Adoravit
The traditional Latin text Senex puerum portabat explores the mysterious paradox of the Incarnation. As befitting the text, this a cappella motet is at once both ancient and modern in its construct and harmonic language. Beginning as a single choir, the work blossoms into a double choir setting with chant-inspired voice leading and call and response in an antiphonal style. One choir sets a slow-moving half-note pulse, while the second choir responds with quarter notes that highlight the text and movement of the work. Modern harmonies and dissonances create a beautiful tension in the music, which grows in dynamics and texture with divisi, ultimately resolving with a Picardy third in the final cadence.
Nigra Sum
Composed as a tribute to the victims of the global refugee crisis, this piece utilizes modern a cappella harmonies, cluster chords and chant-like melodies to create a gorgeous setting of the Latin text from the Song of Solomon. Extended divisi, particularly in the tenor part, creates tight harmonies that sparkle against the open chord structure established throughout.
For the Beauty of the Earth
This universally known hymn text sets an atmosphere of simple beauty, which is echoed through the musical lines of this serene setting. Just like the ebb and flow in nature, the lyrics breathe through the phrasing and layering of voices. Available in a variety of voicings, this accessible work is easily learned by choirs of all ages.