Choral Arts New England has selected the first recipient of the David Hoose Commissioning Grant. The inaugural grant recipient is Nightingale Vocal Ensemble of Boston, Mass., for the commissioning of Strange Land, composed by Gregory W. Brown.

Strange Land is an immersive multi-media work that includes texts by the poet Todd Hearon and etchings by visual artist Brian Cohen. Starting from the Book of Revelation as seen through modern eyes, the work depicts the collision of age-old spiritual questions with our modern technological world. The music sets modern and ancient Psalms for choir, tenor soloist, and chamber ensemble augmented with electronic sounds. Accompanying the music are images that are etched into huge copper plates and projected onto screens.

The work will be premiered at the Boston Museum of Science's IMAX Theater on September 23, 2026.