Published

17-5-2026

Type of Work

Creative Work - Music

Advisors and Contributors

Tom Francis - composer

Abstract

n May 2026, I travelled to Germany on invitation to conduct two choral works at the 3rd European Baha'i Choral Festival - one an original composition and one an arrangement of a piece by Australian composer Tom Francis), both recent works from the corpus of a cappella choral music I have developed over several decades in response to the writings of the Baha'i Faith. The two concerts took place on 17 May 2026 at the Baha'i-Haus der Andacht von Europa (European Baha'i House of Worship), Langenhain, Germany, following three days of intensive ensemble rehearsals with the 75 voice choir. These works were programmed alongside compositions and arrangements by internationally recognised composers and conductors including Lasse Thoresen, Pierre Weber, Cosma Gottardi, and Ameli Dzemba, and performed under the baton of conductors Lorraine Manifold, Lilly Hoerster, Ameli Dzemba, and Cosma Gottardi - a context that placed my work in direct dialogue with a serious international community of practice.

The themes of both works explore concepts that the Baha'i writings identify as foundational to the progress of humanity: unity of hearts, the oneness of humankind, the sanctity of the human spirit, and the imperative to engage with one another through love, harmony, friendliness, and fellowship. These represent the philosophical framework about human nature and human potential that has informed my thinking my parallel careers in compositional and education practice.

The compositional process for these works made deliberate and reflective use of AI tools - specifically, for auditioning individual voice parts (realising sounds that are composed, not generated) and for creating the "teach me" audio files that allow singers to learn their parts independently before ensemble rehearsal.

The festival itself, as an ensemble choral experience, provided the realisation of compositional intent through the unified human effort of performers, conductor, and composer working in shared purpose. The experience of hearing one's inner musical imagination become actual sound - through the breath, voice, and attention of a community of singers - is both a test of the composition and a reminder of what performance fundamentally is: a collective, embodied expression of meaning that cannot be replicated in a singular studio environment.

Citation

Webber, C. (2025). Fruits of One Tree [Original a cappella choral composition]. Francis, T., Arr. Webber, C., &  (2025). Unite and Bind [Original a cappella choral composition].

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