Under One Sky
Under One Sky was conceived as part of a collaboration with what came to be known as the "Thousand Mile Choir," a year-long Zoom choral exchange between RISE Chorales of Savannah, GA and the Lawrence University Girl Choirs of Appleton, WI. One of our specific goals of this project was to empower singers to have their voices be heard, involving them directly in the compositional process. After their shared work on "Begin," my previous piece written in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the Movement for Black Lives, we prompted students to discuss the following questions in Zoom breakout rooms:
When students returned to the main session and populated their responses into the chat, we knew right away that we were on to something very special. The insight and wisdom of these singers filled us all with inspiration and hope for the future, and were adapted into the lyrics of this piece. The bridge of "Under One Sky" is intended to capture that magical, stream of consciousness moment of the Zoom chat box being filled with our students' creativity.
At a later session, I presented a first draft which stopped after the bridge. We invited singers to improvise short motives over the chord progression found in measures 31 & 32, which were then transcribed in measures 61 to 66. The twelve I have included in the score give you an example of the collective minds of our singers. Choirs performing this piece in the future are invited to improvise something new of their own and add their own unique voice to this piece.
"Under One Sky" is a result of an unforgettable collaboration. It was a shining example of the good that can happen when you put a team of creative artists together with a distinct vision for the world, and allow them to share that vision through music. It is inspired by the resilience, strength, and creativity of the Thousand Mile Choir, and it is our hope that it lifts you up just as much as we have lifted each other. Collaborating with these singers and their directors has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career, and I couldn't be more proud of the result of our work together.
See below for a performance by RISE Chorales and the Lawrence University Girl Choirs!
- What positive things are you learning about yourself as we continue to live through the pandemic?
- Has your viewpoint changed on anything in society or the world as we live through the pandemic collectively?
- What will you tell your grandchildren about this experience? What lessons would you want to share with them?
When students returned to the main session and populated their responses into the chat, we knew right away that we were on to something very special. The insight and wisdom of these singers filled us all with inspiration and hope for the future, and were adapted into the lyrics of this piece. The bridge of "Under One Sky" is intended to capture that magical, stream of consciousness moment of the Zoom chat box being filled with our students' creativity.
At a later session, I presented a first draft which stopped after the bridge. We invited singers to improvise short motives over the chord progression found in measures 31 & 32, which were then transcribed in measures 61 to 66. The twelve I have included in the score give you an example of the collective minds of our singers. Choirs performing this piece in the future are invited to improvise something new of their own and add their own unique voice to this piece.
"Under One Sky" is a result of an unforgettable collaboration. It was a shining example of the good that can happen when you put a team of creative artists together with a distinct vision for the world, and allow them to share that vision through music. It is inspired by the resilience, strength, and creativity of the Thousand Mile Choir, and it is our hope that it lifts you up just as much as we have lifted each other. Collaborating with these singers and their directors has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career, and I couldn't be more proud of the result of our work together.
See below for a performance by RISE Chorales and the Lawrence University Girl Choirs!
The world is so quiet, yet so loud.
In this storm that I’m under
It’s hard to feel sun through the clouds.
Surrounding myself to keep the shadows at bay
Yet lonesome feelings race through me
And sometimes they stay.
But despite the desperation,
I find motivation.
A moment to RISE and say:
I am done taking small things for granted.
I am growing and learning to grow.
I am leaning on loved ones I need in my life;
They mean more to me now than before.
Through the times when the world can feel broken
Through the times when it all falls apart
I will gather those feelings,
Stand strong through the reeling
And know that we’re going to thrive
Under one sky.
As night stretches onward, I lift my head.
We all see the same moon,
We’ll be in the same room in the end.
Keep on saving space while the world awaits
‘Cause your neighbor might need a little love and grace.
Grateful for today, can’t let this time go to waste.
Although we are divided
We are stronger united.
Together we rise and say:
Under one sky, under one moon,
Under one sun we’ll make it through.
Sometimes we’ll fly, sometimes we’ll fall,
Still we will rise up standing tall.
Although we are apart, we connect heart to heart.
Little things like touch and feel are the things that will heal
Despite the times we bleed, we will choose to succeed.
So join us, come follow our lead!
We are done taking small things for granted.
We are growing and learning to grow.
We are leaning on loved ones we need in our lives;
They mean more to us all than before.
Through the times when the world can feel broken
Through the times when it all falls apart
We will gather those feelings,
Stand strong through the reeling
And know that we’re going to thrive
Under one sky
In this storm that I’m under
It’s hard to feel sun through the clouds.
Surrounding myself to keep the shadows at bay
Yet lonesome feelings race through me
And sometimes they stay.
But despite the desperation,
I find motivation.
A moment to RISE and say:
I am done taking small things for granted.
I am growing and learning to grow.
I am leaning on loved ones I need in my life;
They mean more to me now than before.
Through the times when the world can feel broken
Through the times when it all falls apart
I will gather those feelings,
Stand strong through the reeling
And know that we’re going to thrive
Under one sky.
As night stretches onward, I lift my head.
We all see the same moon,
We’ll be in the same room in the end.
Keep on saving space while the world awaits
‘Cause your neighbor might need a little love and grace.
Grateful for today, can’t let this time go to waste.
Although we are divided
We are stronger united.
Together we rise and say:
Under one sky, under one moon,
Under one sun we’ll make it through.
Sometimes we’ll fly, sometimes we’ll fall,
Still we will rise up standing tall.
Although we are apart, we connect heart to heart.
Little things like touch and feel are the things that will heal
Despite the times we bleed, we will choose to succeed.
So join us, come follow our lead!
We are done taking small things for granted.
We are growing and learning to grow.
We are leaning on loved ones we need in our lives;
They mean more to us all than before.
Through the times when the world can feel broken
Through the times when it all falls apart
We will gather those feelings,
Stand strong through the reeling
And know that we’re going to thrive
Under one sky