Ubi Caritas

Most people who have been in choir for a little while have probably sung a few settings of Ubi Caritas. The Duruflé and Gjeilo settings come to mind, and with how timeless and stunning these settings are, I was always hesitant to write my own setting. In 2025, I was approached by Kendra Fisher to compose a setting of Ubi Caritas for the Granbury Varsity Treble Choir to be premiered during their honor choir performance at the 2026 Southwestern ACDA conference.

I knew I wanted to approach this piece differently from the meditative qualities in the well-known Duruflé and Gjeilo settings, and after spending time with the text, I was drawn to the elements of “joy” and celebration in this prayer. As a result, this piece has momentum, energy, and harmonies that shimmer and flow from one to the next. For a text so beloved, I worked diligently to compose music that would honor this beautiful prayer and provide a new experience for any conductor, singer, and audience member in this new composition.