Premiere by Cathedra, the professional ensemble of the Washington National Cathedral, at the National Gallery of Art on June 19, 2014.

Commissioned for the Anglican Association of Musicians 2014 National Conference.

Caritas abundat

Wild Nights

no one steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and they are not the same person

Panta Rhei

Set to a love poem by Wilfred Owen, the text describes the changing of seasons from fall to winter.

WINTER SONG

Seattle Pro Musica - Caritas

O virga mediatrix

Seattle Pro Musica - Winter Rose

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

Arrangement of the Swedish holiday carol.

Northern Lights CD final

Nu ar det jul igen

Listening for SATB chorus

"Winter Ride" performed by Northwest Girlchoir, Dec 14, 2014

Winter Ride

When night came was composed as a personal response to the horrors of the war in the former Yugoslavia, in particular to the atrocities committed against the women of Bosnia-Herzegovina. This piece is dedicated to those women - to those who have been brutally murdered, and to the survivors. It is in some part a lament, but it is also a tribute to the strength and resiliency of the women of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

There are two Bosnian folksong quotations in When night came...  The first, Odkad seke nismo zapjevale, is based on a short series of repeated notes, with harmonies consisting of major and minor seconds.  It is a ganga, an intense and vibrant form of vocal music sung in the mountainous regions of Herzegovina. The second song, Kad ja podjoh na Benbasu, is a lyrical love song – one of the most well-known and beloved songs in the area around Sarajevo.


When Night Came - Clarinet And Piano

Ode on St. Cecilia's Day

THOMAS The World is Charged

On A Winter's Eve

A five-movement SSAA choral cycle on poetry by Sara Teasdale, exploring life journeys. Movements may be performed individually, or as a whole cycle.

Thomas

The Singer's Path

Westron Wind  is the final movement of Three Medieval Lyrics, which was commissioned by the Board of Directors of Seattle Pro Musica, in celebration of the choir’s 20th anniversary. As the title of the full set implies, the texts for the three pieces are medieval lyric poetry – in this case, English lyric poetry. Westron wind  is an anonymous text from the early 16th century. Rather than using the original tune, I composed a new melody with a "16th-century sound", and then set some virtuosic choral riffs around it.  This performance is by Vox16.

Westron Wind

SATB a capella
Performed by Seattle Pro Musica
Recorded June 2007
Available on "American Masterpieces" as CD or download

How Can I Keep from Singing

Visit my website for more information.
http://karenpthomas.com/o-virtus-sapientiae/

Alnight by the rose (ATTB)

Beauty is Before Me

Jabberwocky  (Four Lewis Carroll Songs)

Lux Lucis - O lucidissima

Lux Lucis - O nobilissima

Lux Lucis - O virtus

Prayer of Black Elk

To Mistress Margaret Hussey

Elementi is written for Bb clarinet and percussion (1 player). The four movements bear the names of the four elements which were once regarded as constituting the material universe – earth, air, water and fire – each movement portraying the distinctive characteristics of the corresponding element.

Elementi 4th mvt

Elementi 3rd mvt

Elementi 1st mvt

BIRDS AT WINTER NIGHTFALL

Karen P. Thomas, composer and conductor, is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Seattle Pro Musica. Her compositions are performed and broadcast throughout the world, by groups such as The Hilliard Ensemble and the Vocal Consort of Brussels. Her works are published by Lucis Music and Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and have been featured at numerous ACDA and AGO conferences.

A prize-winning composer, she has received grants from the NEA, The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and Meet the Composer, among numerous others.

As a conductor, Ms. Thomas has produced ten critically-acclaimed CDs, and received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP-Chorus America Award. She has appeared as guest conductor at international festivals in Europe and North America, and the NPR radio show Saint Paul Sunday. She received the 2012 Outstanding Choral Director Award for Washington State, and currently serves on the boards of Chorus America, the Seattle Music Commission, the American Choral Directors Association (NW Division), and the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium.

Karen P. Thomas

Popular tracks