Were You There?

Written for the Bel Canto Women's Choir of Azusa Pacific University, Azusa CA, this setting of a well-known spiritual starts out with a moan-like, a cappella intro in a minor key depicting the stark picture of the crucifixion. Then through the verses, the scenes of the cross and the grave are intersected with the moans until the choir reaches the climactic last verse where, in a major key, the triumphant resurrection comes forth! This arrangement was met with rave reviews throughout Indonesia and the United States.