And the People Stayed Home

”We all remember the pandemic that swept the planet in early 2020. Lifestyles changed: less social contact, followed by rapid change in workplaces, health care and other institutions. Everyone was affected in some way. Playing music – and choir singing in particular – was considered by many countries to pose an increased risk of spreading infection and was discouraged.

During these strange times, I found a poem by Kitty O’Meara on social media. The text originates from her own blog post in March 2020 with the title “In the Time of Pandemic”.

The poem poses an image for a distinctive perspective during the coronavirus outbreak, the hope that something good can come from a collective state of “together, apart”. The idea of individual freedom of action when things are beyond our control, and at the same time a notion that the time after this will not only exist but can be better than before.

The lyrics inspired the music to be both meditative with repetitive phrases and motifs and also uplifting and full of confidence and joy. And the People Stayed Home was commissioned to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the St Jacob’s Vocal Ensemble and was first performed at St Jacob’s Church in Stockholm on November 19, 2022.” – Martin Åsander