For You I Will Be an Island by Jennifer Lucy Cook - UVU Chamber Choir

Words and music by Jennifer Lucy Cook
Performed November 2021
at the Noorda Performing Arts Center, UVU campus, Orem, Utah
Utah Valley University Chamber Choir
Dr. Reed Criddle, conductor
Taci Miner, soprano soloist
Text:
For you I will be an island
a solo shelter
For you I will be an island
miles away
For you I will be surrounded
with only water
For you I will be surrounded
by blue and gray
And when the coast is clear
Come let me know
Find me where love collides
with letting go
For you I will be uncharted
except by starlight
For you I will be uncharted
come what may
And when the coast is clear
Come let me know
Find me where love collides
with letting go
Now we divide to conquer
Only the waves for comfort
For you I will be an island
a solo shelter
For you I will be an island
miles away
Miles away
Program notes:
For You I Will Be an Island was written while in quarantine, when the greatest act of love that one person could show to another was to keep a healthy distance. This strange phenomenon stood in stark contrast to the tangible way I normally prefer to show love: with hugs, kisses, and closeness. Quarantine felt to me very similar to other rare times when distance means love, like when a relationship seems to have run its course, or when love isn’t returned in kind. When all that’s left to do is to keep a flame and wish them well from afar: “find me where love collides with letting go.” In the piece you’ll hear waves humming all the words left unsaid, the voices dividing with the widest intervals possible before coming back together for clusters, and long phrases that stretch for miles. Loneliness is inevitable, terrible, and even beautiful at times, and this piece hopefully evokes some of the collective loneliness we’ve all felt throughout the pandemic.
Find Jen online here:
jenniferlucycook.com
TikTok: / jenlucycook
Instagram: / jenlucycook
For her "Cookie" solo pop project on Spotify: open.spotify.c...
Sheet music published by Graphite Publishing (2022 release); contact Jen for more info

[@jenlucycook]

May we all safely emerge from our islands ASAP

[@JacqBLUEjay]

Just heard LA Master chorale perform this beautiful work. Very emotional to me

[@alexanderegan4297]

I was there too! Gorgeous.

[@JordanMurillo11]

the entire piece is astounding but 2:25 is just shockwaves of emotions and power with each slap of a new chord and the waves that come after are such a lullaby. brilliant. beautiful!

[@Sepharite]

How are you not more famous? I find your pieces to be exquisite and profound, yet very complex and beautifully written (music and text). You are one of a kind.

[@jenlucycook]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad my music connected with you

[@BytyqiElvis]

Lovely Composition!

[@LaureliAmadeus]

the humming part at 1:30 took my breath away. your usage of silence is tremendous

[@Itsdylanschmidt]

I performed this song my senior year of high school. This song is a masterpiece is every possible way.

[@jenlucycook]

SO impressed that you did this in high school; it's pretty advanced for a HS group! Thanks for singing it 🥰

[@_Veryx_]

No freaking way it's the actual Dylan Schmidt himself

[@_Veryx_]

@@jenlucycook I can vouch it sounded incredible

[@clarkwilliamlawlor]

Beautiful and moving! Love the text, the dramatic silences, the highs and lows, the sweeping lines, and the great harmonies. Well done!

[@anthonyj.maglione263]

This is tremendous. What is the best way to see a perusal score?

[@theghostofjennifercook]

🥰 Send me an email and I'll send it to you! [e-mail]