I'm excited to announce a new commission which has just been finalized and that I am writing this summer. Dr. William Eash and the Bethel College Choir are commissioning a new piece for choir, saxophone, and piano! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Eash and the Bethel Choir, and also to include saxophone (near and dear to my heart!) in this piece. The text we decided on is below. I have been thinking about ideas for the piece for a few weeks and have a good idea of the general structure and to some extent the roles of the various forces (men, women, saxophone, piano). Yesterday I got to spend a bit of time working on the piece in one of my favorite spots - the basement of the Eastman annex building! Stay tuned for more details about this piece!
O thou, in whose presence
O thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight,
on whom in affliction I call,
my comfort by day,
and my song in the night,
my hope, my salvation, my all;
Where dost thou, dear Shepherd, resort with thy sheep?
to feed in the pastures of love?
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
or lone in the wilderness rove?
Oh, why should I wander an alien from thee,
or cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
and smile at the tears I have shed.
He looks, and ten thou-sands of angels rejoice,
and myriads wait for his word.
He speaks, and eternity filled with his voice,
reechoes the praise of the Lord.
