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Saunder Choi
Saunder Choi Music
To Imagine Creation (Choral Score)
A bold new choral-orchestral work that celebrates resilience, unity, and the transformative power of collective singing, premiered for the Choral Arts Society of Washington’s 60th anniversary at the Kennedy Center.
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To Imagine Creation
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To Imagine Creation
SATB and orchestra/piano
To Imagine Creation is a powerful new work for SATB chorus and orchestra, commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Choral Arts Society of Washington. With text by Brian Sonia-Wallace and music by Saunder Choi, this piece journeys from the intimate beauty of a motet to the grandeur of an oratorio, channeling the emotional depth and storytelling power of the choral tradition.
Composer’s Notes
From the tranquil beauty of a motet to the dramatic intensity of an oratorio, and the modern harmonies of contemporary works, choral music has a unique ability to express powerful emotions and tell captivating stories.
Written for the 60th anniversary of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, I partnered with writer Brian Sonia-Wallace to craft a work that aligns with the organization’s mission and vision: to reawaken the human capacity for awe through the power of choral music in a world where profound human experiences ignite shared passion and collective action.
To Imagine Creation, for SATB chorus and orchestra, celebrates the power of collective singing in underscoring narratives of resilience, strength, and empowerment. It highlights how the choral art form has been a vessel for unity and progress—a means to give voice to the voiceless, with each generation creating new stories with every note. At its core, this work is about the courage to imagine a future beyond the present, choosing to create something new despite uncertainty. It calls us to continue striving, singing, and transforming, no matter the challenges faced.
This work was commissioned through the generous support of Anne B. Keiser, Douglas M. Lapp, and Laura S. Pruitt. Amidst all the instability, this work premiered at the Kennedy Center on June 15, 2025.
-Saunder Choi
Text
Our voices rise
to blaze horizon’s honey
from one dawn to the next
we see the future, open –
behind us stretch a sea of sages,
our ancestors still among us
remind us to trust that we are rising
toward the glow
where everyone
who’s faced the silence
will sing
will sing at last
demanding more:
We are the song
and generations pass our lips
with every breath
we are our song:
an endless transformation, new stories
in every step. It takes courage to imagine
oneself incomplete, but enough
to face the mystery
till each heartache turns to majesty.
Bold enough to believe
beyond what exists.
Bold enough to imagine
creation.
Our voices sing
For those who cannot be heard
The dispossessed and nameless
Their power stolen and dreams unspoken
Our melodies hum
To heal each splintered soul
Draw halos above every heartbreak
Cry a breathless now, allow
our hands to do their quiet work,
Till we can no longer be quiet
and, when we can no longer be quiet,
we’ll sing — we’ll choose to sing.
-Brian Sonia-Wallace
$3.00 per licensed PDF
