These Are the Threads is the result of a year-long paid mentorship with premier US-based lower-voice ensemble Cantus, which came about after winning the 2025-26 commission competition. In announcing Simon as the winner, Chris Foss, Cantus’ composer-in-residence, shared about the selection process, “We had so many amazing submissions to the program, it was very difficult to choose. Simon’s music stood out not only because of his beautiful and approachable compositional style, but the raw and earnest nature of the texts he had prepared for his pieces.”

Simon noted, “In my first call with Chris we explored themes from upcoming Cantus concert programs. Immediately the idea of musical lineage jumped out at me as rich and ripe for exploration. I’ve often mused on how our musical tastes form and this piece really unashamedly reaches into the memories and reflections I have on my own musical upbringing. I hope the piece will spark others to reflect, and reminisce on, similar experiences of the musical influences from their own childhood as they listen – especially in an age of AI where these influences are what sets our work as humans apart from the slop which abounds.”

When asked how his process for this project compares to his past work, Simon said “My process varies a lot between commissions as I write for a number of different musical applications. In my work for film and animation there’s often an intense and ongoing dialogue between the filmmaking team, often until late in the process, to ensure that the music is serving the emotional intent of the visuals. This can even involve creating playlists of inspiration. For concert pieces writing to brief, the process can be a lot more nerve-racking as there is often perhaps only a fleeting chance to try out sketches before committing the final work to paper. It’s been a real privilege to have an experienced mentor from Cantus to help guide and shape a piece of music as it takes shape, and to give detailed notes and reflections from the group at try-out rehearsals.”

In speaking to his experience working with the competition winner, Chris lauded what Simon brings to the table. “In a voice as fantastic and developed as Simon’s, there’s truly not much that I could offer in regard to compositional techniques. So far we’ve mostly spoken on the differences between Cantus and other choral ensembles. The differences can be subtle, but most choral ensembles have more than 8 voices, most low-voice ensembles have different rules for range, tessitura, etc. Writing for the virtuosity of our singers is both a luxury and a challenge and it was great to work with Simon on honing his compositional voice for the Cantus pallette.”

The piece premiered in March 2026 as part of Cantus’ Deep River program in Minneapolis, Minnesota.