A Tiny Miracle

musical for family audiences, for soloists and choir, 45 min.

A Tiny Miracle is a family holiday musical about faith and finding your purpose. My dad gave my (then-infant) son Alex a copy of Richard Wainwright’s book A Tiny Miracle after meeting the author at a book-signing event, and it went into heavy bedtime reading rotation during the holiday season. It seemed like such a good story, a parable, really: the little tree, so full of love, who feels like a misfit because she hasn’t grown big like the other trees on the farm. “What’s wrong with me?” She plaintively asks the Wise Oak, who reassures her, “It takes time to see what kind of miracle you were meant to be.” 

My friends at the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington and my students at UArts joined forces for the premiere performance, and for the demo recording I called on a few professional friends: Joilet Harris, Mary Ellen Grant Kennedy, Claudia Carlsson, Jeff Murphy, Todd Waddington and, of course, D’Arcy Webb. Scott Ward, the music director at the church, led the choir and sang tenor on the recording. Among the students are Anah Klate as the Little Tree, Topaz Wise as the Wise Oak, Michele Zayla, Bradley Ray, Daren Herbert and Michael Drolet. And the kids choir included Margo Price and Kerry Gilbert.

This would be great fun for schools and community organizations to produce at the holidays! It’s multigenerational, musically inventive and inspirational.