Collaborations
Participating in the birth and growth of a collaborative project is exhilarating and an honor. I’d like to share a couple of projects I’ve worked on with my composer husband, Ralph M. Johnson. (If the videos do not appear, click again the Music tab in the menu.)
Gifts of the Magi
Music by Ralph M. Johnson; Text by Laurie Richardson Johnson
© by Gentry Publications, 2026.
Gifts of the Magi is a choral composition in three sections: Tree of Frankincense, Gift of Myrrh, and Song of Gold. The composition was commissioned for Magnum Chorum, directed by Dr. Dwight Jilek, in honor of Jan Kunau and in memory of Dan Kunau. Enjoy the recording of the premier from Magnum Chorum’s December 22, 2024 concert at Westwood Lutheran Church, St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Program Notes for Gifts of the Magi:
The Biblical account of the “wise men from the East,” found in the Gospel of Matthew, is shrouded in mystery as well as legend, adventure, astronomy, dreams, intrigue, danger, astonishment, tragedy, and faith. The Gospel writer names specific gifts given to the Christ Child by the Magi: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Since childhood, these gifts have seemed strange and hazy to me. What are they and why were they given? It wasn’t until spending time in the Somali Exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in 2018 that answers came to those questions and where I learned of the significance and importance of the frankincense tree. Throughout history, frankincense has been used in many lands and cultures for anointing royalty as well as preparing the body for burial. Myrrh was often regarded (and still is) as an agent for healing. The reach of gold, in this work, becomes not a substance of material wealth but a carrier of the light and spirit of unsurpassing love. The poems spilled onto the page. I have found meaning in the gifts of the Magi; perhaps you will too.
~Laurie Richardson Johnson
Tree of Frankincense
How long have you
gripped the desert ground,
twisting your branches
into the blue heated sky?
Your ancient bark,
pierced,
tears of fragrance
freely shed
into droplets
of healing,
for anointing.
Priceless treasure
carried on camels and ships
to lands
far from home.
Did you know
your crystal perfume,
gift of the Magi,
followed a star like no other?
Not to palace or castle or temple,
but to a lonely rough stable,
to a baby born in straw.
Treasure of Myrrh
What does a mother
do with such a gift
for her child?
Amber jewels of healing,
of soothing restoration
once flowing from
thorny trunk of
wounded tree,
springing forth
from dry earth.
Precious myrrh.
Cherished myrrh.
Keep it, Mary.
Keep it.
Song of Gold
Capture not the golden light
in rock, or box, or jar.
Sing among the planets’ flight,
a song beneath the star.
Nights of travel, darkness near,
we hear a tune unknown,
Closely follow, banish fear,
the way the star has shown.
Gold of shadow, gold of worth,
Gold of fire, luminous, bright,
Gold of spirit, gold of birth,
Stir our hearts this wondrous night.
Child of hunger, child of cold,
the lost, alone, they chase.
Scattered light, our arms to hold,
our hearts with mercies race.
Time of courage; all belong,
the Child Divine is here,
Every breath a gift of song,
to sing with voices clear.
Gold of shadow, gold of worth,
Gold of fire, luminous, bright,
Gold of spirit, gold of birth,
Love is born this wondrous night.
Hear the whispers, heed the dream,
the sky, the lamp, the way,
Spirit telling, stories beam,
a child in danger lay.
Hidden treasure, love for all,
enfolds the lost and found,
Boundaries lifted, blinders fall,
to live with hearts unbound.
Gold of shadow, gold of worth,
Gold of fire, luminous, bright,
Gold of spirit, gold of birth,
Shine in us, this wondrous night.
Ancient Waters Warmed With Life
Music by Ralph M. Johnson; Text by Laurie Richardson Johnson
© by MorningStar Music Publishers, 2016
Cover Art for Ancia Saxophone Quartet
