How Did You Feel?
This piece in a moderate but thoughtful tempo features lyrics about transgender people's feelings about their experiences with coming out. With repeated rhythmic phrases, this selection emphasizes the strong feelings of its lyricists.
Scars (Where We Find Ourselves)
The fourth movement from Where We Find Ourselves. This selection's dark tone and fluid tempo embody the lyrics about the unexpected beauty of scars.
Would You Know Me By My Work? (Where We Find Ourselves)
This third movement from Where We Find Ourselves features inspirational lyrics about hard work in an anthem about what we are leaving for our children.
Hats (Where We Find Ourselves)
The first movement from Where We Find Ourselves, this selection features lyrics about knowing and judging people by the "hats" they wear and the power of seeing beyond those labels.
I’m Not Lost
Native American women are more likely to be abducted, assaulted, and murdered than any other population group, and the perpetrators are rarely charged or convicted. Through the MMIWG (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls) movement, a light has been cast upon this form of genocide. “I’m Not Lost” includes Native words and phrases from across North America: Abenaki, Odawa/Ojibwe, Lakota, and Navajo/Diné. Each verse cries out for missing mothers, daughters, sisters, and Two Spirit (transgender) loved ones. The performance of “I’m Not Lost” is more than the singing of a song; it is an expression of longing and grief for those whose voices have been silenced.
I am a Voice that Sings
From award-winning composer Michael Bussewitz-Quarm and acclaimed lyricist Ronald W. Cadmus comes an uplifting message of hope and friendship through times of darkness. Multiple musical settings provide a quick learn for choirs of all levels while allowing your singers opportunities for solos. “Together, we will find something of grace and peace. I am a voice that sings! Together we will sing!”
The Silver Swan
This work was composed in honor of all who struggle with the ravages of war and face an ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. It is dedicated to the memory of Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, a native Long Islander, who lost his battle with PTSD following his tour of duty as a medic in Iraq. The sung text is based on text attributed to 17th-century composer Orlando Gibbons, reminding us that swans sing only just before their death.
Lamiya’s Song
Lamiya's Song is written to bring attention to one of the most significant and challenging issues in our world today, the global refugee crisis. Lamiya Safarova lost her home and her village to the Nagorno-Karabakh War when she was only nine, eventually settling with her family in a cardboard shack on the shore of the Caspian Sea. She began writing poems to express her feelings. The loss of her home and her village had a profound impact on Lamiya. And so did being classified as a "refugee" by her classmates in school. Lamiya has a name, and her poem gives her a voice.