I am so thrilled to be having my new work Listen premiered this evening by the Mason City High School Concert Choir. Commissioned by Dean Genth and Gary Swenson to address the problem of bullying, the piece has been nearly 2 years in the making.
This is the most difficult compositional project I have undertaken to date, due in part to the subject matter and in part to the selection of a text. I wanted to write something that wasn’t trite or didactic—something more timeless in nature that acknowledged the complexity of the issue at hand. Early in the compositional process, I collected the thoughts of the MCHS Concert Choir. I sorted their words and phrases by frequency and saw recurring themes of compassion and understanding, which were guiding principles as I created the text, ultimately leading to the title, Listen.
Composition is a very solitary activity; coupled with the crippling self-doubt and writer’s block that inevitably accompany the creative process, it can at its worst feel like a futile exercise in narcissism. Therefore, any opportunity to wield my art in a community-oriented way that might cause people to think about something differently is not only a great privilege but a welcome reminder of why I do what I do.
I am honored to have been commissioned to write this piece and to be the conduit of this message. I hope to see you tonight if you are in the Mason City area. The choir sounds great!