Description
Root ye the living tree is a song cycle excerpted from the larger concert choral work for SATB choir, SSAA choir, soprano soloist, clarinet, cello and piano. Commissioned by the Roane Choral Society in honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, it premiered on March 8, 2020 right before the world shut down because of a global pandemic. There are allusions throughout the work to the creation story of Adam and Eve, tying the idea of the oppression of women’s right to vote to a curse that must be broken. The yellow rose was the symbol of the suffragettes and I chose to use the metaphor contrasting winter/spring to signal the changing tide. The final solo piece is a reminder that we can overcome the things that fetter us with the hope of both a present and future justice.
