Original Compositions

Seven Poems by Emily Dickinson, set to music by Willis Bridegam

Anita Anderson Cooper, soprano and Grant Moss, piano

Anita Cooper gave the first performance of this Dickinson song cycle at a program celebrating the opening of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA. The performance took place at First Congregational Church, Amherst, MA on April 3, 2004.

You can view the score while you listen by clicking on the blue title of the piece.

Four Poems by Robert Frost, set to music by Willis Bridegam

Anita Anderson Cooper, soprano and Willis Bridegam, piano

This song cycle was first performed by Anita Cooper as part of a program titled “An Evening with Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost” at the Unitarian Meetinghouse, Amherst, MA on October 12, 2008. The words are from A Boy’s Will (1913).

Mowing, a poem by Robert Frost

View Score: Mowing

A Late Walk, a poem by Robert Frost

View Score: A Late Walk

Stars, a poem by Robert Frost

View Score: Stars

Storm Fear, a poem by Robert Frost

View Score: Storm Fear

Variations on the Hymn Tune “China”

View Performance on YouTube

Prelude

Sarah Dixwell (Dixie) Brown, flute and Willis Bridegam, piano

Willis Bridegam wrote this piece for Sarah Dixwell (Dixie) Brown. She first performed it at South Congregational Church in 2014.

View Score: Prelude

Erklärung (Declaration) – a poem by Heinrich Heine

Peter Shea, tenor and Monica Jakuc, piano

Peter Shea commissioned this setting of Erklärung, which is one of the poems in Heinrich Heine’s collection titled Die Nordsee, Erster Zyklus. He first performed it with Monica Jakuc at South Congregational Church, Amherst, MA, on December 13, 2005.