Themes: Coming out, LGBTQ+, togetherness
Musical material: Gentle, wordless hums transform into breaths
Suitable for: all choirs
5 minutes
Growing up as a young LGBTQ+ person can mean hiding aspects of your identity, and projecting a false image of yourself, in order to stay safe. Softly is a distillation of my own experience coming out to myself. It was a lonely evening; lots of deep breaths, quiet humming, and speaking softly to calm myself down.
The music is very still and very quiet. It’s an intimate sound that lets you get to know the musicians; the unique qualities of each voice, and the individual sounds of their breath.
Premiered by the NYCGB Fellowship at the VOCES8 Centre and released on NMC Records 2022.