"a boy & a boy" for SATB choir (2022) [Score-Video]

Stuart Beatch - "a boy & a boy" for SATB choir, a cappella (2022)

Pro Coro Canada (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
Director: Michael Zaugg
Live recording from the first performance in September 2022

In early 2019, my friend and poet Matthew Stepanic set out alongside fellow poet Jason Purcell with the ambitious plan to open Glass Bookshop, a queer-focused bookstore & community space in Edmonton. As part of their fundraising campaign, I was able to commission a brand-new poem from Matthew—I asked him to write something unapologetically queer and romantic, taking inspiration from “A Boy and a Girl”, the poem by Octavio Paz famously set by Eric Whitacre.

This setting of “a boy & a boy” was commissioned by Pro Coro Canada and Michael Zaugg in 2022. Matthew’s poem adapts the fresh imagery of the original to weave a new narrative of queer summer love becoming something more. My music is lush and direct, focusing on the beauty and emotional depth of this brief poem, and I hope that it will resonate deeply with audiences and singers alike. This score is dedicated to Matthew, with deepest respect and admiration, for his openness and generosity in our collaborations—I’m thankful to have now set 12 of his poems to music, and I hope to continue amplifying his beautiful queer artistry in the years to come.

Learn more at http://stuartbeatch.com/