Program notes:

Sovereign Lord

This text, from Psalm 141, also brings an urgent yet reverent plea to God. It asks for protection in a world of uncertainty and danger. This piece was composed during September and October of 2001, and the evens of this time gave this text an especially significant and poignant meaning to me. Sovereign Lord was premiered in April on 2002 by the Thornton Concert Choir under the direction
of Janelle Westerbeck.

May My Prayer Be Set Before You

This piece was written for the choir of St. Philip the Apostle church in Pasadena, California. The text, which is from Psalm 141, immediately spoke to me with its quiet intensity. The simplicity and directness of the text is echoed in music which is meditative an often transparent. My objective for this piece was to honor the text while writing music that was attainable by an amateur, albeit good, church choir. Another challenge was to create a piece that
is stylistically appropriate for use during a Mass, yet still be contemporary and true to my voice.