Circle of life

Bob Chilcott: Circle song During the pandemic, British composer Bob Chilcott was commissioned by Houston Chamber Singers to create an extended, continuous work. The result was Circlesong, a colourful and grand cantata depicting the cycle of life.

The texts, drawn from the poetry of Indigenous peoples of North America, describe the universe and human existence as an unbroken circle.

In the work’s first movement, we find ourselves in the spiritual place where a person rests before birth. Through the cantata’s various sections, we then follow the natural course of life through birth, childhood, adulthood, middle age and old age, until death. In the final movement, the circle closes as we return to the very place where it all began.

The music is written for mixed choir, children’s choir, two pianos and a large percussion ensemble. The instrumentation is deeply rhythmic and colourful, with a musical drive and intensity reminiscent of Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana. We are very proud to present the Swedish premiere of this exciting work in a unique, visual, semi-staged production.

Circle Song by Bob Chilcott is a large-scale choral work that portrays the human life cycle through the poetry of Indigenous peoples of North America, divided into several sections moving from birth to death. Hear Oscarskyrkans barn- och ungdomskörer depict the cycle of life through this exhilarating music.

Oscars barn- och ungdomskörer

Piano and percussion ensemble

Pär Olofsson, Maria Bergström and Isabel Bödker Pedersen, conductors

Tickets via tickster.com. Free admission for everyone under 18.