The Forest Always Sings

Commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Chorale in honor of their 10th anniversary and in loving memory of founding Artistic Director Edward W. Milisits II. Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Artistic Director

The Forest Always Sings by Dominick DiOrio

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why the forest always sings? Why the nightingale and hummingbird Sing their song of air and wings? Chit and chatter, flit and flutter, Singing their song of air and wings?

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why the desert always hums? Why the rattlesnake and fennec fox Sing their song of sand and crumbs? Slick and slither, gik and gekker, Singing their song of sand and crumbs?

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why music stirs the soul? Why a minor chord and supple word Move the heart all whole?

The answer is one and the same.

For if we only listen To the song we think the best And silence all the voices That do not pass the test.

The forest song would quiet, The desert hum would cease, And music could not stir the soul… A cruel and somber peace.

No!

Reject the sullen quiet! Reject the silent plea! Remember that you have a voice And raise it unabashedly.

Together we have power To resist the spread of hate. Together we are stronger To sing and to create.

For when we join the chorus In pride and joy unbound, We welcome every neighbor Who forever will be found

In forest and in desert In soul and song and heart: The chorus of our choosing, Our joyous, wondrous art.

Copyright © 2025 Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved.

The Forest Always Sings is commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Chorale in honor of their 10th anniversary and in loving memory of their founding Artistic Director: Edward W. Milisits II.

I was honored to receive this commission from my dear friend and former student, Nick Sienkiewicz, who now serves as LVC’s leader and conductor. We searched long and hard for a text that would match the spirit of Ed and the community he built, and finding none, I decided to write my own text and hope for the best. I am proud of the result, an optimistic and inclusive poem that reminds us how we are all a part of life’s great circle.

• Dominick DiOrio, December 2025

Commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Chorale in honor of their 10th anniversary and in loving memory of founding Artistic Director Edward W. Milisits II. Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Artistic Director

The Forest Always Sings by Dominick DiOrio

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why the forest always sings? Why the nightingale and hummingbird Sing their song of air and wings? Chit and chatter, flit and flutter, Singing their song of air and wings?

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why the desert always hums? Why the rattlesnake and fennec fox Sing their song of sand and crumbs? Slick and slither, gik and gekker, Singing their song of sand and crumbs?

Have you ever stopped to wonder Why music stirs the soul? Why a minor chord and supple word Move the heart all whole?

The answer is one and the same.

For if we only listen To the song we think the best And silence all the voices That do not pass the test.

The forest song would quiet, The desert hum would cease, And music could not stir the soul… A cruel and somber peace.

No!

Reject the sullen quiet! Reject the silent plea! Remember that you have a voice And raise it unabashedly.

Together we have power To resist the spread of hate. Together we are stronger To sing and to create.

For when we join the chorus In pride and joy unbound, We welcome every neighbor Who forever will be found

In forest and in desert In soul and song and heart: The chorus of our choosing, Our joyous, wondrous art.

Copyright © 2025 Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved.

The Forest Always Sings is commissioned by the Lehigh Valley Chorale in honor of their 10th anniversary and in loving memory of their founding Artistic Director: Edward W. Milisits II.

I was honored to receive this commission from my dear friend and former student, Nick Sienkiewicz, who now serves as LVC’s leader and conductor. We searched long and hard for a text that would match the spirit of Ed and the community he built, and finding none, I decided to write my own text and hope for the best. I am proud of the result, an optimistic and inclusive poem that reminds us how we are all a part of life’s great circle.

• Dominick DiOrio, December 2025