Saunder Choi is Los Angeles-based Filipino composer, conductor and choral artist.
It’s not every day that Purdue students have the opportunity to perform the world premiere of an original song under the composer’s direction. However, that’s exactly what students in University Choir are looking forward to this semester.
PMO is thrilled to welcome Saunder Choi as University Choir’s first Artist in Residence this spring! Choi, a Los Angeles-based Filipino composer and choral artist, has an impressive resume with highlights such as writing compositions for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and working with Tony Award winner Lea Salonga.
“Commissioning is an incredibly creative process and requires deep commitment from composer and performer alike,” said PMO Assistant Director Jake Stensberg, who has worked with Choi over the past year to request a commissioned piece arranged specifically for University Choir.
Choi’s original composition, “I Came to Your Shore as a Wayfaring Stranger,” uses text from two sources: the American folk tune “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” and classical Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore’s “Stray Birds.”
During his visit, Choi will have the chance to work with the Purduettes and the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, who are also singing songs from his musical catalog this semester. While in West Lafayette, Choi will have the opportunity to collaborate with other Purdue departments, including the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center.
“It’s especially exciting that we’ll be able to host Saunder in residence here at PMO at the end of March and have him in attendance for the world premiere on April 1,” said Stensberg, who assists Jeff Vallier in directing the Purduettes and University Choir.
Some of Stensberg’s favorite lines from Tagore’s “Stray Birds” poem include the text “I came to your shore as a stranger; I lived in your house as a guest; I leave your door as a friend.” In Stensberg’s opinion, “There’s no better way to summarize the beautiful relationship between performer and composer.”