Lamiya’s Song
Lamiya's Song is written to bring attention to one of the most significant and challenging issues in our world today, the global refugee crisis. Lamiya Safarova lost her home and her village to the Nagorno-Karabakh War when she was only nine, eventually settling with her family in a cardboard shack on the shore of the Caspian Sea. She began writing poems to express her feelings. The loss of her home and her village had a profound impact on Lamiya. And so did being classified as a "refugee" by her classmates in school. Lamiya has a name, and her poem gives her a voice.
Nigra Sum
Composed as a tribute to the victims of the global refugee crisis, this piece utilizes modern a cappella harmonies, cluster chords and chant-like melodies to create a gorgeous setting of the Latin text from the Song of Solomon. Extended divisi, particularly in the tenor part, creates tight harmonies that sparkle against the open chord structure established throughout.
My Name is Lamiya: Don't Call Me "Refugee"
This composition was written to bring attention to one of the most significant and challenging issues in our world today, the global refugee crisis. Nine-year-old Lamiya Safarova lost her home and her village, and she began writing poems to express her feelings. The stirring text and repeated rhythmic elements persist throughout this work, along with body percussion that represents the journey of the refugee, forced away from their home, most often by foot.