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A thousand blazing suns (2022)

for SATB choir and piano

Text: Ryan Heller (b. 1979)
Duration: 2 minutes
Difficulty: 3/4

Commissioned by Chorus Austin (Ryan Heller, Artistic Director/Conductor) in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Chorus Austin’s Composer’s Competition and “Southwest Voices”, made possible with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts. First performed by Chorus Austin in March 2023.

A thousand blazing suns was part of a unique large-scale commission by Chorus Austin titled “A Spirit’s Song”, celebrating 10 years of their composition competition. The past winners of their competition were each commissioned to write a 2-minute movement, using fragments of text written by artistic director Ryan Heller on the themes of life, love, and joy. My piece comes second in the work, conjuring images of nature through vivid word-painting and an insistent ostinato throughout.

Click here to see the complete score.

The audio below is a live recording of the premiere performance by Chorus Austin (Ryan Heller, dir.) in March 2023.

A Spirit’s Song
Other Movements

1. Sing a New Song - Joshua Fishbein

2. A thousand blazing suns - Stuart Beatch

3. “You Are” Meditations - Sarah Rimkus

4. Silverly shining - Sam Wu

5. Within - Carlos Cordero

6. You - Daniel Sabzghabaei

7. Where and when? - Francisco Carbonell

8. The Masterpiece You Are - Darren Schmidt

9. Awake - Jennifer Lucy Cook

Full Text

A thousand blazing suns
The mightiest of roaring winds
And vastness of the seas,
Innumerable shining stars
Or the most fragrant of roses—
               Are no match
For the magnificence of your being

© Ryan Heller, 2022. Used with permission.