Before the Paling of the Stars (2010)

SATB a cappella

Duration: c. 5'

Choral setting of a Christina Rossetti Christmastide poem.

Commissioned by St. Martin's Chamber Choir and premiered in December 2010.

PURCHASE

Dusk (2012)

SATB, a cappella (also TTBB)

Duration: c. 3'

A setting of a spiritual poem by the Irish poet, artist and mystic George William Russell that evokes the peace and stillness of the coming of evening weaves striking imagery around the omnipresence of God.

PURCHASE

Eternity is Forever (2018)

SATB, a cappella (also SSAA)

Duration: c. 5'

The ethereal sounds in this setting of a Ronald W. Cadmus poem lift us to thoughts of eternity and mystery. When quiet breath ceases, and the heart slows, there is eternity. Love never ends. Light forever shines. It is faith that gives us hope and reveals its mystery that through the dark unknown comes the mystery of morn.

PURCHASE

Forest (2019)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 5'

A setting of an extraordinary poem by Nanci Bern explores the majesty, timelessness and transcendence of trees.

Premiered in January 2020 by the Berlin Philharmonic Youth Choir.

PURCHASE

The Heart of the Tree (2020)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 6'

A setting of a poem by Henry Cuyler Bunner about what planting a tree does for the individual, community and environment.

Premiered September 22, 2022 by the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

PURCHASE

The Leap of Faith (2015)

SATB, a cappella, finger cymbals (also SSAA)

Duration: c. 3'

This setting of an R. Michael Honig poem raises the question of what is the nature of faith. The setting was inspired by the works of the medieval composer Guilliame de Machaut.

PURCHASE

Night Cadence (2014)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 6'

This setting of an extraordinary poem by Nanci Bern explores our longing to discover where we’ve come from, the nature of dreams, and our perception of consciousness and being. Filled with striking musical imagery, the work slowly creates a sense of our yearning for answers.

PURCHASE

On a Bank of Flowers (2019)

SATB, a cappella (also SSA)

Duration: c. 4'

An arrangement of a song written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1789 about the unrequited love of a young man, while not “woke” by contemporary standards, beautifully interweaves the ache of longing with the beauty of nature and forgiveness.

PURCHASE

Peter Quince at the Clavier (2002)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 11'

A setting of Wallace Steven’s meditative poem based on two allusions: one from Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the other from the Bible. The poem is a soliloquy of Peter, who while attempting to play music; he muses on the power and meaning of music. The poet affirms his faith in the physical, concrete, immediate and the real: this partly justifies the carnal desire of the poem’s speaker. The poem is filled with musical illusions and its 4 section structure was intended to mirror the form of a symphony.

PURCHASE

Rest (2020)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 4'

A setting of a lovely poem by Irish poet and artist George William Russell that explores the interdependence of nature as taken from a tree’s POV.

To be premiered In October 2023 by Metropolitan State University of Denver Choir.

PURCHASE

Sonnet 128 (2011)

SATB, a cappella (also SSA)

Duration: c. 4'

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 128 involves the poet standing beside a harpsichord that the Dark Lady is playing. Jealous of his mistress’ touching the instrument rather than him, the poet fantasizes about kissing the woman in the same tender, controlling manner that she uses when playing.

PURCHASE

Sprig of Lilac for Chorus (2003)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 7'

A setting of a quintessential poem by the late Rochester poet Hyam Plutzik, this poem uses images of nature to explores the cycle of life and death and rebirth.

PURCHASE

The Serenity Prayer (2006)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 3'

A setting of the famous poem attributed to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

PURCHASE

Three Spirituals (2005)

SATB, a cappella

Duration: c. 11'

A setting of three poems by Maria V.S. Seigenthaler (I See, Do You Believe, I Know) commissioned by the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music about birth, belief and the power of music. They can be performed separately or as a set.

PURCHASE