Standing in the Rock

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(by Davit Bagdasarian and the Transcaucasian Choir of the Sonoran Desert)

The Japanese Friendship Garden near 3rd Ave. / Latham St.

Men’s choral group performing at the garden’s annual Global Arts & Culture Festival.

Many cities in the Valley of the Sun are involved in “Sister City” programs. Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, and Mesa all have at least one official partnership of this nature. Phoenix’s Sister Cities include Calgary, Canada; Catania, Italy; Chengdu, China; Ennis, Ireland; Grenoble, France; Hermosillo, Mexico; Prague, Chechia; Ramat-Gan, Israel; Taipei, Taiwan; and Himeji, Japan. In 1990, construction was completed on the Interstate 10 tunnel, often called Deck Park Tunnel by locals and officially re-named the Dean Lindsey Memorial Tunnel in 2024. This was the final piece of I-10, which began construction in 1957, connecting Santa Monica, California, with Jacksonville, Florida. The new ground on top of the tunnel was mostly filled out with Margaret T. Hance Park, but the construction project also cleared space adjacent to the tunnel that made room for two of Downtown Phoenix’s true gems: the Irish Cultural Center and the Japanese Friendship Garden. The garden was first proposed as part of the Sister City relationship with Himeji in 1987, and it was opened in 1996. It is an authentic miegakure (見え隠れ) style garden—a “hide-and-reveal” design where the entire garden is never visible at once so that visitors continue to discover new environments as they move through it—crafted by Nozomu Okita. The Garden’s Japanese name is Ro-ho-en: Ro (鷺) is the Japanese word for the heron, an important symbol of Himeji, Ho (鳳) is the word for the mythical phoenix, and En (園) means “garden.” With a small lake full of koi, a waterfall, multiple streams crossing beneath footbridges along garden paths, towering trees, a traditional tea house, and a collection of bonsai, Ro-ho-en is an oasis in the middle of Downtown. It’s one of the few places of refuge locals have where they can escape the heat, and the garden hosts a variety of events each year that bring the visitors together to celebrate culture, tradition, and community. The Transcaucasian Choir of the Sonoran Desert is a group of singers of Armenian and Georgian heritage blending traditional choral music with instruments and styles of music from other parts of the world. In this recording they are using a pair of mbira dzavadzimu from Zimbabwe to accompany their singing. The lyrics and melody are an adaptation of the American hymn “Standing on the Promises” from 1886.

(Some of the information in these liner notes is fictional, presented here in the attempt of satire)

LYRICS

Standing, standing
Standing in the rock of my love my savior
Standing, standing
I’m standing in the rock of my love

Walking, walking
Walking hand in hand with my love, my savior
Walking, walking,
I’m walking hand in hand with my love

Dreaming, dreaming
Dreaming in the heart of my love, my savior
Dreaming, dreaming
I’m dreaming in the heart of my love

Weeping, weeping
Weeping in the arms of my love, my savior
Weeping, weeping
I’m weeping in the arms of my love

Walking, walking
I’m walking hand in hand with my love, my savior
Walking, walking
I’m walking hand in hand with my love

Standing in the Rock

LYRICS

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