Sleep by Eric Whitacre (adapted for solo marimba by Christina Cheon)

This piece was commissioned during the winter of 1999 by Julia Armstrong in memory of her parents. The music was initially set note by note to her favorite poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," by Robert Frost:

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Unfortunately, there is no official arrangement of this piece, but the original SATB score, along with more detailed program notes on Sleep, can be found on the composer's website: https://ericwhitacre.com/music-catalo...

Performance on June 26, 2016 @ the First Church in Cambridge
Videography by Shin Park

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christina Cheon is an award-winning musician and educator based in Orange County, CA. She is also the founder and Executive Director of Southern California Marimba (www.scmarimba.org), a non-profit organization that provides educational programs through concerts, masterclasses, and the biennial International Artist Competition. You can find more information about the artist at www.christinacheon.com .