Invitation to Love

I discovered the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar late 2020. I found his poem “Invitation to Love”, and was inspired by the heartfelt nature of the text. Unlike most poems about love, this poem’s narrator is speaking to a love that hasn’t appeared in their life quite yet. I thought this was a beautiful idea. To represent this, I wrote the music like a lullaby with lush harmonies to imbue the music with a loving, tender quality.

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It was premiered on February 18th, 2023 by Chicago a Cappella at Nichols Concert Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago.