A Walk in the Woods at Night (2024) is a setting of texts by JCCortens written based on our conversations and collaborative journaling process for (Art)SongLab 2024. This collection has three movements (not individually titled).

For most of human history, we have enjoyed a universal and uninhibited ability to observe and marvel at the stars in the sky. Today, the great increase in satellite traffic (including a great many SpaceX Starlink satellites) threatens this ability. Stars and constellations are one of humanity's most ancient forms of communication; interfering with it is interfering with our humanity itself. “Star Chart” is a poem with form inspired by the curtal sonnet (but is not in pentameter). Because constellations form images you can read, the poem refers to letters of the alphabet—X and O. X's use is inspired by Elon Musk's association with the letter, while O accompanies it to anchor the end of each stanza. These letters are both companions (hugs and kisses) and combatants (tic-tac-toe). Their appearances and pronunciations also strongly contradict each other's. O can express many different emotions depending on delivery. X marks the spot on a map.

A seiche (say-sha) is a type of wave that emulates a tide but is generated by the large lake and its environment. Poet Kayt Burgess wanted to write a love poem that turns the well-trod love story between the moon and the oceans by looking at the behaviour of lakes, into a contemporary take of someone who maintains their independence or autonomy in the face of an especially charismatic partner.

Throughout the process of (art)SongLab, we’ve explored the differences between the characters of the moon and the lake music within this piece. It begins with a stillness of “moon music” and transitions to the rolling tides of the “lake music” in the piano. These themes continue to develop in independent ways, and also convene together - firm in their independence but stronger together. -     AA & KB

*A bore is a tidal event where part of a tide surges up a river, pushing it the opposite way.

The text is based on my real-life experience—literally and symbolically, in tandem. – Sarah Mercer

This song was created in a collaborative effort as part of (Art) Song Lab 2024. It grew out of conversations between myself and the writer as we talked about our shared challenges in finding the time, strength and energy to create.

– Patrick McGraw

“East Window” reflects on the concept of time and how we often remember the past as a specific place. This piece begins slowly and grows more intense as time moves faster and the past becomes farther away. While the voice and the piano often move at similar rates at the beginning of the song, the piano starts to separate from the voice as the right hand begins to move more quickly. As the past becomes less tangible in the text, the heartache in the voice can be heard through the soaring high notes and melismas. The piano part becomes more intense as the past moves farther away, conveying the panic that time is speeding up. Near the end of the piece, the text begins to come to a place of tentative acceptance, resulting in the voice and piano slowing down and coming together again.

Pantoum for a Dying Dog is a setting of a text of the same name by JCCortens. The pantoum is a poetic form in which the second line of each stanza is reused as the first line of the next stanza. Each of the unique lines is repeated once throughout the poem. In this setting, each unique line has been assigned a melody, and when that line returns so does its melody. When the lines return however, they are often varied in some way, as is the melodic material. The poem seems to depict the narrator wandering while thinking back on memories of his dog who has died. The song seeks to capture the somber and wandering atmosphere of the poem.

who art in heaven is an interpretation of the biblical creation story through the eyes of a young girl. Within the poem, we hear the voice of God/Father and the narrator/Eve. The feminist and child-like lenses placed on this well-known story create a real challenge to conventional readings. The music develops themes and gestures around the characters and follows the poem’s journey from innocence to disruption to self-actualization.

For most of human history, we have enjoyed a universal and uninhibited ability to observe and marvel at the stars in the sky. Today, the great increase in satellite traffic (including a great many SpaceX Starlink satellites) threatens this ability. Stars and constellations are one of humanity's most ancient forms of communication; interfering with it is interfering with our humanity itself. “Star Chart” is a poem with form inspired by the curtal sonnet (but is not in pentameter). Because constellations form images you can read, the poem refers to letters of the alphabet—X and O. X's use is inspired by Elon Musk's association with the letter, while O accompanies it to anchor the end of each stanza. These letters are both companions (hugs and kisses) and combatants (tic-tac-toe). Their appearances and pronunciations also strongly contradict each other's. O can express many different emotions depending on delivery. X marks the spot on a map.

A seiche (say-sha) is a type of wave that emulates a tide but is generated by the large lake and its environment. Poet Kayt Burgess wanted to write a love poem that turns the well-trod love story between the moon and the oceans by looking at the behaviour of lakes, into a contemporary take of someone who maintains their independence or autonomy in the face of an especially charismatic partner.

Throughout the process of (art)SongLab, we’ve explored the differences between the characters of the moon and the lake music within this piece. It begins with a stillness of “moon music” and transitions to the rolling tides of the “lake music” in the piano. These themes continue to develop in independent ways, and also convene together - firm in their independence but stronger together. -     AA & KB

*A bore is a tidal event where part of a tide surges up a river, pushing it the opposite way.

A Walk in the Woods at Night (2024) is a setting of texts by JCCortens written based on our conversations and collaborative journaling process for (Art)SongLab 2024. This collection has three movements (not individually titled).

The text is based on my real-life experience—literally and symbolically, in tandem. – Sarah Mercer

This song was created in a collaborative effort as part of (Art) Song Lab 2024. It grew out of conversations between myself and the writer as we talked about our shared challenges in finding the time, strength and energy to create.

– Patrick McGraw

fire works is inspired by wildfires consuming everything in their path, not least the precious few north american summer months. Urgent and menacing, the music grows denser in its repetition until it breaks texture completely. the piece attempts to convey fire’s horrors, smoke’s infiltration, and feelings of panic and helplessness the climate crisis ignites.

“East Window” reflects on the concept of time and how we often remember the past as a specific place. This piece begins slowly and grows more intense as time moves faster and the past becomes farther away. While the voice and the piano often move at similar rates at the beginning of the song, the piano starts to separate from the voice as the right hand begins to move more quickly. As the past becomes less tangible in the text, the heartache in the voice can be heard through the soaring high notes and melismas. The piano part becomes more intense as the past moves farther away, conveying the panic that time is speeding up. Near the end of the piece, the text begins to come to a place of tentative acceptance, resulting in the voice and piano slowing down and coming together again.

who art in heaven is an interpretation of the biblical creation story through the eyes of a young girl. Within the poem, we hear the voice of God/Father and the narrator/Eve. The feminist and child-like lenses placed on this well-known story create a real challenge to conventional readings. The music develops themes and gestures around the characters and follows the poem’s journey from innocence to disruption to self-actualization.

Pantoum for a Dying Dog is a setting of a text of the same name by JCCortens. The pantoum is a poetic form in which the second line of each stanza is reused as the first line of the next stanza. Each of the unique lines is repeated once throughout the poem. In this setting, each unique line has been assigned a melody, and when that line returns so does its melody. When the lines return however, they are often varied in some way, as is the melodic material. The poem seems to depict the narrator wandering while thinking back on memories of his dog who has died. The song seeks to capture the somber and wandering atmosphere of the poem.

fire works is inspired by wildfires consuming everything in their path, not least the precious few north american summer months. Urgent and menacing, the music grows denser in its repetition until it breaks texture completely. the piece attempts to convey fire’s horrors, smoke’s infiltration, and feelings of panic and helplessness the climate crisis ignites.