Echoes of Grace is a breathtaking new choral album featuring the works of Choral Director and Composer, Patti Drennan, as performed by the Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles under the direction of Conductor, Michelle Jensen.  

Mother and Daughter team, Patti Drennan and Emily Drennan (who serves as Chorus Master and Co-Producer for the project), envisioned an album that encapsulated both sacred and secular works as that is most indicative of Patti’s compositional style as well as indicative of the choral music genre.  There is often an intertwining of text, themes and harmonies in choral music which are conducive to both realms.  The title, “Echoes of Grace” is exactly that.  It suggests an exploration of an overarching theme of grace – both sacred and secular.  It harkens back to grace given to us in songs like Lux Aeterna and Ave Maria, reminds us of grace we can give each other in Grace Before Sleep and If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking and ultimately, shows us the grace we can extend to ourselves in Awake, My Soul.  There is an echo of that grace not only in the text, but in the polyphony of voices, in the moving lines of the orchestra and in the musical motifs that are echoed from one song to the next.  

In her choral and orchestral compositions, Patti strives to “create music that is not predictable to the ear, but instead incorporates unexpected meters, harmonies and melodies”.  Her hope is to “engage the listener” and have them humming along or wanting to listen again.  Whether it be a playful string accompaniment to a 6-part male ensemble piece or a powerful choral anthem with a regal flourish of brass and timpani, the variety of instrumentation and yet continuity in theme will hopefully be a feast for the listener.