Karen Siegel Meditation
May I still my mind.
May I open my heart.
May I be slow to anger and quick to forgive.
May I slow my pace.
May I stop to breathe.
May I hold my child a minute longer.
May I live each day.
May I learn to wait.
May I come to terms with uncertainty.
May I smell the rain.
May I hear the birds.
May I feel the warmth of the sunshine.
Karen Siegel
Performance Notes
This work was originally intended to be performed in a live remote performance, with the singers and conductor connected via the internet with the use of audio and video software, due to the precautions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also been performed in-person, with social distancing, during the time when that was necessary. Now that normal performing practices have resumed, a choir may choose to spread out to recreate in a small way the experience of the social distancing era.
Musical phrases within a box are to be repeated aleatorically, and singers should take care not to start at the same time as others on their voice part. Singers should feel free to breathe in-between repetitions. It may be useful to designate a singer on each voice part to come in right away, as there can be a tendency for everyone to wait for someone else to start first. Except where noted (or where the next phrase is identical), singers should cut off at the time indicated without finishing the phrase. The numbers over aleatoric measures indicate the number of measures’ duration for which that measure should be held.
In the piano rehearsal part, the primary harmony is presented first, with additional dissonance appearing in parentheses. When there are three chords accompanying an aleatoric section, the first chord is the initial sound the choir should hear as entering, the second chord is the primary harmony, and the third chord is the added dissonance. The rehearsal accompanist should sustain and repeat those chords as needed, with emphasis on the primary harmony. It may be useful to only play the primary harmonies when first learning the notes.
If a live remote choral performance is ever necessary or desirable, please see karensiegel.com/live-remote for instructions on how to set it up.
Program Note
“Meditation” was inspired by my experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote the poem in early May 2020, when the NYC region was past the peak but still in the throes of the virus’ impact, and I had been sheltering at home with my family for two months. The poem grew from a meditation that helped me get through that time, and I thank Laurie Goldstein Padrón (ittakesanopenheart.com) for sharing that meditation with me. “Meditation” was intended to be a balm for singers still physically disconnected from their choirs as the pandemic stretched on. It was the piece that I wanted to sing in that moment.
This work was created for live remote performance, where the choir members were connected via the internet and audio/video software. The latency inherent in online platforms is incorporated as an artistic element the work is largely aleatoric, where singers repeat specific phrases purposely out of synch with the others on their voice parts. The solo allows for the melody to be heard without getting lost in a swirl of sound. The form of “Meditation” follows a journey from chaos to calm, mirroring the experience of meditating in a time of distress.
“Meditation” exists in two versions, for mixed and treble choir. It was commissioned jointly by the thirteen choirs in the “Meditation” Commissioning Consortium, premiered by the Tier 1 choirs September-December 2020 and performed by the Tier 2 choirs January-June 2021 in a combination of live remote online performances and in-person distanced performances; with choirs located in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Washington State; and in Munich, Germany.
KS, March 2025
Commissioning Consortium commissioned jointly by the following choirs and institutions:
Tier 1 2020 premieres:
Caldwell University Chorale
Dr. Laura Greenwald, Director of Vocal Activities
Hofstra University Chamber Choir
Dr. David Fryling, Director of Choral Activities
Queens College Vocal Ensemble
Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College-CUNY
Dr. James John, Director of Choral Activities
Wheaton College Women's Chorale
Dr. Mary Hopper, Director of Performance Studies
Young Women’s Chorus of San Francisco
Dr. Susan McMane, Director
Tier 2 2021 performances:
Black Hawk College
Irene Apanovitch-Leites, Director
Camas High School
Ethan Chessin, Director
Chorus pro Musica
Dr. Jamie Kirsch, Music Director sponsored by Austin Stewart and Charlie Dill
Glastonbury High School Madrigals
Dr. Ethan Nash, Director of Choirs
Munich International Choral Society
Mary Ellen Kitchens, Music Director
Quartz Hill High School
Annika Linde, Choral Director
Sacred and Profane: a chamber chorus
Dr. Rebecca Seeman, Artistic Director
Yale Glee Club
Dr. Jeffrey Douma, Director
Karen Siegel