Daybreak
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Daybreak" swept me off my feet when I first discovered it. What a joyful poem! With my choral adaptation, my wish is to capture the energy of the wind as it comes "up out of the sea" and bursts with joy. Contrasting middle sections create a continuous journey as the wind blows through the town, breathing fresh life into the coming day. I hope Daybreak will put smiles on the faces of your choir and audience alike.
Come to Me in the Silence of the Night (The Unarmed Child)
Written in response to the gun violence against children, this penultimate movement from "The Unarmed Child" is deeply moving and brings a sense of healing and poignancy in the musical setting.
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.
I’ll Fly Away
I’ll Fly Away sings about the spirit of a loved one about to be set free from pain and suffering. Asymmetrical meter and a tenor-bass ostinato figure create a rhythmic base for the lilting melody presented in unison and canon that is optimistically focused on the future and the beauty of a shared past.
The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken is a unique musical interpretation of Robert Frost's poem. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…" Large decisions in life are rarely simple. Such decisions are often complex with no perfect answer. The musical setting speaks to the joy of moving forward as well as the complexity of making the "right" decision.
Bird on a Wire (The Unarmed Child)
Bird on a Wire was inspired by our mockingbird neighbors whose nest was emptied of its babies one sad, spring night. The parents continued guarding their nest for another week or so, perching high on a telephone wire overhead, and I thought, "That is exactly how all our lives were suspended when we lost Cameron." He did not die by violence, other than the violence disease does on a little boy's body; but seeing what my sweet sister-and-brother-in-law went through changed the way I see things: Sandy Hook, Syria, and the poisoning of children in Flint. Words cannot describe the unimaginable loss of losing a child; still I hope these words help people understand that the world cannot bear to lose even one more... not to disease, not to neglect, and certainly not to violence. - Shantel Sellers, lyricist
Lux Aeterna (The Unarmed Child)
Extracted from the larger work, this stand-alone movement honors those we have lost in mass shootings. Lux Aeterna means "eternal light", but cast within the larger scope of the Requiem, it shines a light on the names of cities affected by mass shootings in the aleatoric section. Finally, it resolves into an expression of peace and light highlighted by a soprano solo.
My Name is Lamiya: Don't Call Me "Refugee"
This composition was written to bring attention to one of the most significant and challenging issues in our world today, the global refugee crisis. Nine-year-old Lamiya Safarova lost her home and her village, and she began writing poems to express her feelings. The stirring text and repeated rhythmic elements persist throughout this work, along with body percussion that represents the journey of the refugee, forced away from their home, most often by foot.
The Pasture
Robert Frost’s poem conjures up feelings of comfort and longing. It is this peaceful imagery that I strove to create in my choral adaptation of Frost's poem.