We Reply
Chorus & Large Ensemble
chorus with string orchestra
work detail
instrumentation: SATB, piano, and string quintet (or orchestra)
completion date: july 2018
duration: 4 1/2 minutes
texts: Adapted by the composer from the Shema and Haskivenu prayers
events
WE REPLY @ COLLEGE MUSIC SOCIETY SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra * Eric Posada, conductor
Murphey Performance Hall * San Angelo, TX
7:00 pm
Eric Posada and the Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra perform my work We Reply as part of the CMS South Central Regional Conference.
WE REPLY TO VIOLENCE
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio, artistic director & conductor
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity - Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia, PA
4:00 pm
Dominick DiOrio leads the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in WE REPLY TO VIOLENCE, the first concert of MCP's 150th Anniversary Season. Featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the program opens with Haydn's powerful Mass in Time of War (Paukenmesse), followed by Joel Thompson's visceral and moving Seven Last Words of the Unarmed for the tenors and basses, string orchestra, and piano. DiOrio's own We Reply concludes the concert with music of resilience and determination, as we work to end racial violence through awareness and action.
audio
We Reply
Brett Karlin, conductor
videos
We Reply
We Reply for SATB and string orchestra (or string quintet)
Recording by Master Chorale of South Florida; Brett Karlin, cond.
Published by ECS Publishing
We Reply
The Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra (Dr. Eric Posada, conductor) perform We Reply for The College Music Society South Central Region.
performances
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
St. Andrew's School - Boca Raton, FL
Master Chorale of Tampa Bay
Brett Karlin, artistic director
First Presbyterian Church - St. Petersburg, FL
Master Chorale of Tampa Bay
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church - Tampa, FL
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Chorus America Annual Conference
Trinity Cathedral - 464 NE 16th St, Miami, FL
Pasión
Eric Posada, artistic director
Texas Choral Directos Association Conference
Lila Cockrell Theater - Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
San Antonio, Texas
scores
commission and dedication
Commissioned by and dedicated to the Master Chorale of South Florida, Brett Karlin, Artistic Director
program note and text
We Reply was written for my dear friend Brett Karlin and the wonderful singers of the Master Chorale of South Florida. Imagined for a Bernstein 100th celebration concert, this work was inspired by Bernstein’s famous quote about making art in the face of adversity. Brett had the wonderful idea of incorporating texts from the Jewish sacred prayers the Shema and Haskivenu, and so I set out to craft a text that could respond to these many viewpoints. This was my creation:
Hear us, God
Hear our strife
Hear our plea
Hear us, God
Hear our pain
Hear our joy
We seek your peace
We seek your grace
Hear us, God
Hear our plea
Hear our joy
Heal us, God
Heal our pain
Heal our strife
Guard our going and our coming
Keep us safe in your all-knowing
In the face of struggle, we reply...
In the face of anguish, we reply...
In the face of violence, we reply...
"We shall love you, God,
With all our heart
With all our voice
With all our soul
With all our joy
Now and forever."
And for these words, I composed a music that bursts forth with rhythmic energy and momentum. Its harmonies clash with the threat of violence, but also surge with an inevitable optimism, propulsion, and joy. Yes, we shall make music unabashedly, even when the walls seem to be closing in all around us. And our song will echo on long after we are gone.
-- Dominick DiOrio, July 2018
information
events
WE REPLY @ COLLEGE MUSIC SOCIETY SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra * Eric Posada, conductor
Murphey Performance Hall * San Angelo, TX
7:00 pm
Eric Posada and the Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra perform my work We Reply as part of the CMS South Central Regional Conference.
WE REPLY TO VIOLENCE
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio, artistic director & conductor
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity - Rittenhouse Square - Philadelphia, PA
4:00 pm
Dominick DiOrio leads the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in WE REPLY TO VIOLENCE, the first concert of MCP's 150th Anniversary Season. Featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the program opens with Haydn's powerful Mass in Time of War (Paukenmesse), followed by Joel Thompson's visceral and moving Seven Last Words of the Unarmed for the tenors and basses, string orchestra, and piano. DiOrio's own We Reply concludes the concert with music of resilience and determination, as we work to end racial violence through awareness and action.
audio
We Reply
Brett Karlin, conductor
videos
We Reply
We Reply for SATB and string orchestra (or string quintet)
Recording by Master Chorale of South Florida; Brett Karlin, cond.
Published by ECS Publishing
We Reply
The Angelo State University Chorale & Symphony Orchestra (Dr. Eric Posada, conductor) perform We Reply for The College Music Society South Central Region.
performances
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
St. Andrew's School - Boca Raton, FL
Master Chorale of Tampa Bay
Brett Karlin, artistic director
First Presbyterian Church - St. Petersburg, FL
Master Chorale of Tampa Bay
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church - Tampa, FL
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, artistic director
Chorus America Annual Conference
Trinity Cathedral - 464 NE 16th St, Miami, FL
Pasión
Eric Posada, artistic director
Texas Choral Directos Association Conference
Lila Cockrell Theater - Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
San Antonio, Texas
scores
press
commission and dedication
Commissioned by and dedicated to the Master Chorale of South Florida, Brett Karlin, Artistic Director
published
program note and text
We Reply was written for my dear friend Brett Karlin and the wonderful singers of the Master Chorale of South Florida. Imagined for a Bernstein 100th celebration concert, this work was inspired by Bernstein’s famous quote about making art in the face of adversity. Brett had the wonderful idea of incorporating texts from the Jewish sacred prayers the Shema and Haskivenu, and so I set out to craft a text that could respond to these many viewpoints. This was my creation:
Hear us, God
Hear our strife
Hear our plea
Hear us, God
Hear our pain
Hear our joy
We seek your peace
We seek your grace
Hear us, God
Hear our plea
Hear our joy
Heal us, God
Heal our pain
Heal our strife
Guard our going and our coming
Keep us safe in your all-knowing
In the face of struggle, we reply...
In the face of anguish, we reply...
In the face of violence, we reply...
"We shall love you, God,
With all our heart
With all our voice
With all our soul
With all our joy
Now and forever."
And for these words, I composed a music that bursts forth with rhythmic energy and momentum. Its harmonies clash with the threat of violence, but also surge with an inevitable optimism, propulsion, and joy. Yes, we shall make music unabashedly, even when the walls seem to be closing in all around us. And our song will echo on long after we are gone.
-- Dominick DiOrio, July 2018
