[MUSIC - EMMA HUNTINGTON, "BALLAD OF A MOONCHILD"]
[SINGING]
The lips and eyes are turning indigo.
See what I speak?
Say what I seek.
Emotions running down the spinal cord.
I count them all with counting sheep.
[NON-ENGLISH] Walk.
I walk.
Walk and keep my feet on childhood's moonlit shores.
I walk on earth and race with meteors.
To simply love is all I am.
Compile moons and stars and galaxies
Too scared to be, too scared of me.
Wandering through the woods with some starlit souls
Who dream by day and walk by night.
[NON-ENGLISH] Walk.
I walk.
Walk and keep my feet on childhood's moonlit shores.
I walk on earth and race with meteors.
To simply love is all I am.
[INAUDIBLE]
I can't wait to feel the soft kiss of the sweet moonlight,
To feel is all this is this [INAUDIBLE]..
I walk and keep my feet on childhood's moonlit shores.
I walk on earth and race with meteors.
To simply love is all I am.
To simply love is all we are.
Welcome back to Mormon Channel Studio.
We just heard Emma Huntington and Hunter Montgomery,
and they just sang "Ballad of a Moonchild."
That was incredible.
That was incredible, guys.
I absolutely loved that.
Oh, my gosh.
Aw, shucks, Nadia.
That was amazing.
Thank you.
Wow.
How did this incredible collaboration come together?
Because you both are so talented,
and you put it together, and it's
just magic, what just happened.
How did you guys meet?
How did this collaboration come together?
The spirit of Christmas just really brought it together.
We're actually both in the same student ward together,
and we were serving as ward music cochairs.
And so we decided to do a musical number in church,
and then that's how it started.
That's so cool.
So is this a song that you guys wrote?
Is this a song that you guys wrote, cowrote?
Emma wrote it.
Emma wrote it?
Yeah.
So I wrote it as part of, like, three-part movement piece
called "Ballad of a Moonchild."
And so this was the last movement.
And I always wanted to orchestrate it, actually.
And so I knew that Hunter was, like, amazing at viola,
and viola needs to be played more.
And so I'm like, "Hey, why don't you
join on this weird song of mine?"
It was lots of fun.
You play incredibly beautiful, and your voice is incredible,
and you play.
And the whole thing was just fantastic, guys.
It was just fantastic.
Thank you.
So this is the third part of a three-part movement.
That's amazing.
Thank you.
So the first two parts, are they similar or is it--I mean,
I'm assuming--I feel like movements have ballads versus
there's a lot of liveliness in other ballads.
Tell me a little bit more about the other movements.
So the other movements, all of them
are in an effort to understand concepts that are more,
I guess, painful in a beautiful way,
and not just look for the sunshine.
As lovely as that is, it's also kind
of appreciate the moonlight aspect, hence
"Ballad of a Moonchild."
So all the movements take different parts of that.
So one of them will be involved with the concept
of unity, how we need other people that help us.
Others are, like this one was, very much based upon just
concepts of love, as cheesy as that is--just how necessary it
is to stick to those roots and understand that we can still be
grateful for moonlight-type things, for pains,
for hardships, and not just mull over them.
I love that.
That's beautiful.
Hunter, tell us a little bit more about--I mean,
you've been playing the violin for how many years.
There's got to be years behind that talent right there.
Yeah.
So that, what I was playing was actually a viola.
A lot of people--
Oh, I'm so sorry.
No.
Everyone makes that mistake.
All the violin people are going to kill me for saying that.
Get it right, Nadia.
[LAUGHTER]
No.
And that's one of the things I love about the viola,
is most people don't know what it is,
and it's just a beautiful instrument.
I started taking lessons when I was five, I think.
And it's really my mom just practicing with me every day
all those years that got me where I am today.
Good moms that make us practice, right?
Yeah.
Do you play any other instruments,
or is that just your favorite instrument?
Mostly just that one.
That's neat.
I heard that you have a YouTube channel.
And what is it that you see yourself going towards,
or what do you like to do with that, with the viola?
So I'm majoring in viola performance,
but I actually want to be a doctor.
So I just do it for fun.
Wow.
I just love it, yeah.
That's very talented for just doing it for fun, right?
Oh, yeah.
And so, Emma, what are you hoping to do with music?
Where do you see yourself going?
I just appreciate sharing music, honestly.
I love the feeling of connection to people
because I feel like this is, like, typical artist stuff.
You often feel disconnected from the world.
But when I perform, it's one of the few moments
where I actually feel super connected to people.
And so just feeding that, I know that I could contribute
to people in that sense.
And so that's something that I like to share with people.
Whether or not it goes big or whatever, I don't really care.
Just the opportunity to share it,
I think, is meaningful and should be done.
That's neat.
Thanks for sharing that.
Something that I would love to hear from both of you
is, what kind of advice would you
give to an aspiring artist or aspiring violinist?
Violist.
There we go.
[LAUGHTER]
The violinist, the violist.
What kind of advice would you give to somebody?
There's probably somebody out there
watching this and thinking, "Wow, they're so talented.
How in the world am I ever going to make it
to that point to be able to play like that or write like that?"
What kind of advice would you give to that person?
Do you want to go first?
Practice.
[LAUGHTER]
One word.
I got one word for you.
What your mom said--practice.
He's really good at that.
I'm the one that's like, "Oh, flowers and metaphors."
I personally think the concept of failing is huge.
Be OK with failing.
Like, don't hold back because you're a failure.
I was terrible--and I'm not just saying this.
I was honestly terrible at performing at first.
Even talking right now, I get nervous and stuff.
And be OK with that.
Be OK to be nervous.
Be OK to fail a lot of times, because that's basically
all music is, is you just fail again,
and you practice with it.
So just not being afraid to fail, I think, is huge.
And being OK with whatever voice or stage you're at,
and just accept it and appreciate it
for what it is instead of bash it.
I love that.
I feel like both your messages just go really hand in hand.
It's OK if you fail.
Keep moving forward and keep practicing.
Love it, love it, love it.
So the next song, "In the Bleak of Midwinter"--did I say that
right?
Yeah, "In the Bleak Midwinter."
"In the Bleak Midwinter."
So can you tell me a little bit more
as to why you guys chose to sing this hymn,
to perform this hymn?
You actually kind of started it.
Yeah.
It was actually my grandma's suggestion.
Really?
Thanks, Grandma.
Yeah.
It's an old--
[LAUGHTER]
Yeah, thank you.
It's an old English hymn.
And I just imagine peasants singing it in medieval times,
and it's beautiful.
It has a beautiful message about Christ
and how the gift that we can give to Him is our hearts,
and I just love it.
It's beautiful.
Essentially just everything that he said.
This song was one of my favorite songs, actually, growing up.
It's my mom's favorite song as well.
So when he suggested it, I'm like--
[GASPS]
"Can we please?"
Because it's so beautiful.
And I think the message is so tender and important.
Like with what Hunter mentioned, the last verse,
for what it's worth, pay attention to,
because it mentions, what can we give Him,
as poor as we often are?
And it ends emphasizing that we can give our hearts,
and that's all that He asks for.
I love that.
We're excited to hear it.
Let's hear it.
Thank you.
It's such a beautiful time of year
to be inside of the Spirit of Christmas,
and to feel that love that I feel like universally is spread
and felt. And so I'm excited to hear this song, especially
with what they were talking about with the lyrics
and how it just embraces those feelings of love and unity.
I mean, it's Christmas.
That's what we need to be hearing at this time.
[MUSIC - EMMA HUNTINGTON, "IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER"]
[SINGING] In the bleak midwinter,
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter
Long ago.
Our God, heaven can't hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak midwinter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty--
Jesus Christ.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would give a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man,
I would do my part,
Yet what can I give Him?
Give my heart.