On December 14, Young Naperville Singers will present the premiere of a song written by a Naperville resident.

Dreams come true. Believe me. Do you want to know how? It takes talent, hard work, luck and most important – meeting kind people willing to help. They are always around; you just have to keep your eyes and heart open. Then they will come into your life, but only when you are ready. On December 14, my dream will come true. On that day, Young Naperville Singers will sing my song “Snyeg Letit” (“Snow Is Falling”). Written in 1998 when I still lived in Russia, it will finally be presented to an audience. Thanks to Angie Johnson, the artistic director of this great choral organization, for her kind heart and hard work and for presenting my song to local music lovers.

Angie Johnson commits all her time, effort, creativity and talent to working with these amazing young vocalists. On December 14, Young Naperville Singers will present three unforgettable holiday concerts called “A Child’s Carol” that will warm up the audience during that cold winter day. The concerts will take place at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville and will start at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. My song will be presented by Chamber Singers at the third concert that starts at 6:30 p.m.

Music always played a great role in my life. Living just forty miles away from Votkinsk, where Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born and lived for the first several years of his life, I was raised in an atmosphere of adoring classical music. A special musical school, which I attended since age nine, also contributed greatly to my musical development. There, I was surrounded by skilled professionals who taught me solfeggio, harmony and theory of music, singing in a choir, playing piano and many other interesting things.

When I graduated from that school at age seventeen, I decided to continue my musical education and four years later received a bachelor degree in teaching music in elementary and middle school. However, being a music teacher in 1991 in the Soviet Union, when the country was falling apart, was very difficult, and soon I left that profession.

After a long period of trying other jobs I came back to music and started working from home composing piano music, poetry in Russian and songs. It was a great period of spiritual growth that took place in 1997-1999. I was very productive and composed a few different songs and pieces for piano. That was the period when I wrote the music and the words for my acapella song “Snyeg Letit” (“Snow Is Falling”) in Russian. It happened in March 1998, just two days after my birthday when I was frequently thinking about the sense of life, time, maturity and the seasons changing and bringing into our life new hopes, dreams and achievements.

At the first glance, this song is about the seasons and the months coming one after another and the fact that they pass by so fast. However, the main thought of the song is that it is always good to keep your memories alive because you can’t build your future without remembering your past. I tried to reflect the meaning of the song in the additional verse that I recently wrote in English and that also is going to be presented to the audience. Being thoughtful and philosophical, “Snyeg Letit” is still a light and happy composition. It is optimistic and carries hope and belief.

On December 14, Young Naperville Singers will make my dream come true. These young, yet powerful and passionate children will make it happen. I heard them singing before and was impressed by their high quality performance, developed vocal skills and deep understanding of music. I am sure they will make my song sound very sincere and touching. I am also confident that singing it in Russian is not going to be a problem and they will do it fantastically. And I hope that while singing it, they will also think about the sense of life, keeping memories alive and that time passes by so fast, for it is important to remember all of it even if you are still very young.

Natalia Dagenhart