Home

for unaccompanied SATB choir
ca. 3’30”

Never do I feel the refuge of home more strongly than when I am studying in the United States, far away from my hometown of Hong Kong. The different people, the culture shock, and the weather, especially in freezing Michigan, all cumulate in my strong desire to go back and find sanctuary in the comforts of Hong Kong.

Yet, I know that one cannot wallow in nostalgia forever – I came to the United States for a reason, and that is to further my education and to try to develop a career here, meaning that leaving Hong Kong indefinitely is a very possible prospect. Perhaps I will need to learn to live with this constant yearning, to jump out of my comfort zone and reach for the stars, however daunting that distance might be. This short piece, with text by my good friend Asher Harris, is a reminder that with any challenge we face and no matter the outcome, the support of our homes would always be with us. One is never far from home, for it lives in our hearts.

Home is currently published by Hal Leonard under the Eugene Rogers Choral Series.

Text:

Home by Asher Harris

Summer days, tender as woven silk
Fountains and bare feet, castles of brittle stone
Blankets of golden grass sing to the clouds
Floating in the sky.

Spirit eyes... shifting sands
Speak to me, pour through my hands.

Wander nowhere, never sink
Hunted by the sunset wind
Night pools into breathless trees
Clothed in rippling shadow.

Climb over the misty cliffs and fall
Into boiling fog.

Remember, remember.
Always with you.

Performances:

29 Oct 2021 (USA premiere)
Breaking the Silence: Music to End Our Isolation
Auer Hall, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
NOTUS Indiana University Contemporary Vocal Ensemble; Prof. Dominick DiOrio, conductor

4 Jul 2019 (world premiere)
Heartstrings 2019 — Heep Yunn School Annual Concert
Ko Shan Theatre New Wing, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Diocesan Boys’ School and Heep Yunn School Intermediate Mixed Choir; Felix Shuen, conductor