Pacific Chorale is honored to premiere Jocelyn Hagen’s newest work this October. Here, Jocelyn offers a glimpse into the inspiration and ideas behind What the Soul Already Knows.

The commission is a joint endeavor with the Pacific Chorale under the direction of Robert Istad and The Washington Chorus under the direction of Eugene Rogers. (What a dream team!) Pacific Chorale premieres it first, this upcoming season, at the gorgeous Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, California. (I saw a performance of Notebooks there a few years ago with them - it was stunning.) The Washington Chorus will premiere it sometime the following season.

Presented by Pacific Chorale & Featuring Pacific Symphony
Saturday, October 25, 7pm
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tickets from $33

I’m tackling a subject that has led me down a rabbit hole of emotion and an unwinding of previous held beliefs. My first idea was that I simply wanted to focus on the sacred: the sacredness of the land, the water, nature, and the animal kingdom. I wanted to explore how we are all connected and why all our little actions matter to the greater eco-system. And then I also thought of less tangible sacred ideas, like time and the cyclical nature of the lives we lead. But it couldn’t stop there! I’m examining my inner self and inner world, meditating more consistently than I ever have before. I’m reading all kinds of books on philosophy and religion. The piece explores our humanity and the importance of our mindset, along with our capability of thriving when we focus on gratitude, service, and unity instead of division.

The piece is titled What the Soul Already Knows, a borrowed line from a book that has been a great inspiration to me this past year: Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul, by John Philip Newell.

It speaks to an awakening of mind and spirit to the sacredness of everything that surrounds us, and it draws upon the tradition and wisdom of Celtic spirituality.

Maybe this philosophy connects with me so strongly because of my own Celtic (Scottish) roots. I traveled to Scotland for the first time in June, with my family, and fell in love with the place, the people, and the hairy cows.

A poem titled “The Circle” by Ty Defoe anchors the libretto of What the Soul Already Knows. Ty identifies as a Native American Two-Spirit Writer, and their work as a multi-disciplinary performance artist spans theater and dance as well as poetry. Three extracted sections of this extensive poem are prominently featured in the beginning, middle, and ending of Soul. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts:

  The circle is a story

  about how we are all connected

  two legged, four legged, wing’d, rooted, and finned

  interconnected to all living things,

  from water to stone

  from earth to sky

  from river veins to wampum

  from blood to earth

  on foot, linked arm in arm.

  -Ty Defoe, The Circle

Pacific Chorale also helped me commission three new poems for the project, including a new short poem by Ty, as well as Gretchen Henderson and Noor Unnahar. I sourced a beautiful poem by my longtime collaborator Julia Klatt Singer, and chose poems by Malcolm Guite and Jan Richardson as well.

I’ll be sharing my journey through What the Soul Already Knows abundantly, so if you aren’t a follower and want to stay attuned to its development, I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

I leave you with one more nugget of wisdom from the libretto for you to ponder this beautiful summer day.

Take care and be well,

Jocelyn