Unasked For Ode (2024) - for SSAATTBB Choir and Hub New Music

Here is the performance video of my piece, "Unasked-For Ode." You can find the scrolling score here: • Unasked-For Ode (2024)...
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My proclivity for writing sacrilegious choral music came out of hibernation when I first saw Hannah Carr-Murphy’s poem “Unasked-For Ode.” Her choice to quote the Christian hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty” instantly inspired much of what the piece is today. My setting of “Unasked-For Ode” is very much an expression of queer joy. The poem evokes a wide variety of emotions that feel bigger than oneself while also being deeply intimate.
Thank you to Hannah Carr-Murphy for letting me set her text! Check out her work here: www.hannahcarrmurphy.com/
Thank you to Hub New Music, Bill Culverhouse, and the Binghamton Chamber Singers for performing this piece!!!
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Wen Wen Van Der Wende (They/He) is a queer, Chinese-American composer/performer and multimedia artist whose music conveys both visceral turmoil and a love for the natural world. A devotee of unconventional beauty, they balance brightly-colored destruction with a grounded sense of sincerity. Wen Wen has worked with professional ensembles such as Hub New Music, Momenta Quartet, Tri-Cities Opera, and Modern Medieval Voices. They have also worked with The Hartt School’s Foot in the Door Ensemble and the Fusion Saxophone Duo, who facilitated their first overseas premiere. They have a B.M. in Music Composition from The Hartt School and are pursuing a Master's Degree in Music Composition at Binghamton University. In addition to composing, they analyze popular media, crochet dolls of fictional characters, and converse with their menagerie of adorable, oddly-named plushies.
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Website: wenwenvanderwende.com
Instagram: wen.performing
Bandcamp: wenwenvanderwende.bandcamp.co...
Soundcloud: / wen-wen-van-der-wende
For business inquiries or sheet music, contact me at [e-mail]!

[@JohnCavicchio]

What a beautiful and inspirational piece. Thank you for sharing.

[@wenwenvanderwende]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words!

[@aliosadeqi]

Beautiful🥰

[@wenwenvanderwende]

Thank youuuuu!!!