Hope Eats You Alive
Scott Gendel composer
Madison Choral Project
Albert Pinsonneault conductor
Titled for composer Scott Gendel’s setting of forensic scientist Lori Baker’s spoken grief for those lost at the Mexican-American border, HOPE EATS YOU ALIVE, recorded by the Madison Choral Project, loudly proclaims: “something has to be done.” The graphic and heart-breaking story of Baker’s mission to identify the bodies buried in shallow graves at the border reveals several issues at the center of the immigration debate. Gendel book-ends with the words of Chris van Dyke, who questions if the lines we’ve drawn between each other are worth the lives they’ve taken.
HOPE EATS YOU ALIVE includes recordings of four more works by Gendel, some humorous, some warm, some contemplative, but each evoking a common message: love is worth hoping for, even if it eats at you, even if it takes you alive, and loving one another is something we must do as often as possible.
Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | We Are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On | Scott Gendel | William Shakespeare, lyricist; Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor | 3:05 |
| 02 | Hope Eats You Alive: 1. Something Has to be Done | Scott Gendel | Lori & Erich Baker, lyricists; Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor; Saira Frank, Jim Gatch, Nathan Krueger, Marie McManama, Jessica Schwefel, Rachel Edie Warrick | 7:57 |
| 03 | Hope Eats You Alive: 2. Identification | Scott Gendel | Lori & Erich Baker, lyricists; Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor; Saira Frank, Jim Gatch, Nathan Krueger, Marie McManama, Jessica Schwefel, Rachel Edie Warrick | 6:28 |
| 04 | Hope Eats You Alive: 3. Grieving, Somewhere | Scott Gendel | Lori & Erich Baker, lyricists; Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor; Saira Frank, Jim Gatch, Nathan Krueger, Marie McManama, Jessica Schwefel, Rachel Edie Warrick | 6:30 |
| 05 | Hope Eats You Alive: 4. Hope for Better Times | Scott Gendel | Chris Van Dyke, lyricist; Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor; Saira Frank, Jim Gatch, Nathan Krueger, Marie McManama, Jessica Schwefel, Rachel Edie Warrick | 7:21 |
| 06 | The Glory of Life | Scott Gendel | Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor; Caroline Henneberry | 5:17 |
| 07 | Little Things | Scott Gendel | Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor | 2:34 |
| 08 | She Waits for Me | Scott Gendel | Madison Choral Project | Albert Pinsonneault, conductor | 3:39 |
Recorded February 3-4, 2024 at First Congregational Church in Madison WI
Recording Session Engineer Doug Geston
Editing & Mixing Doug Geston
Executive Producer Bob Lord
VP of A&R Brandon MacNeil
A&R Ivana Hauser
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Aidan Curran
Digital Marketing Manager Brett Iannucci
Artist Information
Madison Choral Project
Madison Choral Project seeks to enrich the lives of those in our community and beyond through the amazing power of humans singing together. Madison Choral Project has performed over 50 live concerts in Madison, Milwaukee, and beyond. They specialize in creating immersive and thoughtful concert experiences for each audience member through narrative story, art, text, lecture, and more. Nationally recognized for excellence, they won second place in the American Prize for Choral Music (Professional Division) in 2020.
Albert Pinsonneault
Conductor Albert Pinsonneault is founder and artistic director of the Madison Choral Project, a 24-voice professional chamber choir based in Madison WI. A fierce advocate for new music, he has commissioned and premiered over 30 works for choir. He received second place in the American Prize for Professional Choirs in 2020, performed by invitation at Midwestern ACDA Regional conferences (2018, 2020), presented at ACDA National in 2017, and headlined the Iowa Choral Directors Association state conference in 2024.
