We reflect on our relationship with this most essential element of life through this program, in collaboration with pianist Nathan Salazar. An exciting new generation of American composers is featured: Jake Runestad (Waves), Mason Bates (Sirens), and Matthew Lyon Hazzard (The Prow, When We are Gone). Also featured is Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae (Song of Maritime Disaster) by Jaako Mäntyjärvi, inspired by the 1994 sinking of the MS Estonia in which 852 lives were lost. As one of the leading American chamber choirs, the Desert Chorale embraces its role in preserving our country’s folk music heritage. This program closes with a combination of American sacred harp, spiritual, and folk arrangements.