Glenda & Lauree

Original Work

Details:

Text: Glenda Elliott

Voicing: SATB (TTBB and SSAA versions available)

Theme: Secular, queer-specific

Orchestration: SATB, piano, mezzo solo

About:

One evening in the fall of 2015, I was driving home from school and listening to NPR’s StoryCorps. A woman named Glenda began telling the story of how she and Lauree met at a time in American history when the love of two people of the same sex was not accepted by society. As the story unraveled, I genuinely felt Glenda’s love for Lauree. Glenda reveals that she and Lauree never got to have their happily ever after because Lauree was taken by cancer. Most stories would focus on that grief; however, Glenda tells, “I don’t regret at all, all the time we shared. It’s where I learned to love and to be loved.” The power of that story brought me to tears. Thank God it was dark.

I immediately started setting the transcription of her story to music. When I called Glenda to ask her permission, she graciously said yes. I said, “Thank you so much, because I already wrote it!” From that moment, Glenda and I have shared a great bond of friendship. After hearing its performance at the GALA Chorus Festival in Denver in 2016, Glenda gave me a huge hug and whispered in my ear, “Thank you. You brought Lauree back to me.” Glenda and I remain friends to this day.

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