Babεl Chorus
Journey Song - Mari Alice Conrad
We are excited to share with you the world premiere of ‘Journey Song’ by composer Mari Alice Conrad as part of our Choral Composer Mentorship Program (CCMP) in partnership of the Canadian Music Centre. Thank you Grace Church on the Hill for hosting this recording at its beautiful Parish Hall
From Mari Alice: Working with Babel Choir in the inaugural CCMP was a true honour. They set me up for success as an emerging composer and organized a mentorship program that was welcoming, supportive, and inspiring. Working with mentor Dr. Matthew Emery was vital to my development as a composer - from learning how to idiomatically write for voice and choir, to the business of choral music in Canada. Babel choir, Dr. Choi, and its board of directors made it feel like I was working with family. They were loyal to my composition and worked hard to bring it to life despite the challenges of the pandemic. They also curated opportunities for all of the composers to meet and get-to-know each other as well as getting-to-know the singers, as well. They went above and beyond!! Hearing the final product was both moving and exciting knowing how many challenges it took to overcome during the past 18 months of the program. This project was a testament to the adaptability of choral music in Canada and was overall a profound and enriching experience that I will never forget. Bravo Dr. Elaine Choi, Canadian Music Centre, and Babel Choir! Thank you!
Program Notes:
Journey Song captures sacred moments in time—the moments of personal journey one
experiences in finding a place for their own “voice” in the all-encompassing Great Song of Life. Sewell’s imagery of untamed nature, light, and water parallel the joy, growth, and movement experienced in the journey of life. The isolation found in stillness and silence, reveals the reality that one’s voice may veer in unexpected directions, but, in the process, develops perspective and wisdom that ignites a hope to compel the journey forward. For me, contentment is found in acknowledging that the moments in the journey construct and illuminate the unique beauty of one’s voice—an enduring voice that is constantly and unintentionally contributing to the endless, interconnected harmonies of the Great Song.
A heartfelt appreciation to Anna Marie Sewell, for her support and permission to set her poetry to music, and to the extraordinary voices of Babεl Choir in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and their director Dr. Elaine Choi, who have enabled my own creative journey to blossom.
~ Mari Alice Conrad
April 2020
Journey Song
by Anna Marie Sewell
I am the Silence Between Two Rivers
and from this silence, let me follow the Song
O Great Song, at the rising of a well-spring
O Great Song, as I tumble
from this silence to the ceaseless singing sea
let me follow you, swallow you, and sing
Enough light for the journey, and breath enough
enough fire for the journey, and love enough
enough road for the journey, and will enough
and all along the way to hear the song that we are.
O Great Song, in which we all fly home
Great Song, a moment and we’re gone
O Great Song Great River of Song
*An excerpt from this poem was first published, under the title 'Journey Prayer' in Anna Marie Sewell's book Fifth World Drum, 2009, Frontenac House, Calgary.
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