Since ECHOES OF A SILENT SONG features music and musicians in both the past and present timelines, how could I not share a playlist with all of you? Here are some of the choral pieces that inspired and informed parts of this book, although I will warn the reader it is extremely difficult to avoid some spoilers here. If you’re a spoiler-phobe, bookmark this article and come back to it after you’ve read Echoes!
The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Bob Dylan arr. Adam Podd) This utterly gorgeous modern choral arrangement of Bob Dylan’s classic tune perfectly encapsulates this story’s two timelines: modern day and the late 1960s. Our past heroine, Iris, struggles with meeting her parents’ expectations of her and flourishing into who she truly is, so the line Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command felt very apt. (Fun fact: I had the privilege of playing piano for this with our auditioned choir last school year!)
O Love (Elaine Hagenberg) Hagenberg is one of my favorite modern choral composers, and her style is similar to how I imagine Callum’s compositional style. The text was written in 1882 by George Matheson, a blind Scottish minister, and contains a line that perfectly encapsulates what it means to follow Jesus: I give thee back the life I owe/That in thine ocean depths its flow/May richer, fuller be. This song captures the faith of all the major characters, who try, fail, get up, and try again in their walk with the Lord. Bonus, it has CELLO. (And yes, I’ve played this one, too.)
Take, O Take (from Three Madrigals by Emma Lou Diemer Emma Lou Diemer was a female composer writing in a male-dominated world. I imagine Iris’s compositional style being very similar to Diemer’s. This particular selection, the second of the three madrigals, features a Shakespeare text that speaks of love betrayed. All our main characters experience this betrayal in slightly different ways throughout the story, and I think particularly Iris and Blair would’ve been able to identify with many of these lines. (My auditioned choir is working on this one right now, in fact, and the piano part is very, very fun).
Please Stay (Jake Runestad) This powerful piece was written as an anthem of hope for anyone struggling with mental illness and suicidal thoughts in hopes of destigmatizing the former and encouraging those who battle the latter. Our former choir director in Haven used to show this video to our students every September during Suicide Awareness Month, and it always made quite an impact on the students. (Fun fact: I originally had a scene in Echoes which included this piece, but ultimately it didn’t advance the plot, so it lives forever in my Cuts file.) In the pages of Echoes, you will meet characters who struggle with suicidal ideation. This is a plea to them—and to all out there who may be dealing with these issues—to please stay.
There’s Gonna Be A Homecomin’ (Kyle Pederson) I had to end this on a note of celebration and optimism, and this song definitely delivers! Despite our characters’ struggles in Echoes, each of them finds their own homecoming by the end of the book, that sense of one’s search and striving finally being over. The joy that comes from knowing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be with the people you’re supposed to be with. Iris, Callum, and Blair all experience this joy in different ways by the end. Plus, given that one pivotal scene in the book takes place at the fall Homecoming dance, the pun of this song’s title was too good to pass up. (I performed this one three years ago with my auditioned choir, and the piano part is every bit as fun as it sounds).
A Novel
"Wen . . . plays the narrative's parallel timelines perfectly, and readers will be drawn in from the first few notes, with a dramatic crescendo showing that, despite unexpected tragedy, God is still working." —Library Journal A split-time romance from an award-winning author When a choral composer and conductor falls victim to creative block, he resorts to his fallback plan of teaching high school choir. Callum Knight's goal at Peterson High is simple: rediscover his muse, extract himself from teaching, and get back to Boston as quickly as possible. As the long-suffering accompanist at the high school, Peterson-native Blair Emerson has watched the revolving door of choir directors and their negative impact on her choirs over the last few years. She is less than impressed when a disheveled Callum stumbles in on his first day. But then they discover an unsigned, unfinished, and handwritten choral composition by a clear musical genius. Blair recalls rumors of Iris, a Peterson student from the 1970s who composed music but was found dead during her senior year. Blair and Callum work to determine if the piece is hers, and the truth they uncover shakes both of them to the core. With rhythm and flair, Amanda Wen takes readers on an unexpected journey into the depths of a small town's history in this riveting first book in the Melodies and Memories duology.
Audiobook Narrator- Pam Turlow
Christian Romance | Romance Contemporary [ Kregel Publications, On Sale: October 21, 2025, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780825449819 / eISBN: 9780825449833 ]
Amanda Wen is a Selah Award–winning, Parable best-selling author of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction, including Roots of Wood and Stone and The Songs That Could Have Been, and is also a professional musician. Wen currently lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband and three children. To find her blog and short stories, visit her website.
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