"you" by hunter t. johnson - scrolling score

"you" by hunter t. johnson
texts collected from htj, Robert Burns, Edmund Waller, amanda lee anne roos (a.l.a.s.), Sara Teasdale, and the United States Supreme Court: Obergefell v. Hodges

Premiered in Ford-Crawford Recital Hall
Recording: hunter t. johnson recital choir | hunter t. johnson, conductor
Saturday, April 8th 2023 at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

from the composer: "you is a labor of love lost. it is a work deeply rooted in the tragedy, grief, confusion, pain, sorrow, healing, light, and joy of heartbreak. this piece directly addresses one of the most powerful tenets of heartbreak: that all of these things can be felt simultaneously.

i began writing this piece with a swirl of poetry and musical fragments in my mind. i could hear old pieces i’d written, new ones i was working on, poems my best friend had made for me, and all of the beautiful texts that i’d always based my vision of love upon. love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. roses, beaches, smiles, Chicago… the list feels endless even now. in composing this work, it was my goal to capture a few of the moments that i was experiencing in my own head and my own heart and express them in such a way that they might be experienced by others as well.

i want this work to show all of us that our experiences are valid. while our interpretations and reactions may differ, no one should ever have to protect and defend their reality from insurmountable scrutiny and rejection. this work is a reflection on countless interactions; i can’t honestly say that i even fully understand it right now. i’m not sure that i need to."