Written: 2021
Duration: 5'
for SATB choir (with occasional divisi) and piano
Video: https://youtu.be/cy9C-ydHeEk
Commissioned by the New York Choral Consortium for the BIG SING's Ten-Year Anniversary
World Premiere: New York Choral Consortium, BIG SING Ten-Year Anniversary Event, Dr. Deborah S. King, conductor, St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church, New York, NY, September 12, 2021
Second Performance: Ember, Dr. Deborah S. King, conductor, The Actor’s Chapel, 239 West 49th Street, NYC, October 7, 2022; Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, Montclair, NJ, October 8, 2022
Publisher: Bill Holab Music: https://billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?cPath=103_137&main_page=product_info&products_id=4003
For more information: https://robertpaterson.com/look-to-the-sky

PROGRAM NOTE
Everyone who lived through 9/11 has their own personal story about that tragic day, yet we also all suffered through a shared experience. As so much time has passed since that fateful day, there are many questions we continue to ask ourselves: can we possibly ever show compassion, forgiveness, or understand why this happened? How can we move forward? What have we learned? In Look To The Sky, I reflect on these questions and try to offer a positive way forward, while never forgetting those who lost their lives during this unforgettable catastrophe. Look To The Sky was commissioned by the New York Choral Consortium for the BIG SING's Ten-Year Anniversary.

TEXT
Some days we look up and see the light
Other days we look up and see darkness
On any given day, we have a choice

Eyes open, or eyes closed
Ears open, or ears closed
Hearts open, or hearts closed

Some storms seem like they will never end
Sometimes anger overwhelms, like it will never go away
Some sadness seems like it will last forever

We all want to be seen
We all want to be heard
We all want to be loved

What have we learned?
We know we cannot go back to the way it was
We need to move forward, through love and compassion

We can do better
We can be better
We can build better
We can love better
We can sing louder!

Look to the sky

We will always remember
We shall never forget
Look to the sky

– Robert Paterson

Look To The Sky (for SATB Choir and Piano)

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Look To The Sky (for SATB Choir and Piano)

Robert Paterson Composer