For Three Sundays was commissioned in 2000 by Dutch singer Wilma Wever with support from the Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst. Wever premiered the songs at New York City’s Weill Recital Hall and in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

As part of the joint American and Dutch premieres, I was asked to compose a work that would reflect themes or sounds from both Holland and America. To bring this vision to life, I collaborated with poet Erin Galligan. The first three songs in the cycle—“Janitor,” “Bread Maker,” and “Evolution”—were based on preexisting poems by Galligan. For the final song, “400 Bridges,” Galligan wrote a new poem about Amsterdam specifically for this project.

The cycle was later expanded into a version for singer and orchestra, which won first prize in the Omaha Symphony Orchestra Guild Composition Competition in 2001. This orchestral setting was performed by the Omaha Symphony, featuring singer Stephanie Houtzeel.

— K.B.