The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today
Chorus & Large Ensemble
chorus with full orchestra, chorus with chamber ensemble, chorus with piano
work detail
instrumentation: Version 1: TTBB and orchestra; Version 2: TTBB and chamber ensemble
completion date: february 2024
duration: 5 minutes
texts: On an original text by the composer
events
ALL WE NEED IS LOVE
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus & San Francisco Symphony - Jacob Stensberg, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall - San Francisco, CA
7:30 pm
On June 18, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) presents All We Need is Love, a concert tribute to love songs. Led by Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg, the SFGMC will showcase their full musical range by performing classical works like Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Five Mystical Songs,” San Francisco composer David Conte’s “Elegy for Matthew,” and a new commission for chorus and orchestra by Dominick DiOrio. The program also features contemporary selections including “True Colors,” “What a Wonderful World,” and “Cut to the Feeling.” The concert marks SFGMC’s third annual concert with the San Francisco Symphony since 2022, building on the success of two sold-out engagements. The SFGMC has collaborated with the Symphony several times since making their Symphony debut in 1995, including performing most recently on the Orchestra’s annual Holiday Gaiety concert in December. Tickets here.
GALA FESTIVAL 2024: SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus - Jacob Stensberg
Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium - Minneapolis, MN
5:30 pm
Jake Stensberg and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus give the premiere of my work The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today at the GALA Festival 2024 closing concert in Minnesota. More information here.
program note
The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today was commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and their artistic director Jacob Stensberg for their June 18, 2024 performance with the San Francisco Symphony. A second version for chamber ensemble was also commissioned for performance at GALA Festival Minneapolis on July 14, 2024. This work is humbly dedicated to my dear friend Jacob in celebration of the wonderful work he is doing in San Francisco. The text is my own, and it deals openly with feelings of anxiety, imposter syndrome, and hopelessness, while providing an optimistic message for how to move forward with the support of one’s community and the determination of one’s spirit to persevere.
- February 2024
commission and dedication
Commissioned by San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus for their June 18, 2024 performance with the San Francisco Symphony and dedicated to my friend and SFGMC's artistic director Jacob Stensberg.
text
The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today Words and Music © 2024 Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved.
VERSE 1 What do I do when the air is thin when my body’s tired and the night is cold? What do I do when the dark sets in when the day’s retired and my story’s told?
Oh, who do I hold?
VERSE 2 How do I live where self-interest reigns and each all-for-one leaves us all alone? How do I cope when I’m lost in love when the next best thing’s just another clone?
I need a stepping stone…
CHORUS I want to feel home when I’m homeless, to feel light in the darkness, to hear the sound of welcome on the way.
I want to feel hope when it’s hopeless, to feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today… the promise that tomorrow holds today.
VERSE 3 How do I live when I’m far from home in this fast-paced land chasing new unknowns? How do I cope when the room is silent when the night’s too quiet When ambition leaves my heart as cold as stone?
No more monotone… Take me home… Take me home.
CHORUS I want to feel home when I’m homeless, to feel light in the darkness, to hear the sound of welcome on the way.
I want to feel hope when it’s hopeless, to feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today… the promise that tomorrow holds today.
BRIDGE I want to feel red and green and blue in the gray… I want to feel an orange, pink, and purple bouquet… I want to feel a sound and sight sensation buffet… Not tomorrow… but today…
CHORUS I will feel home when I’m homeless, I’ll feel light in the darkness. I’ll let the hand of welcome make way.
And I’ll feel hope when it’s hopeless, I’ll feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today the promise that tomorrow holds …
CODA No more monotone. Home is here and everywhere I’ve grown. My future lives in everything I’ve sown. I know that everything will be okay… I promise that tomorrow holds today.
information
events
ALL WE NEED IS LOVE
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus & San Francisco Symphony - Jacob Stensberg, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall - San Francisco, CA
7:30 pm
On June 18, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) presents All We Need is Love, a concert tribute to love songs. Led by Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg, the SFGMC will showcase their full musical range by performing classical works like Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Five Mystical Songs,” San Francisco composer David Conte’s “Elegy for Matthew,” and a new commission for chorus and orchestra by Dominick DiOrio. The program also features contemporary selections including “True Colors,” “What a Wonderful World,” and “Cut to the Feeling.” The concert marks SFGMC’s third annual concert with the San Francisco Symphony since 2022, building on the success of two sold-out engagements. The SFGMC has collaborated with the Symphony several times since making their Symphony debut in 1995, including performing most recently on the Orchestra’s annual Holiday Gaiety concert in December. Tickets here.
GALA FESTIVAL 2024: SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN'S CHORUS
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus - Jacob Stensberg
Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium - Minneapolis, MN
5:30 pm
Jake Stensberg and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus give the premiere of my work The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today at the GALA Festival 2024 closing concert in Minnesota. More information here.
program note
The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today was commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and their artistic director Jacob Stensberg for their June 18, 2024 performance with the San Francisco Symphony. A second version for chamber ensemble was also commissioned for performance at GALA Festival Minneapolis on July 14, 2024. This work is humbly dedicated to my dear friend Jacob in celebration of the wonderful work he is doing in San Francisco. The text is my own, and it deals openly with feelings of anxiety, imposter syndrome, and hopelessness, while providing an optimistic message for how to move forward with the support of one’s community and the determination of one’s spirit to persevere.
- February 2024
commission and dedication
Commissioned by San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus for their June 18, 2024 performance with the San Francisco Symphony and dedicated to my friend and SFGMC's artistic director Jacob Stensberg.
text
The Promise That Tomorrow Holds Today Words and Music © 2024 Dominick DiOrio. All rights reserved.
VERSE 1 What do I do when the air is thin when my body’s tired and the night is cold? What do I do when the dark sets in when the day’s retired and my story’s told?
Oh, who do I hold?
VERSE 2 How do I live where self-interest reigns and each all-for-one leaves us all alone? How do I cope when I’m lost in love when the next best thing’s just another clone?
I need a stepping stone…
CHORUS I want to feel home when I’m homeless, to feel light in the darkness, to hear the sound of welcome on the way.
I want to feel hope when it’s hopeless, to feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today… the promise that tomorrow holds today.
VERSE 3 How do I live when I’m far from home in this fast-paced land chasing new unknowns? How do I cope when the room is silent when the night’s too quiet When ambition leaves my heart as cold as stone?
No more monotone… Take me home… Take me home.
CHORUS I want to feel home when I’m homeless, to feel light in the darkness, to hear the sound of welcome on the way.
I want to feel hope when it’s hopeless, to feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today… the promise that tomorrow holds today.
BRIDGE I want to feel red and green and blue in the gray… I want to feel an orange, pink, and purple bouquet… I want to feel a sound and sight sensation buffet… Not tomorrow… but today…
CHORUS I will feel home when I’m homeless, I’ll feel light in the darkness. I’ll let the hand of welcome make way.
And I’ll feel hope when it’s hopeless, I’ll feel joy in the promise, the promise that tomorrow holds today the promise that tomorrow holds …
CODA No more monotone. Home is here and everywhere I’ve grown. My future lives in everything I’ve sown. I know that everything will be okay… I promise that tomorrow holds today.
