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Dale Trumbore

Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been praised by The New York Times for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies.” Her music has been widely performed in the U.S. and internationally by ensembles including the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Chorale, Pasadena Symphony, The Singers...

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Dale Trumbore

Breathe in Hope (SATB)

Name: Breathe in Hope (SATB)
SKU: DT0006
Availability: InStock

Dale Trumbore

This bold work asks how we move forward in the wake of painful injustice.

Difficulty: 5

Duration: 5-10 min.

DT0006

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Alternative Versions

Breathe in Hope

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Breathe in Hope

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SATB, piano

When confronted with tragedy, we may instinctively search for hope and healing. In the face of violent injustice, though, maybe the hope we seek can only be found when we recognize our own accountability and ask what actions we can take to create lasting change.

Maya Jackson’s text for “Breathe in Hope” was written in the wake of the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. This piece asks not only for recovery and healing in the wake of this brutality, but for nothing short of a revolution.

“Breathe in Hope” was commissioned by the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Anne Tomlinson, Artistic Director, for the 2017 Chorus America Conference.

Composer’s Notes

Reading Maya’s words, which began as two Facebook posts, I was struck by the words “This is going to sound wrong. / But I hope this pain lasts.” I’d never before read a call to willfully stay in pain until we learn from what that pain has to teach us. The duality of this text–”breathing in hope,” yes, but also taking personal responsibility for change–compelled me to seek Maya’s permission to set these words to music.

– Dale Trumbore

Text

What would we do if we didn’t have the privilege of being distracted

I know we must honor our personal lives.
I know we must not live in darkness.
I know we must celebrate the grace in our humanity.
To keep our lungs from collapsing.
We must breathe in hope.
And so have I. Taken in joy. And beauty. And selfishness. And frivolity. And laughter. We are wonderful.
Humans. We find the light.

But I fear the moment passing.
Already distracted from the fire though the smoke is still filling our lungs.

This is going to sound wrong.
But I hope this pain lasts.

I hope that it holds.
I don’t want to heal
just yet.

We have become experts at recovery.
I hope we become expert at Revolution.

— Maya Jackson

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