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PROGRAM NOTES
When I first attended a rehearsal run by Kirsten Oberoi and the South Shore Children’s Chorus, I was struck
by how, to an untrained eye, the process might appear chaotic. And yet, the resulting musical excellence as
well as the emotional high for the singers was undeniable. Kirsten’s ability to see the order from the chaos
felt parallel to my own process of seeing a bigger perspective in my own life. Trusting my instincts and
taking leaps of faith can feel incredibly arbitrary and frenzied at times, but it’s with hindsight that I notice the
pieces falling into place. Sometimes a close friend can help me see a method within my own madness. Or a
piece of art can strike a chord of clarity when I least expect it. Or, a tumultuous life event seems to take on
significance for my own growth years after the fact. This is how I see patterns in the pandemonium: as
opportunities to leap and trust, to risk vulnerability without certainty, and to see the importance of all of our
movements within a grander human system.
Choirs exemplify this especially well in their ability to create harmony from independent polyphonic lines,
to modulate through tonal centers with ease, and to add rhythmic elements on top of melody. Throughout
the piece, there are moments of choice for the singers to help make it clear that our own autonomy is an
important part of the pattern, too. Every voice is needed in the beautiful mess we create, and this piece is a
celebration of our journey toward seeing the grand design, bigger picture, bird’s-eye-view of it all.
Duration: 3 – 5 minutes
Voicing: SATB a cappella
Dedication: Commissioned by the South Shore Children’s Chorus under the direction of Kirsten Oberoi
Text:
Like a gear
Like a pulley
Like a lever
Like a spring
A push and pull
Lefty loosey
Or a tightening
Tighten, tighten, tighten
Have you heard the pattern in the pandemonium
You hear the pattern in the pattern in the pattern
Hear the pattern in the pattern in the
Pan
de
mo
ni
um
In the rhythm
Is a system
Like an old machine
There’s a method
In the madness
That relies on me
Eyes on
Pandemonium
Part of the pattern I am mm part of the pattern, I am
Part of the pattern in the pandemonium
A grand design
Clearer vision
With a bird’s eye view
A larger plan
Bigger picture
I can zoom out too
My wondering is part of it
The harmony is part of it
The chaos is a part of it
The tension is a part of it
Gear, pulley, lever, spring
I’m part of the pattern in the pandemonium
Part of the pattern I am mm part of the pattern, I am
Part of the pattern in the pandemonium
