Finding Your Voice, commissioned by the Vista Murrieta High School Chamber Choir directed by Zachary Krug, sets the reflective and uplifting poem by Robert Longley. The text wrestles with how our once-carefree lives can shift suddenly, which is reflected by the lush harmonies in the Piano and Cello. The choir paints the image of how “something changed” and is “suddenly rearranged” through playful interplay between the parts. The piece goes through various moods, including nostalgia for simpler times, indignance about unfulfilled dreams, and finally a deeper acceptance that we can gain insight “despite a sense of loss” in the piece’s climax. The piece concludes with the quietly triumphant realization that we have the power to make meaning from our lives, whether or not they are exactly as we planned, and use those hard-won insights to find our voice.

This piece would fit well in any concert about storytelling, narratives, and belonging.