PROJECT : ENCORE™: Piano

This composition won first place in the 2007 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition.

Although Valley of Silence is a lengthy one movement work, there are various tempi, colors, and moods in the piece as they follow Rev. Ryan's post Civil War poem. This particular poem  is from Ryan's later writings and is sweeter yet more powerful compared to the earlier bitterness of his post war poems. The poem's message of blocking out the “noise” and busyness of our world applies even more today than the times after the Civil War.

The AHS Bel Canto Chorale Men were invited to perform a concert as a featured chorus for the TMEA Convention in 2008.  They commissioned me to write this piece to not only showcase their talent but also to pay respects to a local family who lost their son in the military.
 

Although premiered at Jordan Hall in March 2003 by a children’s chorus (PALS) with baritone soloist, The Voice of Isaac has subsequently been presented with solo adult voices and  can effectly be presented in several possible ways including adult singers (chorus and soloists) only, as well as a combination of adult and children singing choral and solo parts.

Program note [from March 2003 Jordan Hall premiere]:

The Long Bright is an hour-long cantata on breast cancer. The premiere was held at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia and served as a fundraiser. raising over $40,000 for breast cancer research. The Long Bright was awarded the 2005 Theodore Front Prize for Chamber and Orchestral Music from the International Alliance of Women in Music.

A golem is a creature from Jewish folklore, made from mud or clay and brought to life through a Kabbalistic ceremony. The Golem Psalms is a choral cantata for baritone solo, SATB chorus and orchestra based on the 16th Century legend of the Golem of Prague where Rabbi Lowe created a Golem as a protector for the Jewish people. The cantata is structured as a series of 7 tableaus inspired by the story with a libretto, written for this work, by Dr.