for SATB divisi chorus, unaccompanied

text by Malcolm Guite

Music from Duke Chapel Series
MorningStar Music, 50-4071

“Easter Dawn” is a sonnet by the British poet Malcolm Guite, from his anthology Sounding the Seasons. The poem evocatively imagines Mary’s encounter with the risen Jesus from the gospel of John, connecting sight with sound, night with day, and grief with love.

The gentle musical setting faithfully interprets the text: A flowing, chant-inspired melody, alternating high and low voices, and modulations between warm and bright keys culminate in a joyful polyphonic “Alleluia.”

For the Duke University Chapel Choir.

A finalist for the 2024 American Prize in Choral Composition.