Congratulations to Rob Stow and the Elk Rapids HS Choirs for their premiere of “Raise Your Voice” tonight at their final concert. This piece was collaboratively composed by me and my wife, Mandy, with texts from Mandy, our daughter, and Rumi. (We also included a favorite spoken text from Howard Thurman, bookended with a beautiful spoken text created by the ensemble.)
It’s always my preference to be there when a piece I’ve written is first performed, and it’s not always possible. And it’s a hard thing to be away from the premiere of a piece you’ve written. It was, of course, conceived in our brains, and hashed out at our piano and in our kitchen. Important commitments kept us away but our hearts were there, celebrating the completion of the compositional circle.
Now this new musical child belongs to the world, and that, too, is exciting. Onward to the next adventure!