“Atomic Soldiers” sets the words of soldiers who were subjected to tests of nuclear weapon explosions in battleground situations, excerpted with the kind permission of the New York Times and Morgan Knibbe, filmmaker, from the documentary “The Atomic Soldiers” released in 2019. These soldiers were prevented from speaking about their experiences until the 1990’s, and could have been charged with treason for doing so before that. The soldiers’ parts, rather than being given to an individual voice, are taken by sections of the chorus. In their interviews, the soldiers tell the stories one at a time, in a linear fashion, but when sung by the chorus, the lines are layered upon each other. This piece is from a concert length oratorio for chorus, solists, and orchestra called "Nuclear Dreams." The premiere performances were inside the B Reactor at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in September, 2019. Excerpts from this piece also appear in the documentary film "RICHLAND," which premiered at the TriBeca
