alleluia (from quarantine)

  1. slow

  2. fast

SATB double choir, a cappella

When I entered lockdown in March 2020 due to COVID-19, I sat down to write something that wasn’t commissioned but, rather, a form of self-care for me during such an unprecedented time. It’s a setting of the word “alleluia” which, for me, has always been a word that expresses gratitude; being thankful for friends and family and music and laughter (and also sadness). The work that came out had some slow, legato moments but also bright, rhythmic stuff. And it ends with a thunderous B-major chord.

Initially, I thought that I might put together a consortium simply to premiere this thing I had written, but then I wondered how this composition could do something for the broader musical community during the pandemic. I wanted to attempt to support those friends and colleagues of mine who make their money by putting together a full-time living by combining multiple part-time or one-off gigs who were struggling with their livelihood because quarantine essentially completely hobbled public performances.  These people don’t feel “non-essential” to me, and never have.

So, what I ended up doing was attempting to put together a consortium of choirs to premiere the piece and give 100% of the result to a charity for gigging musicians called the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund which provides financial assistance to career musicians in need. In the wake of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization established a fund specifically for musicians and music industry workers affected by the pandemic; funds raised went towards medical expenses, lodging, clothing, food, and other vital living expenses to those impacted due to sickness or loss of work.

The piece I wrote ended up being scored for double choir but, because of the direction it took me, I was also able to adapt it into a pretty cool version for mixed choir and piano so as many ensembles as possible could join in. After a sustained outreach effort, there was such an outpouring of support that the consortium raised over $11,000 with ensembles joining from Texas, California, Oregon, Minnesota, North Carolina, Colorado, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Washington, Arizona, Arkansas, South Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, Georgia, Nebraska, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Utah, and Missouri, and they represented every different kind of eligible choir; high school, church, collegiate, community, and professional ensembles all donated. The process turned into a truly inspiring coast-to-coast, border-to-border, national project to help support the gigging musicians that are one of the backbones of our art!

alleluia (from quarantine) is dedicated with love and gratitude to all my colleagues who had their livelihoods disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consortium members

  • Baylor University (TX)

  • California Baptist University

  • California State University – East Bay

  • Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland (OR)

  • Coe College (IA)

  • Concordia College (MN)

  • Flower Mound High School (TX)

  • Gardner-Webb University (NC)

  • Georgia State University

  • Harvard University Choir (MA)

  • Hickory Choral Society (NC)

  • Kantorei (CO)

  • Lawrence University (WI)

  • Loyola University – New Orleans (LA)

  • Mansfield University (PA)

  • Mid-Columbia Mastersingers (WA)

  • Nebraska Wesleyan University

  • Ohio Northern University

  • Oregon State University

  • Providence College (RI)

  • SACRA/PROFANA (CA)

  • Salt Lake Choral Artists (UT)

  • San Antonio Mastersingers (TX)

  • Spokane Kantorei (WA)

  • Sunday Night Singers (CA)

  • Texas Lutheran University

  • True Concord Voices & Orchestra (AZ)

  • University of California – Berkeley

  • University of Central Arkansas

  • University of Oregon

  • University of Portland (OR)

  • University of South Carolina

  • Vocal Artists of Iowa

  • Washington and Lee University (VA)

  • Washington University in St. Louis (MO)

  • Various private donors

A performance of the piano version by the Hickory Choral Society (Ryan Luhrs, conductor) featuring some of their memories of coping with the COVID-19 lockdown.

A performance of the a cappella version by the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland (Dr. David De Lyser, conductor)

And, just to prove my choral cred a bit, here’s a pic of me visiting the grave of Randall “The American Alleluia” Thompson in Mt. Auburn Cemetery near where I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts (taken during the pandemic, obviously).  You can barely make it out in the picture but, above his name, the gravestone simply says “Alleluia.”

Performed by The Concordia Choir
(Dr. Michael Culloton, conductor)