Hear choral music by London composer Pete M. Wyer and his Street Motets for New York City, performed live in the studio by the Queens College Vocal Ensemble, conducted by James John. Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang’s poor hymnal, and music from Voces8. The Queens College Vocal Ensemble, led by James John, performs the studio premiere of “Street Motet No. 1” for New York City by London composer Pete M. Wyer. The work was commissioned by Make Music New York to be performed on the streets of New York as part of the annual Make Music New York festivities on the Summer and Winter Solstices. The performance is coordinated with a synchronized headphone system as the vocalists move through space. Small groups of six singers, totalling almost 50 people, will walk and sing simultaneously at points throughout Greenwich Village and East Village, crossing into Washington Square Park, culminating at the Astor Place cube. Details about Street Motets performance on Dec. 21, 3PM as part of Make Music New York. Then, riffing on kindness and what makes a community - and how we take care of each other is also an idea behind David Lang’s poor hymnal. Listen to selections in a recording by the Philadelphia-based choir, The Crossing, where text comes from Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Psalms, and Leo Tolstoy. Also, listen to some of M. Wyer's New Sounds Live commission, “Song of the Human," a work for both birdsong and human voices, featuring Philadelphia-based choir, The Crossing, from the New Sounds Live concert series recorded at Brookfield Place New York in 2016. Plus music from Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble Voces8. - Caryn Havlik “Street Motet No. 1" is a meditation with the text of: May I be filled with loving-kindness May I be Well May I be peaceful and at ease May I be happy And then it's repeated but 'I' becomes 'you' Then Motet No 2, “Whatever Happens Next” (which we all agreed on the show was not technically a motet) the words are: whatever happens next bring love into the world whatever comes next bring kindness to the world don’t give up hope or if it’s too late for that plant the seeds of new hope for tomorrow whatever cause you have for scorn bring kindness to the world instead when tempers rage, when anger reigns choose to reply with reckless grace for every bit of ugliness thrown on the day be the first in line to throw back beauty whatever blind injustice breaks your heart whatever fury breaks upon your shore be the one who brings some peace back to the world every time we return love for hate the reservoir is refilled a little and love wins whatever happens next you’re never on your own despite how it feels sometimes plant the hardy flower of hope in your backyard or better still behind the ugly gas station don’t believe the troubled voice that says we’re doomed and all is lost there’s plenty of good to be found still in the world; be part of it in a thousand small actions in a single word in one defiant moment whatever happens next keep this promise: trust that your one unseen gesture will ripple out through darkness to unknown shores and whatever comes next hope will never be lost Program #4960, With Pete M. Wyer and the Queens College Vocal Ensemble ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: poor hymnal [1:00]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal ARTISTS: The Crossing, Donald Nally, conductorTHE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Song of the Human 6. For Now, and only for now [4:37]RECORDING: New Sounds Live at Brookfield Place, 10/12/2016SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://www.pmwmusic.com ARTISTS: Queens College Vocal Ensemble | James John, conductor THE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Street Motet No. 1 [10:16]RECORDING: Live at WNYC, 12/18/24SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://makemusicny.org | https://www.pmwmusic.com ARTISTS: Queens College Vocal Ensemble | James John, conductor THE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: "Whatever Happens Next" (Street Motet No. 2) [4:22]RECORDING: Live at WNYC, 12/18/24SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://makemusicny.org | https://www.pmwmusic.com ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: prayer for kindness [3:19]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: all who are hungry [3:37]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal ARTIST: Voces 8WORK: Jung Jae-Il, 01 Psalm 22.21 [1:30]RECORDING: NightfallSOURCE: DeccaINFO: https://voces8.lnk.to/Nightfall ARTIST: Voces 8WORK: Caroline Shaw: and the swallow [3:42]RECORDING: NightfallSOURCE: DeccaINFO: https://voces8.lnk.to/Nightfall
Hear choral music by London composer Pete M. Wyer and his Street Motets for New York City, performed live in the studio by the Queens College Vocal Ensemble, conducted by James John. Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang’s poor hymnal, and music from Voces8.
The Queens College Vocal Ensemble, led by James John, performs the studio premiere of “Street Motet No. 1” for New York City by London composer Pete M. Wyer. The work was commissioned by Make Music New York to be performed on the streets of New York as part of the annual Make Music New York festivities on the Summer and Winter Solstices. The performance is coordinated with a synchronized headphone system as the vocalists move through space. Small groups of six singers, totalling almost 50 people, will walk and sing simultaneously at points throughout Greenwich Village and East Village, crossing into Washington Square Park, culminating at the Astor Place cube. Details about Street Motets performance on Dec. 21, 3PM as part of Make Music New York.
Then, riffing on kindness and what makes a community - and how we take care of each other is also an idea behind David Lang’s poor hymnal. Listen to selections in a recording by the Philadelphia-based choir, The Crossing, where text comes from Barack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Psalms, and Leo Tolstoy. Also, listen to some of M. Wyer's New Sounds Live commission, “Song of the Human," a work for both birdsong and human voices, featuring Philadelphia-based choir, The Crossing, from the New Sounds Live concert series recorded at Brookfield Place New York in 2016. Plus music from Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble Voces8. - Caryn Havlik
“Street Motet No. 1" is a meditation with the text of:
May I be filled with loving-kindness May I be Well May I be peaceful and at ease May I be happy
And then it's repeated but 'I' becomes 'you'
Then Motet No 2, “Whatever Happens Next” (which we all agreed on the show was not technically a motet) the words are:
whatever happens next bring love into the world whatever comes next bring kindness to the world don’t give up hope or if it’s too late for that plant the seeds of new hope for tomorrow
whatever cause you have for scorn bring kindness to the world instead when tempers rage, when anger reigns choose to reply with reckless grace for every bit of ugliness thrown on the day be the first in line to throw back beauty whatever blind injustice breaks your heart whatever fury breaks upon your shore be the one who brings some peace back to the world
every time we return love for hate the reservoir is refilled a little and love wins
whatever happens next you’re never on your own despite how it feels sometimes
plant the hardy flower of hope in your backyard or better still behind the ugly gas station don’t believe the troubled voice that says we’re doomed and all is lost there’s plenty of good to be found still in the world; be part of it in a thousand small actions in a single word in one defiant moment
whatever happens next keep this promise: trust that your one unseen gesture will ripple out through darkness to unknown shores and whatever comes next hope will never be lost
Program #4960, With Pete M. Wyer and the Queens College Vocal Ensemble
ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: poor hymnal [1:00]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal
ARTISTS: The Crossing, Donald Nally, conductorTHE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Song of the Human 6. For Now, and only for now [4:37]RECORDING: New Sounds Live at Brookfield Place, 10/12/2016SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://www.pmwmusic.com
ARTISTS: Queens College Vocal Ensemble | James John, conductor THE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Street Motet No. 1 [10:16]RECORDING: Live at WNYC, 12/18/24SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://makemusicny.org | https://www.pmwmusic.com
ARTISTS: Queens College Vocal Ensemble | James John, conductor THE WORK: Pete M. Wyer: "Whatever Happens Next" (Street Motet No. 2) [4:22]RECORDING: Live at WNYC, 12/18/24SOURCE: This performance not commercially available. INFO: https://makemusicny.org | https://www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: prayer for kindness [3:19]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal
ARTIST: The CrossingWORK: David Lang: all who are hungry [3:37]RECORDING: David Lang: poor hymnalSOURCE: Cantaloupe MusicINFO: https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/poor-hymnal
ARTIST: Voces 8WORK: Jung Jae-Il, 01 Psalm 22.21 [1:30]RECORDING: NightfallSOURCE: DeccaINFO: https://voces8.lnk.to/Nightfall
ARTIST: Voces 8WORK: Caroline Shaw: and the swallow [3:42]RECORDING: NightfallSOURCE: DeccaINFO: https://voces8.lnk.to/Nightfall