Message in the Snow

Libretto by Kendra Harder

​Instrumentation: Contralto (E3 - C5), piano
​Duration: 3.5'
​
2020, 2023
Recorded by: Kendra Harder (contralto), Matthew Praksas (piano)
It was a beautiful January morning in 2017 as I walked towards the Broadway Bridge on my way to work. It had just snowed, and I mentally remarked how perfectly serene everything looked. As I approached the bridge and saw the river below, I noted a curious pattern of footprints on the ice. 

This early snowy morning scene has sat with me ever since, demanding an art song. 
Sheet Music Available on Ko-Fi
Neurodiversity at its finest: After finishing the work officially, it took 10 months to organize a recording of the project. Then it took 2 months to get around to posting this video.
This work has been created through two 24-hour Compose-a-thons. Its first iteration, from the first Compose-a-thon, was for sopano and piano. Here is the recording from the 24CE2020/1 - the first and partial draft of Message in the Snow