KATERINA GIMON

SATB  –   CP 1499   – duration 5:35

Earth is a beautiful, texturally-driven work depicting the simple yet unexplainable beauty of the earth. The work features harmonic overtone singing by a group of soloists; an accessible introduction to overtone singing in a choral setting. Earth is the first piece in a set of four SATB works called Elements.

earth
calm, constant
sturdy, still, steady
rock, sand, soil, and terrain
earth 

SATB  –   CP 1500   – duration 1:10
Air traces the movement from calm breath to thick violent winds. Together singers gradually introduce new sounds and pitches, building an intricate texture with ever-shifting emphasis. The second piece in a set of four SATB works called Elements.

air
wind, breath
free, dynamic, transparent
moving, flowing, changing, and fuelling
air

SATB – CP 1451   – duration 1:35
SSAA – CP 1635
TTBB – CP 2005
Fire is a fun, lively and energetic work incorporating vocal percussion, body percussion, nasal singing, calls, nonsense syllables, as well as optional percussion. Fire is the third piece in a set of four SATB works called Elements.

fire
heat, light
strength, fuel, drive
burning, melting, evaporating, and transforming
fire 

SATB  –   CP 1501   – duration 3:50
Water presents powerful soaring textures, and lilting melodies that grow and decay like waves in the water. Water is the fourth and final piece the set SATB works called Elements.

water
growth, change
deep, reflective, fluid
flowing, connecting, nourishing, and cleansing
water

SSAA with piano – CP 2196   – duration 3:05

Heron beautifully captures the rega/ity, tranquility, and power of this majestic bird. The poem’s use ofalliteration, repetition, rhythm, and clever wordplay are some ofmy favourite features and aid in carefully depicting the meditative stillness and eventual sudden flight of the heron.

When the most recent edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary – widely used in schools around the world – was published, a sharp-eyed reader soon noticed that around forty common words concerning nature had been dropped. The words were no longer being used enough by children to merit their place in the dictionary. The list of these “lost words” included acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, fern, heron, kingfisher, newt, otter, and willow. Among the words taking their place were attach-ment, blog, broadband, bullet-point, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. The news of these substitutions – the outdoor and natural being displaced by the indoor and virtual – became seen by many as a powerful sign of the growing gulf between childhood and the natural world.

SSAA with piano – CP 2197  – duration :53

Although this is one of the shorter spells in this collection, I was immediately draw in by the poem’s very playful tone and its personification of Ivy (“I am ivy”). Musically, I was interested in exploring how the “voice” of ivy might sound twisting and climbing up higher and higher.

SSA  –  CP 1881  – duration 5:10
SSAB  –  CP 1882  – duration 5:10
An anthem about the power of singing as part of a collective and building a legacy through song.

SSAA  –   CP 1793   – duration 3:30
percussion parts – available upon request (gratis)
Inspired by the mystery, beauty, and grandiosity of the night sky, Spellbound tells the story of a group of mischievous young stars. As each star awakes to the universe and discovers the power of their light, they begin to dance and swirl in the sky, drawing in the gazes of those on Earth.  Their movement creates patterns in the sky as, together, they form a new constellation. Onlookers become spellbound by their beauty as they illuminate the night.

Spellbound received its staged premiere on July 16, 2019 at the 7th World Youth & Children’s Choir Festival’s in Hong Kong. It was commissioned by the Hamilton Children’s Choir through the support of a generous grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

SATB  –   CP 1784   – duration 3:25
“To the Peak of the Mountain” combines folk-like melodies, explorative textures, and driving rhythms to create an anthem about growth and perseverance. This work was commissioned by the University of Montana for the 2019 of M All-Star Choir Festival and premiered January 20, 2019 by the 2019 All-Star Choir and U of M Chamber Singers in Dennison Theater (Missoula, Montana).

Come away, away now! To the mountain away.
On a path through a forest of endless green