Like many of us, I awoke Wednesday in shock and horror, unsure how to face the future a relatively small portion of our country has chosen for us. I am still processing the events of this week and probably will be for a long time, but yesterday I realized that I have been working through many of the issues brought up by the election in my music of the past year. In addition to writing a chamber opera about domestic abuse, I have set Walt Whitman’s short text below in two different pieces:
“Of equality—As if it harmed me, giving others the same chances
and rights as myself—as if it were not indispensable to my own rights that others possess the same.”
Whitman’s words have stayed with me, and I hope that others will be similarly struck by them as we move ahead. If anyone is interested in either setting of Whitman’s text or my chamber opera, I am making the performance materials for all three works free for the next month. The pieces can be found by accessing the links below.
- Of Equality for Chorus, available for Treble Voices (5 parts), SSA, or SATB
- Thought for Soprano, Alto Flute, Harpsichord, and Two Percussionists
- Trigger for Soprano and Piano
I’m very excited to announce that the Connecticut Children’s Chorus has commissioned me to write a new work for their Prelude, Canticum, and Concert Choirs. The work is based a text by Walt Whitman about equality, and the project involves an educational outreach component.