Homer High School’s Concert Choir and Kenai Peninsula Community Chorus will perform the Alaska premiere of an immersive work by renowned composer Tim Takach this weekend at the Homer Mariner Theatre. “We are Phoenix” is a new choral work being performed in all 50 states and nine different countries, by a consortium of select choirs.

Takach is an award-winning composer. According to his website, he is “inspired by narrative, magical realism, speculative fiction and making better humans through art” and is “applauded for his melodic lines, text choices and rich, intriguing harmonies.” He is a co-founder of the a cappella ensemble Cantus and co-creator of the theatrical production “All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914.”

Homer High School Choral Director Kyle Schneider said Friday that Takach was inspired to compose “We Are Phoenix” in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The oratorio is not a response to COVID, per se, but a response to “the world growing beyond the pandemic.” The lyrics of the compositions are pulled from poetry, mythology and prose. They’re built around the concept of rediscovery, rebirth, recovery and “growth beyond.” Schnieder said the oratorio cycles through those themes, interweaving the concepts throughout the pieces.

For Homer High School’s choral program to be recognized and chosen to help premiere this work as its Alaska representatives is an immense honor. When Takach reached out, Schneider knew it was a great opportunity for another community-wide choral project, similar to the “Concert for Peace” in 2019.

“My response to Tim was, if you’re asking that my high school choir does this, I’m going to ask and insist that my community choir takes part in it as well,” said Schneider, who went on to say that Takach was “amenable and excited to have that ‘Town and Gown’ aspect as part of it.”

Schneider said when he looks through the list of other programs and people participating in the premiere around the United States and world, he feels incredibly honored.

The concert will feature 110 singers from both the Homer High School Concert Choir and the Kenai Peninsula Community Chorus. One movement of the night will be accompanied by an 18-string orchestra, also composed of area musicians, and two movements will feature soloists from both the high school and community choir.

In addition to the original works being premiered by Takach, Schneider selected four pieces with similar themes to round out the performance: “Weep, O mine eyes” by John Bennett, “Locust iste” by Anton Bruckner, “Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Fauré and “O schöne Nacht!, Op. 92” by Johannes Brahms.

He estimates the concert will run about an hour long, with 45 minutes for Takach’s work and 15 minutes for the additional choral works. Of the additional pieces he chose, Schneider said they should be something that brings comfort, recognizing the process “through which we’ve gone.”

“We Are Phoenix” will have its Alaska premiere in Homer on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at the Homer High School Mariner Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online and in advance through Pier One at their office above the Homer Bookstore or by calling 907-226-2287. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Homer High School Choral Program and Kenai Peninsula Community Chorus.

Reach reporter Chloe Pleznac at chloe.pleznac@homernews.com.