I am still riding the crest of an emotional wave after Saturday's premiere performance of "On the Horizon," which was everything I could possibly have hoped for and more. Hundreds of people came out to witness the birth of longest choral work I've yet written, weaving words and insights from the singers of Commonwealth Youth Choir (with an assist in this last movement from poet Edna St. Vincent Millay) into nine movements about the present and future of our planet.
There are too many people to thank:
♥ the brilliant Dominick DiOrio whose dynamic presence at the podium is a joy for audiences and collaborators alike;
♥
@floness77 , an absolute powerhouse whose willingness, patience, and drive made everything happen;
♥ Elizabeth Parker, whose phenomenal work with young singers let their voices and spirits shine through;
♥
@rockmom47 , who guided young minds through complicated issues with a steady and compassionate hand;
♥ each and every one of the transcendent
@mendelssohnchorus and commonwealthyouthchoir singers, who lifted all this music into the sky and beyond;
♥
@timberdalebrass , who gave me exactly the visceral urgency and sensitive soul I imagined;
♥ Chris Hanning and Brent Behrenshausen, the beating hearts that pumped life into every song;
♥
@tingtingpianist , the MVP genius who makes me want to write more for piano (no small feat; piano intimidates the heck out of me!);
♥
@firstrateversionjw for the gorgeous and meaningful artwork (now on the cover of the score) that was my visual touchstone;
♥
@little_bowe and
@dan.virgen , without whom I couldn't function, and who spent hours poring over more than 500 pages of sheet music between the scores and parts.
This quick video from the very end of the piece (from my cellphone perched in the balcony—better audio and video to come!) captures the moment when I started weeping. I genuinely don't understand how I got so lucky, that this is the life I get to lead, and wonder every day if I'll wake up soon and be devastated to learn it was all a dream.
