A Roof and A Bed was commissioned and premiered virtually by the Portland Lesbian Choir in June 2021, under the direction of Mary McCarty. Composed in three parts utilizing texts by houseless women (courtesy Whit Publishing). Orchestration by Pax Ressler. Contact wyersg@uw.edu for perusal score
Text:
"And then on one perfectly ordinary day, we walked through the house which had been solid between our feet like stone. We never came back. We learned that on one perfectly ordinary day, life can change forever.  Your head aches, your stomach growls, just keep walking. Throat parched, mouth dry, just keep walking. Stomach hurts, head pounds, just keep walking. Vision blurs, sounds are senseless, just keep walking. Muscles weaken, whole body hungers, road weaves under feet, just keep walking. There's a park, maybe some rest. Cop comes, just keep walking. Where do I go when the shelters are full? The alleys are dangerous, an alley so cold. When will someone give us more space? How can I get a decent job when no one has room? A shelter seems to help only those with special needs, but no room for me. A roof and a bed, a place to bathe, just so I can go to work. Without a place to get clean, I cannot get ahead. Please help me enjoy all that you have. A place of warmth and safety from the danger outside. Maybe I'll sleep in a cardboard box- Please! Please understand I want the same things as you; a job, a home and maybe someone to love.

A Roof and A Bed by Giselle Wyers

This is a track from Concerto Palatino's new CD (to be released June
2023 for the label Passacaille)called, Ex tenebris ad lucem: Venetian Music of Penitence from a time of Plague (1575-77). The CD juxtaposes music from the Venetian plague years with a newly commissioned work of American composer Robert Kyr. Here you can hear the second half of Kyr's work, which alternates transformed excepts of Venetian motets from the time of the plague with brief arias for soprano soloist(Hana Blazikova) accompanied by cornetto, violin, violone and organ.

Kyr - Virgil From Darkness Into Light Excerpt

Performed by Cascadian Chorale who commissioned this work in 2014.  Gary Cannon conducts; full album called "Welcome Home".  Poetry by Stephen Crane. 
Order directly from composer. 

A Roof and A Bed by Giselle Wyers

Giselle Wyers

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