Gorgeous, I would love if you could post words in the description 🥰

Between Water and Air for SATB Chorus & Piano was commissioned and premiered by the USC Chamber Singers. 


TEXT

Surfer Girl 

I’m walking on the beach this brisk November morning,
the bleached sea grass bending in the wind, when there,
up ahead, in the pewter waves, I see a surfer in his wet suit,
sleek as a seal, cutting in and out of the curl, shining in the light. 
This is where the longing starts, the yearning for another life, the one 
where I’m lithe and long-limbed, tanned California gold, 
short tousled hair full of sunshine.  The life where I shoulder my board,
stride into the waves, dive under the breakers, and rise; my head shaking
off water like a golden retriever.  I am waiting for that perfect wave to come, 
so I can crouch up and catch it, my arms out like wings, slicing back 
and forth in the froth, wind at my back, sea’s slick metal polished 
before me.  Nothing more important now than this balance between
water and air, the rhythm of in and out, staying ahead of the break, 
choosing my line like I choose these words, writing my name
on water, writing my name on air.

—Barbara Crooker


PROGRAM NOTE

Barbara Crooker’s poem "Surfer Girl" speaks to the narrator’s reverence for a skill—in this case, surfing—that the narrator isn’t great at, and likely never will be. I can identify; I’ll probably never be a great surfer, despite living in Los Angeles for over a decade. I took a surfing lesson once and could barely stand up on my board. But there’s a genuine, poignant emotion here, too. The “yearning” that the narrator feels while watching a surfer in the waves is accompanied by a recognition of their own talent for writing. By the conclusion of this setting of Barbara's poem, we’re not bitter or jealous that we can’t surf; we’re basking in our own gifts, however we choose to express ourselves.

Between Water and Air

Carol Of The Angels

In The Silence

Softly there falls the silver rain

USC Thornton Symphony; Donald Crockett, conductor

Dark Sand, Sifting Light

Whispers of Jasmine

Sea Dream Elegies (Excerpts)

Serafin String Quartet

Veil of Leaves

I’m so excited to share this conversation with composer Dale Trumbore! Dale has been called “a rising star among modern choral composers” (AXS), and her music has been praised for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies” (The New York Times). She also is a wonderfully thoughtful person who packed a TON of awesome insights into this episode, especially for those of us doing full-time creative work. She shares:  Tips about balancing work and your wellbeing to avoid burnout Ways to switch up your process to launch over your stumbling blocks Simple yet effective ideas on how to tap into your existing network to find new opportunities  Dale has written extensively about overcoming creative blocks and establishing a career in music in essays for 21CM, Cantate Magazine, the Center for New Music, MusicSpoke, and NewMusicBox, and she is currently at work on her first book. Don’t miss this one! - Trumbore's compositions have been performed widely in the United States and internationally by ensembles including the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Inscape Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children's Chorus, The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, and more. She has served as Composer in Residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble and as Artist in Residence at Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Copland House, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. How to Go On: The Choral Works of Dale Trumbore, Choral Arts Initiative's album of Trumbore's choral works, debuted at #6 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Chart. As a composer who works frequently with words, Trumbore is passionate about setting poems, prose and found text by living authors to music. Trumbore holds a dual degree in Music Composition and English from the University of Maryland and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of Southern California, where she studied with Morten Lauridsen and Donald Crockett. A New Jersey native, Trumbore currently lives in Los Angeles, her home of nearly a decade, with her fiancé and their extremely helpful cat.

#37: Unlocking Your Creativity (Consistently) with Composer Dale Trumbore

TEM144: Evolving career goals and finding your personal creative rhythm - A conversation with composer Dale Trumbore 

Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer, author and teacher.

For the show notes to all episodes of The Entrepreneurial Musician, visit http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes.

TEM144: Finding your personal creative rhythm - A conversation with composer Dale Trumbore

"Come Holy Spirit"
by Zanaida Robles
performed by Zanaida Robles

Zanaida Robles's Album

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Hailed by the New York Times for her "soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies," Dale Trumbore has received commissions, performances and awards from organizations including ACDA, ACME, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists and VocalEssence. Learn more about her music at daletrumbore.com.

Between Water and Air

Dale Trumbore

Recent comments

Kari

Peterboy

Related tracks