Description

Vox Femina Los Angeles commissioned We Are Home (SSAA choir, percussion, piano sheet music) under the direction of Dr. Iris Levine. Iris approached me to write this piece to fit onto their themed concert “Half the Sky: Hear Our Voices,” and in particular to fit the section of the concert that spoke of “Home.” Because this would be a very personal piece for Vox, I asked Iris to have the women write me stories, poems, haikus, and anything else that helped them describe what “home” meant to them in singing with Vox. What I got was an incredible collection of texts, written from the heart, about their experiences and the joy that came from being a part of this singing community. I began to take phrases, words, and ideas from these texts and draw them together to create the text that is used in this piece. Although I wrote the final text, it is a compilation of the voices of these women. More universally, however, I believe that this piece reflects what it means to be a part of a community – to share something important and to come “home.”

The premiere of this work took place on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, California.  It was an honor to write this piece for Iris and the women of Vox.

We Are Home
Text and inspiration by the Women of Vox Femina
Compiled and arranged by Jenni Brandon

We are
Singing for the soul and songs our mothers taught us.
We are
Dancing in between passion, love, and empathy.

We are
Finding comfort in things
far more vast and eternal than us,

We are everything possible.

We are
Impassioned, thoughtful, kind, and strong,
We are
Woman, friend, chosen sisters.

We are
A kaleidoscope of women’s voices
Offering serenity and comfort,
We are home.

A safe haven,
Refuge from the outside world.
Sanctuary.

We are home.