Musician
A moody piece for string orchestra, this movement opens my oratorio and is supposed to represent the 3 Wise Men wandering through the desert. There’s a bunch of little harmonics in the violin texture representing the twinkling of the star.
The opening violin solo is played by one of my best friends, and longtime collaborators, the incomparable Carlos Villarreal.
Here’s a clip from the recording session:
for Solo Soprano and Orchestra (2 Flutes and Strings)
My setting of the Magnificat is for solo soprano and orchestra (strings and flutes) and is in two movements.  I’ll admit my ignorance – I don’t know of any other settings of this text set for a solo soprano.  I must have sung a bazillion Anglican church anthems on this text, but they’re all for choir.  Anyhoo, it just made sense to me somehow.
I thought I was making a major mistake while writing this piece, because I kind of had a hybrid of several different lady sopranos’ voices in my head. Â The incomparably versatile Laura Lynch came in and nailed it, thus proving me wrong (or right, as the case may be).
Addendum (2012): Years later, I finally made a piano reduction of this piece. Here it is sung by the lovely Rebecca Johnson Lovering (who sang in the chorus of the original TKC recording):
for A Cappella Chorus (Ã 6)
I wrote this piece specifically to be included on Cedille Record‘s American Choral Premieres CD (released May 2009).  I wrote it with the virtuosity of the William Ferris Chorale in mind.  The liner notes to the disc are the first time that anybody has ever written about my music (besides me).  I really started at the top here — Andrea Lamoreaux wrote such insightful commentary about this piece that I feel it’s only right to quote her:
White’s setting is radically different from most in that he recounts the entire story of which the sentences beginning “Nunc dimittis” (Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace) form the central core. Â The result is a miniature narrative cantata in which there are three characters; the infant Jesus, Mary his mother, and the prophet Simeon. Â It’s a vivid scene involving both human drama and divine promise.
Buy it on Amazon here, on iTunes here.
Reviews of the album:
Anthem for choir and orchestra -or- choir, organ, brass, and timpani
(with a little solo soprano bit)
The traditional text for Christmas Eve, this piece was premiered at about 11:30 PM on December 24, 2006. Here’s the original scoring:
https://www.willcwhite.com/audio/02%20Prepare%20Ye%20the%20Way.mp3
Anthem for 2 Flutes, Choir and Organ (or Strings)
The first number from Thy King Cometh, this is my little ode to pastoral music in 6/8. It’s also the fullest realization of my modal ideas.
Here’s a clip from a concert performance of the whole oratorio, re-orchestrated for strings instead of organ. I think it works much better this way: