Music by
Timothy Michael Powell
Lyrics by
Charles Anthony Silvestri
A NEW VERSION OF AN OLD TALE…
I Want to Fly! is the central, celebratory chorus from Saint George and the Dragon, an oratorio for young voices. The work turns the traditional legend of St. George upside down by featuring a young, budding scientist, Princess Sabra, who encounters a friendly dragon, Ascalon. Together, they must convince the teenaged knight, George, that the dragon means no harm.
Saint George and the Dragon received an enthusiastic standing ovation at its 2013 world premiere in New York City at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. New York Concert Reviews called the premiere, sung by the John S. Davidson Fine Arts School combined choirs (Augusta, GA) and the choir of the Westminster School of Augusta, GA, a "stand-out performance."
Lyricist and composer Charles Anthony Silvestri has worked with choral composers from all over the world to create texts tailor-made for their commissions and specific artistic needs. He enjoys the challenge of solving creative problems and has provided custom choral texts, opera libretti, program notes and other writing for composers including Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, and Dan Forrest, and for groups ranging from high schools to the Houston Grand Opera, from the King’s Singers to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, from Westminster Choir College to Westminster Abbey. As a clinician Silvestri speaks to choirs, classes, and concert audiences about his works, the creative process, the marriage of words and music, and about his collaborative relationships with composers. For more on Silvestri’s work, see CharlesAnthonySilvestri.com
"The three characters in this little drama are the Princess Sabra, the dragon Ascalon, and the hero George. I strove to create distinct voices for the three characters, reflected in the different meters and rhyme schemes I used for each. For example, Ascalon is ancient and formal, and always speaks rhymed couplets in iambic pentameter. The youthful and sassy Sabra speaks in a jaunty sing-song. George begins the tale in prose; but as wisdom dawns within him, his speech changes to match the more formal styles of the others."
-Charles Anthony Silvestri, Lyricist
Timothy Michael Powell is a composer and conductor for choral and orchestral performance, film, and gaming. Called "a skilled composer who understands the voice in all stages of development" by New York Concert reviews, Timothy's compositions eclectically span stylistic genres, and have been performed in prestigious venues throughout the world. Timothy was one of only 25 educators in the United States to be named a Semi-finalist for the 2016 Grammy Music Educator Award, and won the American Prize in Choral Performance in 2012. He was a1999 National Choristers Guild Scholar, and a 2002 Fulbright Scholar to Bulgaria. Timothy has successfully led choral programs in middle school, high school and universities, performing multiple times by peerreviewed invitation at NAfME and ACDA conferences. He holds a DMA in Conducting from the University of South Carolina and his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Belmont University. He enjoys membership in ASCAP and ACDA and is a voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMY). He is the co-Artistic Director of the Athena Festival in Nashville, TN, where he lives with his wife Jennifer and his two musical children. To explore more of Timothy's compositions, visit TimothyMichaelPowell.com
"Musically, I approached this delightful tale in a variety of styles. I attempt to weave together the different character voices into a seamless dramatic whole. The music is heavily influenced by Celtic dance music, particularly in the fiddle solos. Other passages may remind you of fiery Italian madrigali, and still others resemble modern Broadway songs. Generally speaking, each character has musical themes that recur when they are speaking. Ascalon has world-weary, "bard-like" music. Princess Sabra utilizes treble voices, though the baritone often enters on big choruses. When George is speaking, you'll notice that I've set his dialogue in canon, reflecting his youthful confusion, which eventually gives way to music which resembles that of his new friends. Ascalon, too, occasionally addresses George in canon, so that his wisdom may be more easily understood."
-Timothy Michael Powell, Composer
I Want to Fly!
From Saint George and the Dragon
Text by Charles Anthony Silvestri
Music by Timothy Michael Powell
you may ren der.
Spread out your wings and
Spread out your wings and
Spread out your wings and
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you
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I Want to Fly!
Music by Timothy Michael Powell
by Charles Anthony Silvestri