A Present From a Small Distant World was premiered and recorded by KC VITAs Chamber Choir as a selection in their 2019 Summer Series concerts, conducted by Jackson Thomas.

Duration: ca. 5:00

SATB choir (please contact for SSAA or TTBB version)

Text by Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the USA.

Carter’s speech was included on the "Golden Record" launched on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, 1977:

We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some -- perhaps many -- may have inhabited planets and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message:

This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.

Minimum 10 copies. Please purchase 1 copy for each singer in your choir.

Your honesty is appreciated! This is (part of) how composers make their living.

To order: submit this form requesting a number of copies. Alex Eddington will contact you with a secure payment option, then email you a licensed PDF file.