The Shaler Area High School Honors Women’s Chorus will take the stage this month as part of a world premiere. The ensemble has been invited to join a consortium of treble choirs commissioning a new piece by world-renowned choral composer Andrea Ramsey, and students will perform the work publicly for the first time later this month.

The premiere will take place during a choral festival hosted by Belle Voci on Sunday, October 18, at Fox Chapel Area High School. The festival brings together treble choirs from across the region, with each participating ensemble performing its own set before the choirs unite for the world premiere of Ramsey’s Learning to Map the Clouds.

The fifteen-minute composition unfolds across five movements and explores themes of vulnerability, self-compassion, rest, mental well-being, growth, and self-discovery, as well as our broader connection to the natural world. Ramsey adapted the text from the writing of Ohio author and poet Jarod K. Anderson, whose work often finds meaning and comfort in nature.

Being part of a commissioning consortium offers students a rare opportunity. Rather than learning a piece that has been performed many times before, the singers are helping to bring a brand-new work to life and will be among the very first voices to share it with an audience. The piece’s focus on self-compassion and well-being also gives students a chance to connect with music that speaks directly to their own experiences.

As preparations continue, Lorraine Milovac, Artistic Director of Belle Voci, will visit the chorus on October 7 to finalize performance details with students.

Tickets for the festival are now available to the public through the Belle Voci website at https://bellevocipgh.squarespace.com/calendar. Families, friends, and community members are encouraged to attend and support our Titans as they help bring this new work to the stage.