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Beatch: a boy & a boy

Recorded April 2023 at Christ Church Cathedral

In early 2019, my friend and poet Mathew 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 comissioned 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.
(SB, 2022)

SINGERS

Christina Cichos
Lucy Smith
Tabitha Brasso-Ernst
Katherine Evans
Deanna Gestrin
Carman J. Price
Taka Shimojima
Asitha Tennekoon
Steven Bélanger
Jacob Gramit
Steve Maddock

GUEST ARTISTS

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Audio Engineer: Don Harder
Director: Mike Southworth
Producer: Joanna Dundas
Cameras: Mike Southworth, Barry Ambrosio, Brandon Fletcher
Lighting Design: Jason Conroy
Editors: Doug Fury & Mike Southworth

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