Dishes

For SATB Choir

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Program Notes

I may be wrong, but with my experience in life so far, I’ve found that absolutely no one that I know enjoys doing dishes. I myself share that same dislike. In the fall of
2010, I shared a house with three other people. One day, I had come home to a sink completely full of dishes (that were not mine), a dishwasher that was empty, and
an odor that reminded me of cottage cheese that is 3 months past its expiration.

Needless to say, I couldn’t leave the kitchen in this shape so I gave in. While I was cleaning, rather than bickering to myself, text started to form in my head. Then it dawned on me. How funny would it be to write a piece about doing the dishes? I could write about my experience that would surely turn out to be a funny story. It would be comical to both perform and listen to, yet I could still write something that would present a challenge, which is always my goal. And thus, “Dishes” was born, and I immediately began working on text.

Once the text was finished, my goal was to match the comic aspects of the text, in a musical way as well. Between chromatic lines and key jumps, it is both challenging and fun for all types of acapella choirs and audiences.

Text