Ah Sunflower (2013) - 5'
SATB choir


​Commissioned by the Hollywood Master Chorale as part of the Voices of LA Project
​2017 KHORIKOS ORTUS International New Music Competition, Finalist 
2015 Vancouver Chamber Choir Contest, 1st Prize Winner
Premiered June 9, 2013: Hollywood Master Chorale conducted by Lauren Buckley in Los Angeles, CA
​PROGRAM NOTE
Ah Sunflower takes its text from William Blake’s “Ah Sunflower” from his Songs of Experience. The piece is dedicated to the memory of my khalo (“uncle” in Arabic), Fadi Ishak, who passed away in 2007. Upon reading this poem for the first time, it immediately struck me that I needed to set this to music. Khalo Fadi was always enamored with sunflowers and it would be difficult to find a room in his home that didn’t have at least one! He was the sunflower of my childhood, brightly shining and always smiling.