Major Works

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The theme of water in the biblical Book of Psalms is complex and multi-faceted. From chapter to chapter, even at times from verse to verse, water imagery is used to allude to biblical history, to describe feelings of oppression on the part of the Psalmist, and to trace the flow of spirituality back to the source of all waters – that is, to God. This work, water psalms, is a musical exploration of the many variations on the theme of water in the Book of Psalms, commissioned by the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union to mark the 400th anniversary of the opening of Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh. It is also, in many ways, a personal and spiritual reaction to the difficulties of 2020, the year in which it was composed.

In Heaven, Hereafter

In Heaven, Hereafter is a sacred cantata that explores the life and writings of Nancy Luce. Conceived of as a companion piece to Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, this extended work for choir, mezzo-soprano and organ dives deep into the eccentricities and profound faith of “The Chicken Lady” of Martha’s Vineyard, one of the island’s most revered folk heroes who lived alone with her beloved hens in the woods off Tiah’s Cove Road. In Heaven, Hereafter was commissioned by a consortium of choirs in England, Scotland and the United States, and will see premiere performances throughout 2019-2020.

 
 

Endless

Endless is a large-scale setting of a libretto that I crafted from the poetry contained in Gitanjali, a collection of ‘song offerings’ by the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Ragore that would go on to secure him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. The work was premiered in March, 2017 by the University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir, the Edinburgh Quartet and the University of Aberdeen Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Michael Zaugg of Pro Coro Canada.  Endless was the product of three years of research during my PhD studies at the University of Aberdeen; a fitting end to one of the most productive periods of my life thus far. 

 
 

A Child's Requiem

A Child's Requiem was commissioned by the Marquette Symphony Orchestra for the 100th anniversary of the Italian Hall disaster, which occurred in Calumet, MI on Christmas Eve, 1913. It was premiered in December of 2013 by the MSO, the MSHS Redmen Chorale, Lastenkuoro and soprano Renata Kapilevich, conducted by Dr. Matthew Ludwig. The libretto was written by the poet Esther Margaret Ayers, and, in addition to English, features sections in Finnish, Slovenian, Italian, German and Latin. The sixth movement of this work, Lux aeterna, has been published separately and is now performed by choirs around the world.