Worcester Children’s Chorus and Assumption University choirs came together to commission composer Grace Brigham to create a new work reflecting unity, hope, and togetherness in the midst of the isolation of COVID-19. The result of this collaboration is the stunning new piece, River of Hope, set to text by WCC singer Hope DeLuca, and relevant to the lives of our students in the Worcester community. The work was recorded in October, 2021, on the Assumption University campus. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Alfred Nash Patterson fund of Choral Arts New England.
Grace Brigham is a composer from Salt Lake City specializing in choral and vocal music. She recently graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in music, where she also played violin and sang in various ensembles including the St. Olaf Choir. Grace’s love for choral music began when she joined the chorister program at the Washington National Cathedral in 2012, where she had the opportunity to sing at numerous concerts and services of national significance.
Her music is gaining increasing attention, with performances so far by Cantus, the Washington National Cathedral Choir, Women’s Voices Chorus, and many ensembles at St. Olaf College. Her piece “Discoveries” was named the winner of the Cantus 2019 Young & Emerging Composer Competition, and is published through the Cantus Choral Series. She has received commissions from Women’s Voices Chorus and Assumption University. Additionally, Grace produces virtual choirs and works as a video editor for Mallorca Studio.
Hope is a talented poet and singer/songwriter who graduated from WCC and Hopkinton High School in 2021 and is currently a first year student at University of Vermont.
I’ve never written something like that that’s been turned into a chorus piece before. I’m excited to hear the whole piece together. It’s really cool. I love being a part of it.
Brett Maguire is a multi-talented videographer, musician and yoga instructor.
Thank you Brett for your creativity with this project!
“It takes creativity to make music and videos safely today-
and sometimes a lot of gear.
No matter what, we can still create.“
Pamela Mindell has worked with a number of children’s choirs, including the Litchfield County Children’s Choir in CT and the Paradise City Children’s Choir, in Northampton, MA, which she founded in 2001.
In addition to her work with WCC, Pamela is also Music Director of the Cambridge Community Chorus.
