Composer: Oliver CaplanDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: S, A, T, BSolo Requirements: SAccompaniment: full orchestraInstrumentation: stringsNotation: standardPerformance Length: 17:00 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: newmusicshelf.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Naseem RakhaText: We Exist It begins with one A hundred A thousand A hundred thousand A million. A multitude of murmuring birds flying together A savant wave of wings Filling the sky with sound And human minds with meditations on migrations. We exist not in parts but wholes. Whole bodies Whole hearts Whole generations With whole dreams about their whole and holy future We exist not to flash but to sizzle to fight with a heat and love with a heat and live with a heat so strong it propels us upwards despite the downdrafts of doubt the blood push of fear the shrapnel stabs of hate We exist Meditating on migration The age of trees The wisdom of whales The majesty of seas It begins with one A hundred A thousand A hundred thousand A million A multitude of murmuring humans Old young dark light All faiths All genders All races We exist not to divide but to join not to blame but to build not to surrender but to lift up our arms A savant wave of wings flying upward and onward and forward beyond today. It begins with you. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateDescriptive Terms: equalitycivil rightsloveCharlottesvilleAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: The 2017 violence in Charlottesville, Virginia—and the tepid response from the highest level of government—revealed dark undercurrents of xenophobia, sexism, racism and homophobia that shook me to my core. The arc of justice has taken us two steps forward, one step back. At times it even seems like one step forward, two steps back. It’s time to redouble our efforts. We Exist responds to hatred with a call to action. Each of us carries the responsibility to open our hearts and speak against affronts to freedom. This piece celebrates the strength of diversity and honors all races, all faiths and all genders. All. Love and equality begin with you. Additional InformationDate of Completion: April, 2018Date of First Performance: Friday, June 22, 2018Premier Performance Data: New Hampshire Master Chorale (Dan Perkins, cond), First Church Boston, Boston, MAAdditional Performances: October 20, 2018, Chamber Orchestra of Boston, David Feltner, First Church Boston, Boston, MA
