Songs about the Human Experience

This unaccompanied piece contrasts a simple unison motif with quick ostinato in the lower voices. The homophonic refrain clearly declaims, "All forces have been steadily employed to complete

This musical "instruction manual" is as whimsical as the singing planet which inspired it. A genre-defying showpiece evoking both the ethereal and the "grooving", How To Sing Like a Planet offers up equal

With text adapted from Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road, this boisterous original concert work is brimming with rhythmic excitement! From the riveting dynamics to its strong lyrical message,

This three-movement suite for tenor-bass choirs is intended to elevate conversations regarding mental health. The composer brings his sense of the dramatic to this powerful score. The first movement,

This song by Francis Smith Thomas, a close friend of the Martin Luther King, Jr. family, was inspired by the words of a woman who participated in the Montgomery bus boycott, a pivotal event in the civil

A simple expression of empathy for those less fortunate, Stephen Foster's song presents the universal message of perseverance through difficult times. A texture for soloist and choir accompanied by

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.

This beautiful ballad, arranged for The King's Singers, has a text that speaks of hope for a better and sweeter world where war and division are distant memories. Filled with characteristically rich and

A banjo-like piano accompaniment and expressive fiddle stylings lend folk authenticity to this plaintive and moving choral setting of Stephen Foster's classic song. The text is set simply but fully, with

"When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone... the work of Christmas begins." This setting of a poem by Howard Thurman, presented as an ethereal benediction, is truly a

With a text inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, this a cappella piece uses changing meter and ethereal choral writing to create wonderful harmonic and melodic moments. Atmospheric and haunting,

A pictorial setting of a haunting poem by Greg DiMarco. Darkness and despair can follow us each day, and it is important for us to "dream the sun, the stars, warmth, and joy." A flowing, expressive, and

This powerful message is about mustering the courage to leap from one stage of life into the next. Melodic lines are juxtaposed with a lively piano accompaniment creating bold expressiveness and strong

Lord Byron's well-known poem paints a moving portrait of advancing age overcoming the frivolity of youth. Infused with the spirit of nostalgia, these lovely melodic lines highlight the text and showcase

This lively work incorporates a sprightly piano accompaniment with the wonderful poem Recuerdo by Edna St. Vincent Millay, along with body movements, to create a real mood piece that is fun and

This work outlines and explores similar themes as the traditional Latin Requiem - love, faith, mortality, surrender to an eternal will - but in a less ecclesiastical framework, with poems and texts drawn

This expressive setting of Sara Teadale's poem The Mystery, which depicts deep lasting love, begins with a unison melody, supported by modulating harmonies in the piano accompaniment, and evolves

This piece is a fast, joyous outburst with the initial lines "I am wild, I will sing to the trees" setting the jubilant tone. The perpetual motion of the syllabic stepwise vocal lines is punctuated by

With a lively folk music-influenced piano accompaniment, soaring vocal lines, and an uplifting hope-filled message, this piece overflows with exuberance and joy from start to finish. The text from Richard

Let It Matter is an urgent call to deep listening across cultural divides, crafted with grit, tenacity and passion. Its pithy, emotionally layered lyrics are punctuated with edgy internal rhymes

A compelling work that uses a text by well known American writer and poet, Charles Anthony Silvestri. This exciting piece with many twists and turns urges us to "Seize the day! Make the journey!"

With a text centered around divine love, and the depths of that love, the music is characterized by slow-moving cluster chords, soaring voice leading, and first inversion chords that give a feeling of

Accompanied by cello, this piece sets a short and poignant text seeking to sum up much of the wonder and uncertainty we find in our most meaningful relationships with a lush, contemporary score. "I hope you

Loaded with offbeat rhythms and broad dynamic contrasts, here is an unabashed vocal painting of this thought-provoking poem by Susan Bowker. Classical choral writing is combined with a contemporary text and