About Pictures of Life

Pictures of Life starts with an exciting orchestral overture, The Beginning, followed by three major songs that form the choral pageant:

Pictures of Life evokes the wonderful variety of creatures on our planet where students can sing together, have fun and grow in confidence.

Save Our World offers four solo parts – an opportunity for gifted students to display their talent as Eagle, Polar Bear, Bird and Gaia (the Earth) – while a barbershop quartet provides the voice of ‘avaricious bipeds’ (‘greedy humans’),  giving pace and humour to the serious message. Animals and sea creatures are performed by groups of singers.

Tomorrow’s Child is a soaring anthem of hope that honours the achievements of the human race – growing from a whisper to a crescendo and ending in an optimistic finale – the vision that the next generation will unite to preserve the natural world.

Performing Pictures of Life

Pictures of Life is written to be staged in a variety of ways – from a single junior choir accompanied by keyboard or recording, to a big concert with joint school choirs, soloists and orchestra.

It is a highly accessible work which gives young people an avenue into music, singing and the best choral traditions. It’s also a fun piece which dips into several genres including musical theatre and barbershop.

Students and teachers can create a stage spectacular in many creative ways – choral groupings corresponding to the various animals, dance, visual effects, masks, puppets and costume to reflect the universal feel of the music and the story.