Light Will Triumph

Splendor – Elaine Hagenberg

Requiem for the Living – Dan Forrest

Experience two magnificent and impressionable works, created in our time, for our time, which are sure to resonant, and  uplift you.

Splendor – Elaine Hagenburg

Radiant, expressive, and full of emotional depth, Elaine Hagenberg’s Splendor is the opening movement of her larger 5-movement work, Illuminare.  The text, inspired by the hymn of St. Ambrose:
“Splendor of God’s glory,
brings forth light from light,
light of light,
light’s living spring,
Day, all days illuminates.”
Splendor reminds us that when all is said and done: Light has triumphed to guide us toward a brighter future.

Hagenberg’s music is known for its graceful lyricism and heartfelt intensity, and Splendor offers a powerful example of her ability to transform text into sound that glows from within. Each phrase unfolds with warmth and clarity, creating a musical experience that is both uplifting and deeply moving.

Experience the beauty, brilliance, and awe of Splendor.

Requiem for the Living – Dan Forrest

Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living is a modern choral masterpiece that speaks not only of remembrance but of hope, peace, and renewal.

Unlike a traditional requiem written solely for the departed, Forrest’s work is a requiem for those of us who continue on — carrying grief, longing, love, and faith through the journey of life. With soaring melodies, luminous harmonies, and moments of breathtaking stillness, Requiem for the Living invites listeners into a powerful emotional landscape: from the weight of sorrow to the radiant promise of rest and light.

The music blends rich choral writing with expressive orchestral colors, creating an atmosphere that is at once intimate and expansive. Each movement unfolds like a prayer — tender, reflective, and ultimately transcendent. Whether you are familiar with sacred choral music or encountering this work for the first time, Forrest’s Requiem for the Living offers an experience that reaches beyond words.
Join us for a performance that will stir the heart, quiet the spirit, and remind us of the beauty that can be found even in life’s most fragile moments. Requiem for the Living is more than a great chorale work — it is a journey toward comfort, wonder, and peace.

i carry your heart – Taylor Scott Davis

text by e.e. cummings.

The poetry of e.e. cummings beautifully expresses the depths of one’s love, and how they carry their heart with them wherever they go, ‘I carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) ).’ Exquisitely treated by the masterful pen of Taylor Scott Davis, the music encapsulates these heartfelt words which express the immeasurable bond between soulmates.

No stranger to SHMC concerts, Taylor Scott Davis is one of the leading composers of today. Newly appointed VOCES8 and VOCES8 Foundation Composer-in-Residence (’25-Aug’27), Taylor’s star is fast on the rise. Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as penning “dreamy vocal lines” that “overlap and intensify to stunning effect”, Taylor Scott Davis’ “beguiling” (BBC Music Magazine) writing is much in demand by both orchestras and vocal groups around the globe. His music has been described as “sonically luxurious”, memorable and inspiring of hope, and his belief in supporting collaboration, diversity and creating musical opportunities at all levels underpins all.

Taylor has written and arranged for groups including the Grammy-winning choir Conspirare, VOCES8 and its Choir and Orchestra, Lyyra, Apollo5, Texas Master Chorale, the English Chamber Orchestra and symphony orchestras around the world.

Accompanied by piano, organ, and the SHMC Chamber Orchestra.