I composed “Sing with Me” during the summer of 2020 as my
own personal response to the relentless series of heartaches that we faced: the
uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the anguish of not being able to sing
together, disturbing social justice issues… all of these tested our resolve. It
is the first piece for which I have also written the text. At the time, I was
unsure of what the fall semester would look like for my own choir. Would we be
in person? If so, for how long? Would we have to transition back to online
learning? Therefore, I designed the piece to be accessible and adaptable to
whatever situation we faced. My wonderful students at EKU recorded it as a virtual choir; it premiered on YouTube on Monday, November 23, 2020 (see below). It is my wish that the message of hope and unity will resonate with all who sing or hear it.
Scoring: SATB, piano Text: Richard Waters (see below) Duration: 2:00 Publisher: Carl Fischer Music, CM 9765
