“Lament of the Earth,” commissioned by the National Lutheran Choir and winner of the 2020 Dale Warland Singers Commission award from Chorus America, is a work filled with the belief that people of many different faiths share a common reference for creation.

The arc of the work begins with the earth’s profound beauty (inspired by the Genesis story of creation) and ends with a newfound awareness of our sacred responsibility toward all of creation (as expressed through a traditional Diné prayer).

Structurally, each of the work’s four movements is preceded by an Earth Aria, a short musical meditation sung by children's choir. The soloist gives voice to Earth herself, and is featured in the second, third and fourth movements. Composer Steve Heitzeg describes the work as “Part dance of life, part protest music against violence and the destruction of the earth.” “Lament of the Earth” is comprised of ceremonial earth chants, prayer-like lyricism, a Song of Sorrow and celebratory dances, all seeking to honor the earth’s beauty. Heitzeg also employs an extensive array of “naturally-found” percussion instruments, such as driftwood, stones, wild rice and hemp seed rattles, sea shell wind chimes, an ocean drum, a crystal singing bowl and a plastic bag filled with small pieces of plastic to symbolize the interconnectedness of humans and nature.

Steve Heitzeg’s music coupled with Susan Palo Cherwien’s poetry asks us to see with new eyes the intricate beauty of our universe while confronting our violation of a sacred gift.