Umigame (for TTBB, 2010)

For TTBB a cappella. Composed during Rue Yamauchi’s first year as conductor of The Men’s Glee Club of New York, Umigame was inspired by a letter from his father in Kyushu, Japan. He described how, after years of local conservation efforts opposing the construction of a concrete port, sea turtles had finally begun returning to the shores of Oita Prefecture. Moved by this renewal, Rue wrote the piece in the fall of 2010 for the Glee Club’s winter concert in New York City.

3 minutes