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This Sea We Cross Over

for a cappella choir, Anthony Ritchie Opus 148

This setting of Jenny Bornholdt's poem is flowing and intense. It was written for the NZ Youth Choir for its 2010 World Tour, performed at the Shanghai Expo, and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Hear a sample

Click this link to the Aquarius choir's recording of This Sea We Cross Over on Spotify

This Sea we cross over is based on text by Jenny Bornholdt and is used with her kind permission. This work was commissioned by Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust with support from Creative New Zealand. It was premiered by the New Zealand Youth Choir on 22 February 2010 at Parliament House, Wellington.

According to Jenny Bornholdt, this poem is a memorial to those Anzacs lost in the wars, but also celebrates the connections between New Zealand and Australia. Therefore, it looks back to the past but also forwards to the future. The sea is used as the connecting point, with other elements included being trade, women getting the vote, song, migration, etc. Images of sea and water dominate the music, which features long flowing vocal lines.

Dedicated to my father.

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