Of Trees and Hope

'Of Trees and Hope' was commissioned for 21 x 21 beneath the trees: a collection of 21 works by female composers and lyricists from New Zealand. The project was created by Jenny Wollerman in association with Michael Norris and Jian Liu. 

This work has been published by Wai-te-ata Music Press and can be purchased here along with the other 20 works: https://waiteatamusicpress.co.nz/dd_elliott-rosa-of-trees-and-hope

The century-old tree bears many rings of wisdom. Painted with simple melancholic lines, ‘Of Trees and Hope’ presents the lessons one may learn from such a tree as expressed by poet Dinah Hawken. A knowledge of the tree’s patient waiting and slow strengthening are particularly appropriate for times in which we too find ourselves ‘bound to the earth’ and grappling with the grief of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hidden in the bare-boned harmonies is a tinge of hope.