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Requiem mvt I

Requiem for All Souls

My sabbatical has opened up a vast frontier of unstructured time…[cue tumble weed,.. wind on the prairie,… nervous clearing of throat…] No courses to design, no choir rehearsals to prepare, no volunteers to recruit, no meetings to attend, no music to practice. What on earth to do with all of this lovely, precious, exquisite, empty time? Thankfully, it seems that just the right projects have come along at just the right time. I am putting the finishing touches on a Requiem mass for an Episcopal parish in California. Dr Ruben Valenzuela is the music director of All Souls’ San Diego.… Read More »Requiem for All Souls

The Arrow and the Song

I’ve posted a new ‘free score’ for you to enjoy with your choir. No, it’s not a Christmas piece. My dear friend Tricia will be celebrating a significant birthday and she asked me to write a piece for her, in lieu of chocolates, flowers or silk stockings. She chose the text from Longfellow which turns out to be a delightful reflection on friendship and artistic effort. She also ran an important fundraising evening for ALS to celebrate her birthday. What a beautiful and selfless thing to do. Thanks for the opportunity Tricia! Just go to my Compositions Page and you’ll… Read More »The Arrow and the Song

Babel

Babel: a choral symphony – the video

Due to the forward thinking folks at Wilfrid Laurier University, the premiere performance of my choral symphony “Babel” is now up on Youtube for you to see and hear. I’d love to share this with you. If you have 45 minutes to spare, click through to the video and watch. Here’s the link to the movie: Babel: a choral symphony There is no scrolling text in the video so if you want to reference the words of Cori Martin’s beautiful and thought-provoking poetry, you can click on this link here: BABEL How did the premiere go you ask? Very well.… Read More »Babel: a choral symphony – the video

BABEL – the poem by Cori Martin

Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses to my last post. Your overwhelming kindness and support humbles me. Many of you have requested to read the poem “Babel” by Cori Martin in advance of the performance. You’ll need to print out all 4 pages and sit down with a cup of coffee and devote some time to this. The body of the poem runs alongside marginalia taken from diverse, existing poetry in many languages. Keep the notes on page 4 handy – you’ll be looking up classical verse, German poetry, Dante, Milton and the Bible etc. etc. Actually you might even want… Read More »BABEL – the poem by Cori Martin

An open letter to students boycotting my work

Rehearsals are underway for the first performance of my choral symphony at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. I am saddened to hear that some students are boycotting my work since they consider it “blasphemous.” I believe a Canadian university must be a safe place to discuss controversial topics and respect differences – a haven for critical thinking, experiment and inquiry – and I hope every student pouring their hard work and musicianship into this project can feel safe and proud performing my piece. I post this open letter not to judge, but to invite reflection and reconciliation. Dear Students, Love… Read More »An open letter to students boycotting my work

Museum of Human Rights

Why Winnipeg?

Some have asked, “Why was the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ annual convention held in Winnipeg?” Winnipeg, an ancient meeting place at the intersection of two rivers, is richly layered with history and culture, boasting many fine organs, choirs and orchestral players who provided us with a thrilling week of workshops and concerts this July. The organizers of this year’s RCCO convention brilliantly linked our small musical fellowship with the wider urban community, connecting our festival with the world-class Museum of Human Rights, recently opened right around the corner from the Via Rail train station. The Museum is a thought-provoking… Read More »Why Winnipeg?

Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill Memorial Fund

In March 2012, I was looking for a way to remember Bruce in a meaningful way. Marsha Goold initially set up a fund to help me through that rough time, and many friends contributed immediately. But after things settled down, remarkably, there was a bit left over. I asked for financial advice and approached a couple of different organizations. I needed to find a group that would be willing to do the ongoing work of administering the fund, acknowledge donors with tax receipts, and use the money to do something that would honour Bruce’s passion for choral music, his commitment… Read More »Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill Memorial Fund

Drop slow tears

Since Easter is only 4 weeks away, I’ve changed the choral music “free download” button on this website. Fairbank Music is no longer going to be publishing general choral music . So the copyright has expired, and this piece is, for the time being “out of print.” So it’s my gift to you for this month. You can feel guilt free to download it and copy it for your choir. I’ve also included an MP3 recording of St. Mary Magdalene’s lovely choir singing this live in the church. I would love to know if you will be performing it with… Read More »Drop slow tears

Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

CHRISTMAS CATTLE by Cori Martin (2008) Could it be true, old Thomas Hardy’s tale: at midnight, Christmas Eve, the oxen kneel to Bethlehem? Our parents slept. We kept a vigil till the magic hour, then crept outside, across the glittering, frozen snow to see this vision promised long ago. And, Lo! Behold! There were the cattle in the moonlit barn, a huddled congregation mangered, softly lowing like singers choired in their stalls. Yet, I feel some cattle shared the doubts then sprouting in my childish thought. For some were kneeling there. And some were not. Cori Martin’s poem captures not… Read More »Christmas Cattle: A poem by Cori Martin

Set it free

Several years ago UtReMi kindly published my piece for flute, oboe and choir – a setting of the well-known Biblical passage “God so loved the World.” I wrote the piece for Father Tay Moss who helped me settle in when I first came to St. Mary Magdalene’s and needed help understanding the rich and complex liturgical tradition there. This piece was for Holy Cross day, September 14, 2007. Since that time, UtReMi publishers have ceased operations. Rather than having the piece lost in the limbo between published and unpublished, I asked their permission to set it free and offer it… Read More »Set it free