Teasdale’s poetry expresses a desire for closeness, mirroring the symbiotic relationship of seagrass and the sea. “I Would Live in Your Love” traces the waves of longing and heartbreak, with gorgeous, soaring harmonies. A crystalline piano accompaniment outlines the fragile hope of what might be in dreams.

Ashley Eyre is a singer, composer, and teacher based in Utah. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Choral Music Education in 2019. While there, she sang in both Women’s Chorus and Concert Choir, serving as section leader in both ensembles. She also studied choral music while studying abroad in London in 2017. Ashley began singing with Cantorum Chamber Choir in 2016, and has performed with them across the U.S. and internationally. She also had the opportunity to perform across Europe in 2015 with the Utah Ambassadors of Music. Ashley has written numerous compositions with premieres throughout Utah. She is honored and privileged to have been named winner of the American Choral Directors Association of Utah Composition Competition twice (2018 & 2022), and is the youngest winner to date. Ashley currently teaches choir and AP Music Theory at Orem High School. Additionally, she earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders from Utah State University in 2023 in preparation for a Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology to further study vocal health. Ashley is thrilled to be mentored by Jocelyn Hagen and published with Graphite Publishing.

Composer’s Notes

I’ve always felt deeply inspired and connected to Sara Teasdale and her poetry. “Stars” and “There Will Be Rest” are some of the first I can remember truly resonating with. I began reading her poetry and found, as I did so, that melodies flooded my mind. I’d immediately sit at the piano to write the music of her words. Inspiration? Some sort of divine intervention? I’m not sure, but I truly feel a bond with Sara Teasdale through experiencing her words and expressing them through my music. As my life continues, colored by new experiences, I love to revisit my favorite poems. It amazes me how words that were so poignant then can be even more so now, how the meaning I composed evolves into different perspectives through her words.

When composing “I Would Live in Your Love,” I felt the longing and heartbreak of the word “would”. “I would empty my soul of the dreams that have gathered in me” spoke to me like a daydream, wishing to be with that one person. Whether it’s the infatuation of a high school crush or a more mature, unrequited love, the imagination can paint very bittersweet images. Everything in this poem sounds joyful, even magical… until that word, “would”, brings reality crashing back in. But there is also hope of what might be in dreams. This piece had its world premiere in 2018 as the winner of the American Choral Directors Association of Utah composition competition.

– Ashley Eyre

Text

I would live in your love as the sea-grasses live in the sea,
Borne up by each wave as it passes,
drawn down by each wave that recedes;
I would empty my soul of the dreams
that have gathered in me,
I would beat with your heart as it beats,
I would follow your soul as it leads.

– Sara Teasdale

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