Two Letters to Self (SATB)

Two Letters to Self (2023) sets texts that explore our relationship to our past selves through the clear lens of retrospect. Each poem takes a different approach to this idea. 

i. the gate mourns realities and opportunities lost to decisions we didn't realize the cost of at the time. The visual spacing of the words in the formatting of the poems echoed in the uneven rhythm of the setting. There was something quite striking about the democratization of the words through the spacing, and I wanted to make sure that element would be apparent from the listener’s perspective.

ii. to my distant past gives empathy and caring to the old versions of ourselves that traversed the mountains and valleys of our lives, before we knew we'd be alright in the end. To me, the most important line of the poem “I’ll be there for you then,” “then” meaning through the good and the bad. I tried to highlight the “then’s” by repeating them like bells throughout the movement.

I've worked with poet Leela Srinivasan on previous projects, and so enjoy her exquisite poetry. A hallmark of her work is quiet introspection and exploration of internal emotion, brought into the visceral world through colorful, evocative, and unusual word choices and descriptions. When I first read these poems, I couldn't stop imagining them set for choir, precious words echoing through the rich texture of many voices together. I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do so now.

Commissioned by Consonance (formerly Chicago Choral Artists) and Michael Costello, artistic director.

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