Unison (opt. descant) and Piano

Program Note:

” The Sunny Blue Places” takes flight in a lively, soaring musical line that mirrors the motion of a bird in the wind; darting, swooping, and gliding with effortless joy. The text invites singers and listeners alike to “wing with the wind”: to move with life’s currents, to stay open and curious, and to embrace the exhilaration of new directions. Full of rhythmic energy and bright harmonies, this piece is an uplifting anthem to the freedom and wonder of simply going where the journey leads. An optional descant part offers adventurous singers the chance to rise above the main texture, echoing and transforming its motifs. With its playful twists and melodic turns,”The Sunny Blue Places” celebrates both the unity of ensemble singing and the thrill of taking flight.

Text: (in the public domain) by Wilfrid Campbell

OUT over the spaces,

The sunny, blue places,

Of water and sky;

Where day on day merges

In nights that reel by;

Through calms and through surges,

Through stormings and lulls,

O, follow,

Follow,

The flight of the gulls.

With wheeling and reeling,

With skimming and stealing,

We wing with the wind,

Out over the heaving

Of grey waters, leaving

The lands far behind,

And dipping ships’ hulls.

O, follow,

Follow,

The flight of the gulls.