No. 1 - The Realm
No. 2 - i am so glad and very

Two Old Love Songs

There is no Rose by Joshua B. Himes
University of Michigan Women's Glee Club, dir. Jaclyn Johnson
Hill Auditorium [LIVE] World Premiere on November 9, 2013

"There is no Rose of such virtue" is a 15th century Old English text that beautifully portrays the great mystery of the nativity. ("Alleluia").  The wonderment of heaven and earth in the same space of Mary's womb ("Res Miranda", oh marvelous thing) leads to the revelation of the Holy Trinity ("Pares forma", of equal form). The rejoicing of the angels to the shepherds ("Gaudeamus", let us rejoice) culminates in a commitment to follow the birth of Christ ("Transeamus", let us cross over).

Information provided by www.choralnet.org/view/222011

There is no Rose | University of Michigan Women's Glee Club (World Premiere)

There is no Rose by Joshua Himes
Sjaella, Germany (2013)

Score: 
www.sbmp.com/SR2.php?CatalogNumber=1220

Sjaella's website:  www.sjaella.de
Sjaella's facebook:  www.facebook.com/SjaellaAcappella

"There is no Rose of such virtue" is a 15th century Old English text that beautifully portrays the great mystery of the nativity. ("Alleluia").  The wonderment of heaven and earth in the same space of Mary's womb ("Res Miranda", oh marvelous thing) leads to the revelation of the Holy Trinity ("Pares forma", of equal form). The rejoicing of the angels to the shepherds ("Gaudeamus", let us rejoice) culminates in a commitment to follow the birth of Christ ("Transeamus", let us cross over).

Information provided by www.choralnet.org/view/222011

Sheet Music

There is no Rose | Sjaella (2013)

Ave Maria (SATB) by Joshua Himes
Bakersfield High School Chamber Singers
dir. Christopher Borges
April 15, 2010 
Golden State Competition
Fullerton, California

Ave Maria | BHS Chamber Singers (2010)

Lux Aeterna by Joshua Himes 
Voices of Terpsichor, dir. Elvin Dioquino 
First Presbyterian Church of Orange
[LIVE] November 17th, 2024

Dedicated to the millions lost and affected by the Covid-19 pandemic (2022)

Lux Aeterna | Voices of Terpsichor (2024)

Vivida In Tempore by Joshua Himes
Lyrics by Filippo Sirotti

Ft. Rhienstimmen conducted by Joshua Himes
Reiner Schneider-Waterberg (artistic director)
[LIVE] January 5th, 2025 at Antoniuskirche, Basel

Modern Latin poem (c. 1988)

Vivida in tempore transire nolente 
permagna florescit in pectore vis 
continenter pellens me dicere: "nos"

et lumine solis extremo dilapso
in caelo inter alias te incipio requirere stellas
quod secum te sentiens dulcedine noctis 
expectans laetatur animus meus
et loca nulla illi remota


English translation

In the time that doesn't want to pass 
in my heart I feel a strength
that pushes me to say: "us"

And when the sun has gone
I look for you in the sky among the other stars
As my soul is with you in the sweet night 
and feels happy waiting for you
because nowhere is far

Vivida In Tempore | Rheinstimmen (EU Premiere)

"Babe & Barnette” by Joshua Himes 

Act I - Scene 2 
From "Crimes Of The Heart"

Play synopsis:
Set in 1974 Hazlehurst, Mississippi, this tragicomedy follows three sisters—Meg, Babe, and Lenny—reunited after the youngest sister (Babe) shoots her abusive husband. As they confront meddling relatives, old relationships, and buried resentments, the sisters must face the fallout from Babe’s “crimes of the heart.”

Directed by Christopher Diehl 
Rialto Community Players

Rialto, California
September 2018

Crimes Of The Heart - II. Babe & Barnette (2018)

Publisher Description: "Pads and clustered hushed vocals are interspersed with dreamy sound design creating an aura of mystery and suspense. The sense of beauty and wonder are never lost as the track grows and builds. Low booms with pads and pulses increase the drama at 1:02."

Arranged & Engineered by Tom Gire
Architects Series: Ethereal - Single Acts - Layers & Textures (2016)

Brand X Music

Glacial Palace | Brand X Music (2016)

Publisher Description: "Hopeful yet restrained vocals are set against a dreamy light pad. 0:30 starts a light magical pulse giving a sense of progression and motion, and at 0:48 light string tension begins the grow. 1:20 feels the drama and majesty climb and grow."

Arranged & Engineered by Tom Gire
Architects Series: Ethereal - Single Acts - Layers & Textures (2016)

Posthumous | Brand X Music (2016)

Publisher Description: "Single treble vocal tone sets the mood before the full dream begins. Melodies grow and collide as the track grows in intensity and complexity."

Arranged & Engineered by Tom Gire
Architects Series: Ethereal - Single Acts - Layers & Textures (2016)

Hildesheim | Brand X Music (2016)

Publisher Description: "Fairy kingdoms, bittersweet lullabies, and far away lands are called to mind by gentle and elegant treble choir."

Arranged & Engineered by Tom Gire
Architects Series: Ethereal - Single Acts - Layers & Textures (2016)

Reims | Brand X Music (2016)

The Realm by Joshua Himes
 from “Two Old Love Songs”

soloist: Anna Caplan

Voices of Terpsichor, dir. Elvin Dioquino 
 First Presbyterian Church of Orange
  [LIVE] September 5th, 2025 (World Premiere)

Text by Emily Dickinson
 “I have no Life but this" (c. 1877)

  I have no Life but this —
  To lead it here —
  Nor any Death —  but lest
  Dispelled from there —

  Nor tie to Earths to come —
  Nor Action new —
  Except through this extent — 
  The Realm of you —

The Realm | Voices of Terpsichor (World Premiere)

i am so glad and very by Joshua Himes
 from “Two Old Love Songs”

 soloists: Anna Caplan, Marina Gomez,
  David Morales, Samuel Avila, Rebecca Tomasko, 
  Andrea Church, Brandon Guzman, and Sean Gabel

Voices of Terpsichor, dir. Elvin Dioquino 
 First Presbyterian Church of Orange
  [LIVE] September 5th, 2025 (US Premiere)

Text by E.E. Cummings
 “i am so glad and very" (c. 1940)

  i am so glad and very
  merely my fourth will cure
  the laziest self of weary
  the hugest sea of shore

  so far your nearness reaches
  a lucky fifth of you
  turns people into eachs
  and cowards into grow

  our can'ts were born to happen
  our mosts have died in more
  our twentieth will open
  wide a wide open door

  we are so both and oneful
  night cannot be so sky
  sky cannot be so sunful
  i am through you so i

i am so glad and very | Voices of Terpsichor (US Premiere)

Ave Maria | MIDI Example (SATB)

Ave Maria (TTBB) by Joshua Himes
Recorded by Matthew Curtis (ChoralTracks)

Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Ave Maria | ChoralTracks (2015)

Ave Maria by Joshua Himes for SSAA
Rrecorded 2008 by the Ayala High School Vocal Ensemble and the Paul Delgado Singers under the direction of Joshua Himes This is the first original recording.

Ave Maria | Ayala Vocal Ensemble & PDS (2008)

Kyrie by Joshua Himes
Mt. SAC Chamber Singers, dir. Bruce Rogers (2011)

This ancient Greek prayer pleadijg for God's mercy has been selected for the Bruce Rogers Choral Series through Gentry Publications. The music is written largely in a homophonic style with shifts in harmony functioning like building blocks of sound. "Kyrie" received it's world premiere in 2010 by the Philippine Madrigal Singers. The Mt. San Antonio College Chamber Singers gave the US premiere the following year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy.

Kyrie | Mt. San Antonio College Chamber Singers (2011)

Joshua Himes (b. 1987) is an American composer and music director whose choral works are performed around the world by acclaimed vocal ensembles including Tenebrae (UK), Cantus (Norway), Camerata Lacunensis (Spain), the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Sjaella (Germany), the Mt. SAC Chamber Singers, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. He is a member of ASCAP and the American Choral Directors Association, with works published by Gentry Publications, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and MusicSpoke.

Himes’s music has been described as “delightfully free, expressive, [and] engaging” (Classic Melbourne) and praised for its “beautiful melodies [and] lush chords” (Viewpoints, Riverside City College). Tightly woven harmonies are a hallmark of his style, often celebrated for their accessibility without compromise. The British Library highlighted “a superb performance of the Gloria” that was sung by the Suanplu Chorus from Indonesia. His most widely performed piece, Ave Maria, offers “great beauty and accessibility without being trite” and “gives the singers constant opportunity for expressive singing” (MusicSpoke, Kurt Kneckt), while Kyrie is recognized as “a great festival piece for high school and college choirs” (Presto Music, Bruce Rogers Choral Series).

In December 2024, Himes traveled to Switzerland to meet and conduct Tenebrae for the premiere of his work "i am so glad and very" at the Klassik Sterne Festival. The event marked a significant milestone, reinforcing his reputation as a composer whose choral music resonates deeply with both singers and audiences worldwide. His collaborations with ensembles locally and abroad reflect a dedicated, hands-on approach that helps bridge the gap between composers and performers. 

Based in his hometown of Chino Hills, California, Joshua works full time at a longstanding residential treatment program for at-risk youth and is an occasional actor and music director in his local theater community.

Joshua Himes

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