SATB/SSAA, ensemble (piano)
Published by J.W. Pepper
A commission from the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale, Stardate 101, with an original text by the composer, is a cautionary tale of what the future of the Earth may be if we do not heed environmental concerns. It was premiered at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia 6/24/18.
Instrumentation
| SATB divisi Piccolo Glockenspiel Vibraphone Percussion | Piano 2 or Synthesizer (harp or other sample) Piano |
Duration: 5’30”
Libretto:
As I look at the sky,
I stand and simply marvel
at all the things that we’ve created:
the wheel, the nail, telephones and cotton candy –
wonders of invention.
As I look at the sky,
I see how far we’ve come
yet still alone in the universe.
The signals that we sought never came,
though we longed for a connection.
As I look at the sky,
I remember flowers and trees,
fishes in the seas
swimming in clear waters.
As I look at the sky,
I remember butterflies and bees
floating on a breeze,
rainbows in the light.
And I remember stillness… stillness
As I look at the sky,
I know we’ve come so far yet not so far enough
We failed to see where we were going,
thought we were immortal.
As I look at the sky,
I see what could have been:
A place so far away calling to my heart.
As I look at the sky,
Look up at the sky,
I see that place we once called Earth.