The Wave
In 2025, I was asked to write a piece for the Long Beach Youth Chorus with the theme, “How Music Affects the Singer and Audience Member.” I went through multiple texts before returning to an old favorite of mine, “A Life on the Ocean Wave” by Epes Sargent. Having spent a large amount of my childhood living in Hawaii and participating in youth musical theatre and voice activities, I have multiple memories that combine singing with the ocean. Sargent’s simple yet compelling words immediately inspired this work that is about the joy of singing and about a life on and around the ocean. The left hand of the piano signifies the whistling and rushing winds, while the right hand signifies the strength and power of crashing waves.
Additional Information
Premiere Information:
The Wave was commissioned and premiered by the Long Beach Youth Chorus (Harlee Balajadia, Artistic Director) as part of their 2025 Summer Arts Institute on June 21st, 2025, with Harlee Balajadia conducting.
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Text:
A life on the ocean wave!
A home on the rolling deep!
Where the scatter'd waters rave,
and the winds their revels keep;
Oh give me the flashing brine,
The spray and the tempest's roar.
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Once more on the deck I stand,
Of my own swift gliding craft,
Set sail! Farewell to the land,
Like an ocean bird set free;
Our home we'll find on the sea.
- Epes Sargent (1813-1880)