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Music Commissions

We’ve been busy commissioning new works! Click each block to learn more about our commissions.

As the Rain Hides the Stars

SATB with SS partner choir

Kristopher Fulton

Premiered Feb 28, 2015 at Canadian Memorial United Church, Vancouver.

DeCoro, Youth and Children’s choir sang the premiere.
Text is a celtic/ Scottish Gaelic prayer.
Commissioned in recognition of our 25th season, Fulton was offered the challenge to write a piece that brought together singers of many ages, in different choirs. Through word painting and textural changes in the music, Fulton illustrates how we take turns supporting one another, and how a greater power remains constant.
Commissioned for CSMA by Diana & Andrew Clark

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Our Native Land

Unison/ 4 parts

Deanna Gestrin

Premiered June 12, 2016 at Evergreen Cultural Centre. “We Live Here” program celebrating Coquitlam’s 125th

with Land of the Silver Birch; some lyrics in Lil’wat written by Deanna for Coastal Sound Apprentice Choirs

A reclaiming of “Land of the Silver Birch” by Deanna.

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Delightfully Me

Unison/ 2 parts

Deanna Gestrin

Premiered June 11, 2017 at Evergreen Cultural Centre’s “The Wild in You” program

written by Deanna for the CSBoychoir.

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Peace

2 part treble

Jeff Enns

Premiered March 3, 2018 at Canadian Memorial United Church, Vancouver.

Text by Sara Teasdale; performed by Children’s Choir throughout their Winnipeg “Darkness Into Light” tour.

Commissioned for CSCC by Diana & Andrew Clark

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For the Strength in My Heart

4 part treble with solos & descant

Deanna Gestrin

Premiered March 2, 2019 at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church

Commissioned in recognition of our 30th season. Text chosen by CSMA founder Donna Otto, is a published poem by Chief Dan George. Publisher and George Family granted permission for the text to be used.

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Maple Keys

3 part treble

Laura Hawley

Premiered March 7, 2020 at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church

Co-commission with Burnaby Youth Chorus and Coastal Sound Music Academy. Text written for this commission, inspired by the St. Boniface MB sculpture of maple seed pods blowing out into the wind. CSCC saw this sculpture on tour in Winnipeg.

Commission and workshops with composer funded by CSMA’s 30th Anniversary Music Commissioning Fund. 
We were not able to get a good video of this in 2020, so we are working towards making a good recording of it in
2021-2022.

The Wedding

SATB divisi a cappella

Hussein Janmohamed

2018 Commission Consortium organized by Chorus America.
Hussein is Canadian, (lived in Burquitlum for some years) and has worked with our choirs; he’s getting recognized nationally
and internationally now, so this is an opportunity to be part of this high-profile consortium, while supporting “one of our own”. Final revised version was delivered March 10, 2020, then the Pandemic struck… we will re-visit this piece now that Hussein has moved to Vancouver.

2023: Vancouver Youth Choir made this piece part of their ISME program in Turkey.

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Come Back Like the Sea with Singing

SATB + Piano

Katerina Gimon

Premiere postponed due to COVID. Has been delivered in September 2021. Premiered June 17, 2022 season by CSYC

Written for Coastal Sound Youth Choir, Will de Sousa,
conductor. Text by Sara Teasdale.

Text lined up well with the return to in person singing.

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Origin

SSA

Nicholas Ryan Kelly

Commissioned in 2022-2023; premiered March 2023

Written for Coastal Sound Children’s Choir, Diana Clark, conductor. An evocative and “deep” piece for developing
choirs! Theme of “insects and birds were here before us- let them be”.

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The Diver

SATB + Piano

Nicholas Ryan Kelly

Commissioned in 2022-2023; premiered March 2023

Written for Coastal Sound Youth Choir, Will de Sousa, conductor. Text by Amy Lowell.

Text describes a scene of a cliff diver preparing to take the. plunge – the stillness in the moments atop the cliff before bravely jumping.

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Sea of Snow

SA

Benjamin Sigerson

Commissioned in Fall 2023, premiered December 2023

Written for Coastal Sound Children’s Choir, Diana Clark, conductor. Piece has jazz harmonies; sounds like a classic!

We love it, and it works well on a “Winter-themed” program.

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Where Flies the Lark

SATB + Piano

Benjamin Sigerson

Commissioned late 2023, premiered April 13, 2024

Written for Coastal Sound Youth Choir, Will de Sousa, conductor. Premiered as a part of Will’s graduate conducting
recital to match the theme of birds and flight.

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Dear –

SA

Hope Salmonson

Commissioned 2024, premiered June 15, 2024

Written for Coastal Sound Youth Choir, Will de Sousa, conductor. Text selected in collaboration between singer committee and composer – the singers submitted various texts by LGBTQ+ poets, and worked with Hope in finding the right one for this piece. Text by Donika Kelly.
Features a gorgeous aleatoric section.

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Lift Up Your Voice

SATB 

Benjamin Sigerson

Commissioned 2024, premiered June 2024

An anthem about the joy of singing; worked well as a massed number with SA and SATB singers; separate section for treble voices. Another gem that feels good to sing and comes together easily.

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Birds in a Looking Glass

SATB + Piano

Nicholas Ryan Kelly

Consortium with Da Camera Singers, VOCA Chorus of Toronto, and CSYC.
Premiered December 14, 2024 by Coastal
Sound Youth Choir

This song is one part of an eventual three song set – Nick is continuing to work to bring out choirs into the consortium to complete the funding of the other two pieces. We will have co-premiere rights upon completion of the other two pieces.

Text by Carl Sandburg.

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Moonstalker

SATB + Piano

Krishan Power

Commissioned Summer 2024, premiered December 14, 2024

Arranged for Coastal Sound Youth Choir, Will de Sousa, conductor.
Features low Alto soloist in the opening.
A real hit with the choir and audience!
Lyrics are about balancing the line of fitting in and being true to yourself, from the perspective of a werewolf.

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Here I Am

Soloist with SA/SATB

Hilary Grist

Premieres March 8, 2025 with the entire Coastal Sound Family of Choirs singing

Singer-Songwriter Hilary Grist was inspired by the concept of “Nurse Trees” and wrote this piece specifically for our Generations concert. She will be the soloist.

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