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Words & Music: A Conversation with Poets and Composers

How and when did the two of you begin to col- Silence Haunts Me,” ACDA’s Raymond Brock Com-
laborate? mission on Beethoven’s perseverance in the face of his
hearing loss; to “Earth Symphony,” a large-scale choral
Steve Bock: Fred Bock Music has been Rosephanye’s symphony imagining Mother Earth’s voice in a post-
publisher for over thirty years, so our publishing col- human world.
laboration has been going for quite a while (as well as
through two generations). In the case of me as a lyri-
cist, that collaboration happened in the fall of 2018 Carlos Cordero: I feel that people begin to collaborate
when we collaborated on “Love Will Find a Way.” I long before they start to “work” on a project togeth-
wrote the poem/text in response to a news story that I er. For Julie and I, it was very important to learn and
was watching on television. I had a feeling that it would understand each other as friends, not just artists who
be a good lyric for choral piece, so I sent it to Roseph- might collaborate. It is one of the most beautiful things
anye to see if she agreed. Thankfully, she liked it and about working with Julie: I get to know her and we
wanted to set it. create something, instead of “working with her.” This
creates such a deeper connection that I believe we are
Rosephanye Powell: I first came to know Steve when missing in many parts of our fast-paced world.
he became president of Fred Bock Music after the un-
timely passing of his father. He was an award-winning Julie Flanders: When I first met Carlos, our affinity
writer in television and film, and I was not surprised was immediate and deep. Our conversations, though
to learn that he was a poet and lyricist. Our relation- social, moved immediately to music, poetry, and what
ship developed through the years. So, when Steve sent we love. Carlos has a generous open heart. When I first
me his poem in 2018, I connected with the heart and heard his music, I was astonished at the level of his
depth of feelings behind the words and the person who gifts. The pieces he creates move the heart and lift the
wrote them. I think that knowing who the lyricist is on senses. I love the way he sets language, and it’s been
both a professional and personal level can make the a joy to engage with him as we brainstorm and cre-
collaboration a nimble one. ate. Our first official collaboration was “Holding Our
Breath” for ACDA, but even before that, we had begun
to correspond by email and explore the notion of creat-
Jake Runestad: When I moved to Minneapolis in 2011, ing together. I think he and I both love collaborating.
a dear friend (and fabulous librettist) Mark Campbell
suggested I get in touch with poet Todd Boss, who lived
in Minneapolis and whose work he read in The New Brian Newhouse: I attended a Wartburg Choir con-
Yorker. I sent Todd a message. We met for coffee, and cert in 2019. They premiered a piece by composer
in that first meeting, Todd gave me his first book of Connor Koppin that I’d written the text for, and also
poetry, Yellowrocket, and I fell in love with his work. I sang Kyle’s arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress is Our
attended some of his readings, we met up for the oc- God.” So often you hear versions of that piece that are
casional drink, and gradually our friendship deepened. almost militaristic, but Kyle turned it on its head; he
Several years later, I proposed a collaboration, and we found a beauty in Luther’s hymn tune that others miss
began conversations about what makes a good text for and made it quietly passionate and totally fresh. I wrote
music. a fan letter to him the next day and said, “Um, you
Around that time, I had a commission from Robert don’t know me, but…”
Istad and Cal State Fullerton, and so I decided that
would be our first project together. Since then, we’ve Kyle Pederson: Brian almost got it right. It was indeed
collaborated on nine works ranging from “And So I Go the Wartburg concert in April of 2019. But it turns out
On,” a double choir meditation on love and loss; to “A it was I who wrote the fan letter to Brian, and I have

10 CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2023 Volume 63 Number 7