Karen Siegel
Meditation
for unison chorus and piano
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
The pianist approximates what was originally an aleatoric, choral wash of sound. The pianist may therefore take some freedoms with the cross-rhythms. The dynamic journey of the piano part should be more carefully adhered to.
The choral part may be sung in octave unison by a mixed choir, or it may be sung an octave lower by a choir of tenors and basses. The tempo should stay steady throughout, even as the changing subdivisions create a sense of slowing down.
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.
The first versions of this work were originally intended to be performed in a live remote performance, where the choir members were connected via the internet and audio/video software. The latency inherent in online platforms was incorporated as an artistic element the work was largely aleatoric, where singers repeat specific phrases purposely out of synch with the others on their voice parts. A solo allowed for the melody to be heard. In this new version, the choir sings the melody while the pianist expresses the harmony and approximates the rhythms of the choral 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 three versions for mixed choir a cappella, for treble choir a cappella, and now for unison choir and piano The first two versions were 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. This version for unison choir and piano was created for the Goldenrod Chorale in Hoboken, NJ.
— KS, May 2025
Commissioning Consortium
original SATB & SSAA versions 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
For the Goldenrod Chorale; original 4-part versions commissioned by the thirteen choirs in the “Meditation” Commissioning Consortium
In the Moment
Choir Piano
MayIbeslow toangerandquicktoforgive.
MayIholdmychildaminutelonger.