Only In Sleep - A Musical Window into Childhood Memories

“Only In Sleep” by Eriks Esenvalds

This Sunday, October 5 at 2pm, the NDSU Concert Choir will gather in Festival Hall to share a truly touching piece of music: “Only In Sleep” by Ēriks Ešenvalds. It is one of those songs that feels like stepping into a dream—soft, nostalgic, and deeply human. My good friend Sophie Rush will be singing the solo, and her voice brings the perfect blend of innocence and warmth to this hauntingly beautiful work.

The text speaks of childhood friends remembered only through dreams: “Only in sleep I see their faces, children I played with when I was a child.” As we rehearse, I often find myself drifting into my own memories—faces of friends from long ago, cherished moments of laughter, the glow of simpler days. The music swells and shimmers, as if wrapping those memories in light.

What makes this song so moving, both for those who perform it and those who listen, is how it gently blurs the lines between the past and present. It’s almost like gazing into a snow globe—watching a perfect little world suspended in time, where childhood remains untouched by years or change.

I hope that as the notes of this song rise and fall in the hall, each listener feels that same pull—a quiet reminder of where we came from, who we once were, and how those moments still live within us. Some songs are meant to be heard; others, like this one, are meant to be felt.

Don’t miss joining us this Sunday to hear this and many other beautiful songs sung by the Concert Choir and the Madrigal Singers, as we share music that highlights the human condition and connects us all closer together.