A custom song commission about hope, healing, and future love
Don has been part of my musical journey since my very first national tour. So when he reached out to commission not one, but three custom recordings, I knew I wanted to create something extraordinary for him.
He requested:
🎭 A piano/vocal cover of “Beautiful City” from Godspell
🌈 A mashup of “Over the Rainbow/Home” (inspired by Jeremy Jordan’s arrangement)
💛 And most meaningfully — an original song that would speak to his story
That original became “Dare To Dream” — a song about trusting that real love still exists, even when life has made it feel distant.
When I write custom songs, it’s never just about crafting lyrics and melody. It’s about listening — deeply. I asked Don about his life, his journey, his hopes. We started with his family history — a powerful, complex narrative. But during the writing process, something shifted. He began to express closure around that part of his life. And what emerged instead was longing — a tender, resilient belief that love was still out there.
I followed that thread.
I wrote “Dare To Dream” as an affirmation — a love letter to the future partner he hadn't met yet, but who he was ready to welcome.
“Beautiful City” felt like the perfect spiritual companion to that sentiment. It’s a song about building something hopeful out of brokenness — a life, a community, a future.
And the Over the Rainbow/Home mashup? A reminder that home isn’t always a place. Sometimes it’s a person we’re still waiting to find.
What Don said after hearing the music:
“It truly is a gift. Levi knows how to dig around and find the exact lyric and music from the story you share. To turn you into a muse and craft something out of your life you never dreamed possible.”
That’s what this work is all about — honoring people’s stories, and putting music to the parts that words alone can’t reach.
Thank you, Don. I’m honored to walk a few steps of your journey with you.
🎶 Interested in your own custom song?
Whether it's for a wedding, memorial, anniversary, or just because — I occasionally offer personalized commissions.
📧 Email me at levi@levikreis.com to inquire.