The poetry used in this setting of The Voices was presented to Dale Warland on the occasion of his final concert with the Dale Warland Singers by his friend, the poet Michael Dennis Browne. Dale writes, The art of choral singing has given my life great meaning and I hope to express that fulfillment through this music for mixed chorus and solo cello. The cello plays a leading role in the work, composed for a 2013 commission consortium of 23 choirs as a gift to Chorus America.