New Choral Piece About Forgiveness – SATB and strings

We’ve all had to forgive someone. Forgiveness is a difficult thing. I know it.

We’ve had to forgive someone whether it was because they took our toy when we were children, or because they bump into us in the airport. In life, there are easy issues and very challenging ones to forget or move on from.

I feel a choral piece about forgiveness is what I need to write at this moment, when I explore what it means to love myself and to be kinder, to others and to myself.

About the poem/text

I wrote this text around August 2019. At first, it was a very sad thing to write because of what I was going on. I was having a hard time to accept this word: “Forgiveness.” As if it was something I didn’t want to deal with.

The text became a soothing acknowledgment that helped me to settle, as now the piece does. As I write this, I am just sending to Brent, the conductor of Panoramic Voices and fantastic composer, the first draft.

It is always frightening for me to send the first draft. I am secretly hoping that conductors like it and offer helpful advices for me to go forward with the concept I am working on.

Forgiveness
   is difficult.
   So 
is (to) 
   Love.

Do I have an answer to my journey?

I am not looking for an answer with this poem because I do not have it. I did not have it in August 2019 and I do not have it now. All I know is that to forgive can be a difficult journey. I say “is difficult” because it is for me now, but it does not have to be. Maybe you can teach me ways to work through it! If you know books I can read, please leave it in the comments.

The Composition Process of Forgiveness

As I compose this piece, I will explore and research more about forgiveness, but for now, I leave you with the text I wrote back in August and that will serve as the text for my new choral piece with strings commissioned by Panoramic Voices for their 2020 February concert on Valentines Day!

I am excited that I finally decided to save the process of the piece as it evolves through the days. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and now it feels only natural to do so. That way, I can see what I accomplish with each iteration, but also, I can see how the piece changes from session to session. There is also a part of me that wants to work harder because I will save the file of what I work on that day, so I want to make sure I have something to show.

Be sure to check out LOLA, Panoramic Voices, and SIMS Foundation. They are making great contributions to the music scene in Austin, but also out there. I am glad to be partnering with them into giving this message of forgiveness to you.