Of Sea and Stone

Of Sea and Stone is a musical work written by Steven Snowden and commissioned by the Educational Foundation for Rockport for the Band, Chorus and Orchestra students of Rockport High School. The composition and video were developed as part of the Rockport High School Music Department's April 2023 performance tour to Italy. The piece draws on the connection between the granite quarries of Cape Ann, the marble quarries of Italy, and the structures we build from the resources where we live. While on tour, the RHS Music students had the privilege of making music deep inside the mountains of the quarries of Carrara, where Michelangelo learned to cut marble.
The text sung by the Chorus is from a poem by Michelangelo entitled On the Brink of Death: "Now hath my life across a stormy sea, like a frail bark, reached that wide port where all are bidden." In contrast to the enduring nature of geography, all life is fleeting and exists on the brink of death. But we are connected across lifetimes by cultural threads, by the music and art we create.
The audio was recorded over a six-week period following the students' return from Italy. Though not every student in the Music program traveled to Italy, everyone was involved in one way or another in the making of this video. A huge number of people put in a huge amount of time and effort to make this project possible. We are very grateful.