A Blessing of Cranes

When I realized there would be about 1,000 singers as part of this special commission, I wondered, could I ask each singer to fold a paper crane? Perhaps together we could advance our wish for peace. What if each choir could "fold" a crane musically, just by singing? I started experimenting with the paper, creasing and folding - trying to figure out how to render this beautiful, meditative, and geometric activity into sound. By mapping each fold to a note on the staff, I was able to slowly transform the folding process from physical to musical. With my cranes and sketches in tow, I approached poet and librettist Michael Dennis Browne, to ask if this idea inspired him too, and I'm so grateful that it did. He wrote a beautiful poem - geometric, hopeful, intimate and worldly - and I've attempted to craft the music with as much elegance.

At the end of this score is a pattern for you to cut out and fold into your own paper crane. I hope you enjoy the process of transforming this flat square into a symbol of hope, and - likewise - of transforming this silent score into sound.

- Abbie Betinis, 2015

I've put together a little Pinterest board on Sadako, crane-making, symbolism, and other lovely things to know:

And here's a fun Facebook photo journal charting the process of composing this piece:

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