Finding Your Voice
by Amy Gordon
Text by Robert Longley
Music
Finding Your Voice, commissioned by the Vista Murrieta High School Chamber Choir directed by Zachary Krug, sets the reflecGve and upliRing poem by Robert Longley. The text wrestles with how our once-carefree lives can shiR suddenly, which is reflected by the lush harmonies in the Piano and Cello. The choir paints the image of how "something changed" and is "suddenly rearranged" through playful interplay between the parts. The piece goes through various moods, including nostalgia for simpler Gmes, indignance about unfulfilled dreams, and finally a deeper acceptance that we can gain insight "despite a sense of loss" in the piece's climax. The piece concludes with the quietly triumphant realizaGon that we have the power to make meaning from our lives, whether or not they are exactly as we planned, and use those hard-won insights to find our voice.
This piece would fit well in any concert about storytelling, narraGves, and belonging.
Text
It used to be so easy And then something changed All you took for granted Is suddenly rearranged
It’s not the way you planned it
Not in your wildest dreams Cruel it is this universe Or someGmes does it seem
You’ve gained a li3le insight Despite a sense of loss
There is no one way to view it It all comes down to choice To reach within your being And find again your voice
ABOUT THE POET: Robert Longley has wri3en several poetry books over the last thirty years on various topics. He has wri3en several hundred poems for Gold Star military families as well as for families of fallen police and firefighters. He lives in Williamsburg, Ma with his wife and an assortment of four legged friends. You can see more of his poetry at h3ps://www.sacredpoems.com.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER: Amy Gordon is an acGve composer, arranger, songwriter, and vocalist based in Los Angeles, CA. As a choral composer, she has worked with and been commissioned by numerous choirs, including being the composer-in-residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble. She has also scored numerous films and webcasts. She has a BA in ComposiGon from Loyola Marymount University and an MM in ComposiGon from California State University, Long Beach.
Finding Your Voice
by Amy Gordon
Text by Robert Longley
Music
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