Do with Me – a song from our upcoming Esther musical

Goal:

$700.00

Timeline

Target funding date: 30 Nov 2025
Target song completion date: 14 Dec 2025 (memorabilia will also be shipped around here)

About the song Do with Me

Do with Me is a song based on Esther 2:8-9

And it came to pass, when the king’s order and his decree were heard, and when many maidens were gathered to Shushan the capital, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and she won his favor…

Acapella preview of the song

Note: The final song will include an instrumental section and will be 2 minutes and 34 seconds in length.

It is sung when Esther meets Hegai for the first time amidst the other women. The lyrics:

ESTHER:
Can a woman
persuade
Changing currents
of fate?
So do the best you see for me

Do with me
As how you would see
And then I’m sure I’ll live happily
I can see
that though I’m not free
We’ll make the best of what I can be

HEGAI: Now, dear woman, arise
ESTHER: Yes, my master, Hegai
BOTH: You are starting to fill my days with light
HEGAI: What’s your name, dear?
ESTHER: I’m Esther. I’m here!

The song portrays the surrender of Esther amidst an environment in which she is subject to the king’s decree and command, along with the other virgins, to be brought to the palace as options to be considered to become the new queen. This wins the favor of Hegai, the head eunuch in charge.

For those who don’t already know the story of Esther, she was but a Jewish girl in Persia, who, out of all the women, was chosen as queen for “such a time as this” to save her people from destruction from the hands of Haman, the most powerful man other than King Xerxes.

The artists behind Do with Me

teresa

Julienne Magbanua (teresa) is a singer-songwriter and composer hailing from the Philippines. Her interest in musical theater started when she joined a theater club in grade school. This love for theater music grew even more in high school, and in 2018, she started composing an unfinished musical with her friend. Now, Julienne (teresa) is co-composing with Benjamin for Esther the Musical where a few of her old compositions were also incorporated melodically. She also plays the singing voice of Esther in the demo.

Benjamin

Benjamin is the man leading the project. A poet, film composer, and musical theatre lover, he left the corporate world to pursue his artistic roots. Right now he lends his voice to all the demos until they are replaced with a proper cast, making as much progress as he can and getting all the help that he can on the way!

Maciej Gizejewski

A seasoned percussionist, recording artist, and producer with two decades of experience in performance and 15 years in recording and sound engineering. Worked with notable artists including Vibraslap & Trilok Gurtu, Panagiotis Andreou, Jose Torres, Skalpel Big Band, Stanisława Celińska, Stanisław Soyka, and Magda Navarette.

Nebojsa Pavlović

Nebojsa Pavlović is a trumpet player from Belgrade with a background in both classical and jazz music. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade and trained with renowned mentors across Europe. Since 2012, he’s been a dedicated educator, with his students winning awards at competitions in Serbia and abroad. He’s an official Van Laar artist and a member of the beloved Serbian band S.A.R.S., performing for audiences across Europe, the US and Australia.

Plans for the song Do with Me

The song will be part of the Cast Recording Album of the musical. The song will first be released exclusively to patrons, and then online to social media, forming the next block out of many blocks to complete the production of the musical’s first cast recording album.

About the Cast Recording Album

Do with Me will be the next piece in the Cast Recording Album of Act 1, which will have 22 songs in total, spanning 100 minutes! Its production is important before future staging, to set the standard of how the music should sound and be performed. To see the progress of the Cast Recording Album, click here and scroll down.

About the Bible the Musical‘s Esther Project

The big picture

Esther: Queen of Persia is a epic sung-through full-length musical adaptation of the Book of Esther from the Tanakh (the Bible). Aiming to be faithful to Scripture, this adaptation’s book, lyrics, and music are all written with a historical and cultural focus in mind. A runtime of nearly 3 hours (with an interval) allows for a fully immersive experience in the world of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE, the First Persian Empire).

The adaptation will be written through a lens of the culture in the Biblical passages on which they are based. As many cultural details will be included to embellish the adaptation. The stage design and props will incorporate designs that reflect the designs in the time of the story.

The music will include cultural styles from the time period of the story if relevant, fusing them with modern style to make it relevant musically and theatrically. Esther: Queen of Persia takes a lot of inspiration from Persian music and Jewish music as well! For example, Sage Advice features a qanun for a major part. And in the opening number Feast of Persia from the same musical, drums with origin in Persia and surrounding regions were added, i.e. Bendir, Darbuka, Dohol, Dohola, Riq, and Tombak!

Expense Breakdown

Production fundraising goal: $700

• $175 – Instrumental arrangement (strings, percussion, etc) by Benjamin, Persian percussion by Maciej Gizejewski & Trumpet by Nebojsa Pavlović
• $100 – Mixing and mastering by Benjamin
• $100 – Esther vocals by teresa
• $250 – Visual art, designs, gifts, printing – new artists will be hired!
• $75 – Admin, website, hosting