Three short anthems for women's chorus (SSAA) based on poems by American lyric poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933): Joy, The Answer, and To Joy, all dating from 1915. Teasdale won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1918. It was the first time the prize had been awarded to a poet.
About the Author: American author, composer, arranger and conductor Robert Debbaut was born in Long Beach, California in 1956. As an undergraduate student at Missouri State University, Robert Debbaut studied composition and orchestration with the noted American wind composer, Claude T. Smith. Under Mr. Smith's guidance, Debbaut composed two works, "Spring," for symphony orchestra, and "Variations" for brass quintet. Both works were performed in 1977-78. While an undergraduate Debbaut also composed and arranged works for brass ensemble, wind ensemble, trumpet ensemble, and the Missouri State University Marching Band. Robert Debbaut actively returned to composing in 2007. His "Great New City" for string orchestra was premiered under his direction in Russia by the Great Novgorod Chamber Orchestra. Other recent performances include Variations on a Theme by Mozart for Viola and Piano and for Flute and Piano, "Petrushka Dances" (Stravinsky) and "Flower Duet" (Delibes) for violin duet, "Earth Song" for violin and piano were premiered this past year, "Prelude, Night Scene and Vienna Finale" from Mozart's DON GIOVANNI and "Birch Trees," based on four Russian folk melodies and composed for Woman's Chorus with piano accompaniment and violin obbligato. Robert Debbaut holds three degrees in music including the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Michigan, where he was the first American conductor to hold the title "Fellow in Conducting." He continued his musical studies at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Oregon Bach Festival, the David Oistrakh Festival in Estonia, and the International Conducting Workshop in Prague. His teachers and mentors include Gustav Meier, Helmuth Rilling, Neeme Järvi and the late Maurice Abravanel. He has held academic positions at the University of Utah, DePaul University, the University of Akron, Lawrence Conservatory and the University of Minnesota. As a guest conductor Robert Debbaut has appeared with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Filharmonia Sudecka, Hartford Symphony, Kharkiv Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, North Czech Philharmonic, Great Novgorod Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony of Guatemala, Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra, Utah Symphony and the Yaroslavl Symphony among many others.