Joshua Shank's Sleeping Out Full Moon - Presented by Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland

Boston-based Joshua Shank began as a school teacher before moving into composing as a career, though he still considers himself an educator. He has said he thinks of himself mainly as a collaborator with all who bring a piece of his music to life. In “Sleeping Out: Full Moon,” he certainly collaborated brilliantly with English poet Rupert Brooke (1887-1915), who wrote this striking text when barely out of his teens. Both poem and song begin quietly, in normal life, on solid ground, but quickly yield to an out-of-body experience that draws the poet into the embrace of the full moon. Entranced, he calls the moon a flameless ecstasy that surrounds him with feminine tenderness and love, as the music grows richer and more complex. He does not need to do anything to experience such overwhelming beauty—only open himself to the cascades of dazzling images and sounds that fill the night. Performed March 1, 2026 https://www.portlandschoir.org Used by permission of Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc., License #3154