Cycle of Friends

for soprano solo, chorus and chamber orchestra

by Michael Kaulkin

Michael Kaulkin · CYCLE OF FRIENDS for soprano, chorus and orchestra

A lyrical meditation on friendship and loss, Cycle of Friends is a concert centerpiece with texts ranging from Sappho and Emily Dickinson to Tang-dynasty China and pre-Columbian Mexico. A soprano soloist serves as an intimate narrator, while the orchestra supplies vivid, transparent color around lyrical choral writing.

Completed and premiered in 1996, a newly revised score is available in 2026, celebrating the work’s 30th anniversary. Cycle of Friends was commissioned and premiered by the Music Group of Philadelphia, Seán Deibler conductor, in Philadelphia.

The brief, central a cappella movement Are Friends Delight Or Pain?, setting Emily Dickinson, is also available from Swirly Music.

Instrumentation: Soprano solo; SSAATTBB Chorus; Chamber Orchestra (1,1,1,1 1 hn, 1 tpt, hp, perc, strings)

Free Perusal Score

Choose “Free Perusal Score” in the shopping cart dropdown. This is the full score only. Piano/vocal score, and Digital Performance Packet option coming soon.

SKU: SWM-002 Categories: Choral Music, Mixed Voices, Orchestra, Solo Voice Tags: Choral, Orchestra, Soprano
Options: Full Score, Piano/Vocal Score, Score Only, Score and Part(s), Part(s) Only

Descriptive Tags:	Cantata, Chinese, Friendship, PROJECT : ENCORE
Voicing:	SATB, SSAATTB
Instrumentation:	Orchestra
Language:	English
Sacred or Secular:	Secular
Duration:	> 15 Minutes

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