Our Savior's Lutheran Commission
I have been commissioned by Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rockford,
IL to write a piece for choir, brass, handbells and organ to celebrate their
100th anniversary. The piece will be premiered October 19, 2008.
Songs of the Soul
I am currently setting four Walt Whitman texts for SATB chorus, strings, oboe, and percussion. The poems for this song cycle include "A noiseless patient spider," "A Clear Midnight," "Darest Thou Now O Soul," and "This Day, O Soul."
Grace He Showeth
"Grace He Showeth," for wind band, is based on the hymn "Children of the Heav'nly Father." The piece contains many personal meanings relating to the passing of both of my mother's parents. The hymn, written by Karolina Sandell-Berg, was a response to the drowning of her father on a boating trip thus leaving her with no human father. The hymn is a comfort for those who have lost a loved one, especially a parent, and describes how God, an immortal father, will always be there for us because of the "grace he showeth." The piece contains five main sections - I. Life, II. Death, III. Mourning, IV. Anger, V. Grace. This piece is dedicated with love to my mother, Mary Runestad.