Setting of Jenny Bornholdt’s poem, Instructions for how to get ahead of yourself while the light still shines

I set this fantastic poem, Instructions for how to get ahead of yourself while the light still shines by Jenny Bornholdt to music in 2002 when I was working at Diocesan School for Girls’ and wrote it especially for the Year 7 and 8 choir at the school at the time. I wanted to capture something of the effect of the speed of the bike and interplay of shadow and light that I imagined from the poem.  The choir performed the piece at the North Shore Competitions, the Diocesan Musical showcase and The Kids’ Sing in the Auckland Town Hall. Since then, a number of choirs have performed the work, including Catherine Graham’s choir at Bethlehem College, pictured above in 2018.