If The River is Proof (from Finding Light) by Matthew Lyon Hazzard

If the river is proof
what is it doing to my sense of endings
Growing up
listening to nightly reports
The thousands of ways the world is dying
I count the years I have left
I count the arctic summer sea ice
If I have children they will not see it
Today my parents
sent me a selfie wearing masks
They are inside their home because Oregon is burning
The ash is coming through the chimney
The river continues
& we believe in its continuation
but the river’s future is the ocean
Where do we understand what we have done
Where do we imagine the future we want
I am young but feel close to
death. It’s hard to
see. It’s
running
out.
The river’s ending is the ocean.
***
Text by Sophia Mautz, compiled and arranged by the composer.
Music by Matthew Lyon Hazzard
Performed by the UCLA Chorale
Conducted by James Scott
Directed by Dr. Ryan Brown
Mvmt. 5 of Finding Light
Commissioned by the Oregon Repertory Singers, Ethan Sperry, conductor.
#choir #music #climatechange

[@akiprof]

Perfection!

[@betsycookweber]

Absolutely beautiful - text and music and performance.