for eight voices (2022)

This piece is dedicated to the sun. Before I knew what to base this piece on, I knew I wanted to write something that felt bright, playful, manic, hopeful, joyful and sweet. I started reading about solar deities in different cultures and came across the character of Sol, the sun god in ancient Rome (Norse mythology have their own version - Sól or Sunna - who is portrayed as female). I like to imagine the eight singers in this piece as a little sun cult, all dancing and singing and worshipping the sun together, enjoying their weird pagan rituals. In solfège, Sol also happens to be the fifth note in the scale, so I took that as my starting point and ran with it.

The spoken word text consists of fragments of overheard conversations I picked up while walking around London and other places in the last few years. The many random-sounding verbs and nouns used elsewhere are a collection of the most commonly used words in environmentally themed pop songs since around the 1970s.

Commissioned by the National Youth Choir and performed by the NYC Fellowship under Ben Parry. Released on NMC Recordings as part of ‘Young Composers 4’.

Winner of Best Choral Composition at the 2023 Ivors Classical Awards: ‘luminous and inventive, at times tender and expressive as well as fun and vibrant. It invites the listener to return again and again, rewarding each new encounter.’