michael Cox, Adrien Wagner
Soloists: Kiana Shelton, Kadesia Woods, Tayo Amos, Hye Jeong Yoon, Trudy Park

Matthew
Matthew is a song written by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, in reflection of Matthew Shephard, a young gay man murdered in a brutal hate crime on October 12, 1998 in a field near Laramie, Wyoming. In Matthew, Ian reflects both on the inexplicable cruelty of Matthew's murder as well as her own fear in the aftermath of the event, as a lesbian woman in a society where homophobia makes such violence possible.
Arranged by: Nicholas Biddle, Charlie Johnson
Soloists: Nicholas Biddle, Nicholas Spears, Kadesia Woods

Amazing Grace
This popular song was originally published in 1779 by John Newton, an English poet and clergyman. Today it is often sung as a church hymn, but its message transcends religion and speaks to a universal theme of extemporaneous and unwarranted forgiveness and mercy.
Arranged by: Christopher Tin
Soloists: Shantelle Williams, Vinney Le, Kadesia Woods, Sterling Camden, Sharareh Sadaghiani, Willie Hercule, William Tarpeh

Po Polju
Po Polju is a traditional Russian wedding song. Our arrangement is based on the version performed by the contemporary Eastern European ensemble Kitka.
Arranged by: Anna Doty, Charlie Johnson, Sharareh Sadaghiani
Soloists: Anna Doty, Joo Hee Ahn

Modimo Trilogy
The Modimo Trilogy is a combination of three hymns originally performed by the Soweto Gospel Choir. The trilogy opens with "Modimo," a song of awe and wonder at creation, and continues with "Izwi Lahlab'Inhliziyo Yami," a soulful confession of sin and proclamation of grace. The piece concludes with "Ke Na Le Modisa," a traditional South African interpretation of Psalm 23. Two of the 11 official languages of South Africa are represented in the trilogy. "Modimo" and "Ke Na Le Modisa" are sung in Sotho, and "Izwi Lahlab'Inhliziyo Yami" is in Zulu.
Arranged by: Sharareh Sadaghiani, Owen Liu, Charlie Johnson, Adrien Wagner
Soloists: Sharareh Sadaghiani, Kadesia Woods, Leigh Kaulbach, Kiana Shelton, Ladidi Garba

Bayan Ko
Bayan Ko is a compilation of two Filipino songs, “My Country” and “Pilipinas Kong Mahal.” The first song, the unofficial second national anthem, was originally written as a protest song during the American occupation of the Philippines. The second song, written in native Kundiman, speaks of defending and serving one's country.  The lyrics translate to, “Philippines, land of gold and flowers, you were enslaved, mired in suffering by foreigners. Even birds that are free to fly, cage them and they will cry. How much more for a country so beautiful would she not yearn to be free? My one and only country Philippines, for you I'll freely give. Your freedom I will guard.”
Arranged by: Robi Bucayu
Soloists: Sarah Jiang, Nicholas Biddle, Phillip Hoovestal, Kaley Boyce

Thina Sonke
Thina Sonke is a song sung in Xhosa originally by the Children of Agape Choir, a music organization created to support the Children of Agape AIDS orphanage. The lyrics translate to "All of us together," and the song serves as a humbling connection across cultures through music.
Arranged by: Owen Liu, Mia Divecha, Christine Evans
Soloists: Tayo Amos, Nicholas Spears, Kaley Boyce

Cherokee Morning Song
“Wendeyaho” is a traditional chant sung by the women of the Cherokee tribe as a part of morning prayers, facing the rising sun. We sing a version of the song that has been popularized by Walela, a trio of Cherokee women. However, it is not sung in Tsalagi, the Cherokee language, which is still spoken today by over 15,000 people. This song is sung in Tihanama, a language spoken by one of the last migratory tribes in North America, who would trade with dozens of other nations ranging from the Great Lakes to the Florida Panhandle. While Tihanama has very few speakers left and is in danger of extinction, the language lives on through its adoption by the Cherokee people through this chant. Their story and traditions provide the "missing link" that changes one’s understanding of and appreciation for the depth of Native American wisdom teachings. The translation is remembered by the Cherokee people as “I am of the great spirit, it is so.”
Arranged by: Eme Williams-Blake, Adrien Wagner
Soloists: Christine Evans

Oh Freedom
Oh, Freedom is a trilogy consisting of two traditional African American spirituals, “Oh, Freedom!” and “Hold On,” and “Find the Cost of Freedom,” a protest song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. “Oh, Freedom!” is a spiritual born out of the Civil War, as former African American slaves found themselves legally freed, yet not granted the freedoms standard for white Americans. The song insists upon attaining true freedom, whether in life or after death. The trilogy then moves to “Hold On,” which begs its listener to hold fast, to remain stalwart in the fight for freedom, no matter how difficult the path. The third song, “Find the Cost of Freedom,” calls for reflection upon the lives lost in the immense struggle for freedom in America, a struggle that persists to this day.
Arranged by: Charlie Yang, Maria Doerr
Soloists: Willie Hercule, Kaelo Moahi, Chris Sackes, Nick Biddle, Allie Trimm

Thank you to the Soweto Gospel Choir, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Janis Ian for the inspiration behind much of our music. Special thanks to Bill Hare, Danny Ozment, and Ed Boyer for sound production and editing, and to our percussionist Dylan Damonte.

​Going Home (2011)

Copy and paste this link into your browser to find the album on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/album/7AJHZvSIkNuWi0mAMpazlw?si=tmu9phhBSsWFAAY1OqM3_g
​
or access the album using the embedded Spotify link below. 

After Silence (1996)

Copy and paste this link into your browser to find the album on Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/album/7wAFGNJMH8H8M16nVVc9OU?si=WQ7fXWM4TpiwgHj5cIfowA
​
or access the album using the embedded Spotify link below.