Brothers of the Sea

SATB div. a cappella
6:00 approx.

This piece was commissioned by Jennifer Tham and the SYC Ensemble Singers for the 2017 installment of Three – a festival of 3 Asian choirs (featuring the Jennifer Tham and the Singapore Youth Choir (SYC) Ensemble Singers, Jonathan Velasco and the Ateneo Chamber Singers, and Ko Matsushita and the Gaia Philharmonic Choir).

I dedicate this piece to a world filled with corruption, religious conflict, human rights violations, and extremist ideologies; a world that is sorely in need of peace and unity. Unity that is symbolized by the gathering and singing together of 3 excellent choirs from 3 different countries, separated by seas and oceans, but together in heart and spirit.

BROTHERS OF THE SEA
Samar Fishermen’s Song (Philippines)

Brothers of the sea,
Look at the stars,
Look at the deep blue
And set the world free.
Our right is to live and be free;
Freedom will not come from outside.
It is only in ourselves united.