Composer Dominick DiOrio has been called a forward-thinking young composer, ready to tackle anything and this exciting piece definitely falls under anything. Written for the virtuosic Houston Chamber Choir and their artistic director, Robert Simpson, this piece makes use of a virtuosic marimba player as well as choir. All musicians must be able to produce a stark pianissimo and a flexible and powerful fortissimo, all with exceptional tonal clarity and expressive declamation of the poerty. Duration ca: 15:00

Arranger: Dominick DiOrio | Composer: Dominick DiOrio

Composer Dominick DiOrio has been called a forward-thinking young composer, ready to tackle anything and this exciting piece definitely falls under anything. Written for the virtuosic Houston Chamber Choir and their artistic director, Robert Simpson, this piece makes use of a virtuosic marimba player as well as choir. All musicians must be able to produce a stark pianissimo and a flexible and powerful fortissimo, all with exceptional tonal clarity and expressive declamation of the poerty. Duration ca: 15:00

Composer: Dominick DiOrio

A Lover's Journey is a set of four pieces which chronicle the extraordinarily commonplace yet supremely elegant story of love. Written as a Valentine to The King's Singers, the composer uses three texts by William Shakespeare and one by James Joyce. Movements include: 1) In the Still Garden; 2) St. Valentine's Day; 3) Will you, Nill you; 4) Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?

Composer: Libby Larsen

Beginning with a sound-scape where the choir creates the sound of waves and wind, this is a piece for the most adventerous choirs. Once the mood is established, a single tenor voice begins the poem, followed by a few sopranos. This grows into a full eight part choir singing forte fades into dust. The texture quickly fades into a reprise of the opening sound-scape with the tenor soloist over the top.

Composer: Matthew Lyon Hazzard

The Ave Maria has been sung, chanted and prayed in churches, cathedrals and cloisters since before the Middle Ages. This setting, which includes quotations from the plainsong chant, depicts the voicing of individual intentions that echo through cathedrals, minds and hearts. Duration: Approx. 4:10. Recorded by the Dale Warland Singers, Concert recording (p) 2002 Minnesota Public Radio. Used with permission of Minnesota Public Radio and the University of Cincinnati.

Composer: Cary Boyce | Performed By: Dale Warland Singers

This text by the Wedderburns is best known from Benjamin Britten's timeless A Ceremony of Carols. This setting serves as a manger lullaby, with the soprano soloist representing Mary.

Composer: Matthew Culloton

These three choral vignettes are inspired by the whimsical poetry of Emily Dickinson. All three pieces require a free play of fancy and imagination. Using extended, aleatoric passages, non-metrical and free harmonic writing, directors and singers are given a pallet to create a piece that will be new every time it is performed.

Composer: Lee Kesselman

The atmospheric mood of this work set to a text by Robert Herrick is intended to suggest a brief moment between wakefulness and sleep as one drifts off to another realm. Without rushing or overstating, choirs will savor each progression toward the final lingering chords.

Composer: Robert Sieving

This musical setting of the famous Mary Elizabeth Frye poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep begins very placidly, and takes the refrain of I am as a mantra for existence. The use of a dramatic soprano solo is both a musical and theatrical choice, with the soloist communicating as if from beyond death to those still alive. The chorus is also a character interaction, at times reclusive or electric, but always with a steely presence.

Composer: Dominick DiOrio

This musical setting of the famous Mary Elizabeth Frye poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep begins very placidly, and takes the refrain of I am as a mantra for existence. The use of a dramatic soprano solo is both a musical and theatrical choice, with the soloist communicating as if from beyond death to those still alive. The chorus is also a character interaction, at times reclusive or electric, but always with a steely presence.

Arranger: Dominick DiOrio | Composer: Dominick DiOrio

With a text from the Celtic collection Carmina Gadelica these words speak directly from the heart, in simple and poignant language that is so often a creative departure from mainstream religious writings and liturgy. This thoughtful choral reflection, profound in its simplicity, conveys the intimacy and immediacy of faith in the daily workings of a strong people who lived close to the earth, their lives indelibly entwined with the divine.

Composer: Steve Sandberg

An elegant setting of the poem by Edward Carpenter, this work evokes the boundary between the living and those who have passed on. So thin a veil divides us from such joy... Performance Time: Approx. 4:40

Composer: Dale Warland

Most of us think that going viral is a 21st century phenomenon, made possible by the immediacy and ubiquity of the Internet. But Tenting on the Old Camp Ground, Walter Kittredge's haunting Civil War song of 1863, went viral in the age of the telegraph, and remains an enduring expression of the yearning for peace. Dale Warland sets this powerful text with a delicate touch including guitar accompaniment that calls for fingernail tapping on the body of the guitar. Duration: ca.4:30

Arranger: Dale Warland

Most of us think that going viral is a 21st century phenomenon, made possible by the immediacy and ubiquity of the Internet. But Tenting on the Old Camp Ground, Walter Kittredge's haunting Civil War song of 1863, went viral in the age of the telegraph, and remains an enduring expression of the yearning for peace. Dale Warland sets this powerful text with a delicate touch including guitar accompaniment that calls for fingernail tapping on the body of the guitar. Duration: ca.4:30

Arranger: Dale Warland

The Gift was created with the long, warm reverberation of a cathedral in mind. This requires the composer to create spaces within the music which leave room for echoing resonance. Dreamlike and impressionistic in character, the work features flowing lines and chords that roll in and out, rising and falling like waves. The text is anonymous 16th century Latin. Duration: ca. 5:15.

Composer: J.A.C. Redford

This beautiful Latin text describes the journey of the Magi as they follow the star to Bethlehem. Composer Robert Sieving depicts this journey musically as he builds from mystical wonder to a fanfare of rejoicing.

Composer: Robert Sieving

The words and music of Without You reflect how grief and disbelief well up in us when we lose someone we love. Here, repetitive, lulling swells reflect the sometimes manageable and often overwhelming emotions we move through as we process this loss.

Composer: Dale Trumbore