Tag Archives: new

WomenSing Choral Draft

Earlier this week, I finally completed a draft of my commission for WomenSing’s “Youth Inspiring Youth” contest. It was my first time working with Spanish poetry. I’ve always thought that Spanish is a beautiful language, and it was wonderful to set to music. The poem I chose was written by two nine-year-old girls from California. Here it is:

[column col=”1/2″ last=”no”] Hay un Río Oscuro

En la alcantarilla de la calle

En frente de mi escuela.

Nació de la lluvia

Y ya no corre más.

Se queda triste

Con gotas de gasolina

Y un papel rojo

Que tiró un niño

Después de comer un dulce.

Pero aun triste y sucio

Lleva la sombra de mi cara

Las nubes andrajosas

Y en blanco y negro

Todo el cielo.  [/column]

[column col=”1/2″ last=”yes”] [column col=”1/2″ last=”no”] There is a dark river

In the gutter of the street

In front of my school.

I was born in the rain

And isn’t flowing anymore.

It’s sort of sad

With drops of gasoline

And a red wrapper

Some kid tossed

After eating a candy.

But although it’s sad and filthy

It carries the shadow of my face

The tattered clouds

And in white and black

The whole sky. [/column]

Michelle Díaz Garza, age 9
& Rosa Baum, age 9
Watsonville, California

Beautiful, isn’t it? Over the next couple months I’ll be working with the WomenSing family to finalize the piece, which will be premiered in June 2013.

New Choral Piece Finished!

Finally. I just put the finishing touches on my newest choral piece, “Old Wooden Joints”, which I wrote for a friend’s choir in Boston. The piece uses a text by my friend Adrianne, a talented violinist and poet. She also wrote the text used in “Wildfire”. “Old Wooden Joints” is part of a series of elementally-themed works all commissioned for this choir, and will be performed sometime in December. I can’t wait to hear a recording!