David Haines

A 90-minute choral work that explores the scales of the universe from sub-atomic to cosmic and comprises 21 brilliant musical selections which are subtle and sophisticated enough to capture the interest of adults while lyrical and engagin enough for younger people.

It was commissioned in 1999 by Dawlish Academic Council which lead to three performances involving 10 schools and around 400 children to audiences of 1500 people.

Individual songs have been performed many times since, and in April 2008 the whole work was performed by North Cambridge Family Opera Group as part of the 2008 Cambridge (USA) Science Festival ( http://familyopera.org/prod/csf2008/index.html).

In December 2008 it was performed in Ivybridge in Devon, UK with two community choirs and around one hundred children and teenagers from three local schools.

A further performance is anticipated at the San Diego Science Festival 2010.

On to the Singtastic page

Ten Fingers
Ten fingers emerging from a flexible palm, attached by tendons to muscles in your arm
One two three four five six sev’n eight nine
Ten fingers, we led you down that decimal path
The number twelve would have been a better base by far!



The Virus
When I was sneezed out of somebody’s nose
I was a bundle of proteins, not even living
Then you breathed me right into your body, let me into your cells, now I’m alive!
Your body’s cells take orders from your genes
But now they’re learning to make perfect copies of
My deoxyribonucleic acid, my deoxyribonucleic acid
D.N.A.!



Don't pick the daisies
I’m daisy crazy, I’m up on buttercups
Orchids amaze me, my heart goes flitter-flut
Even lowly chickweed has its charms
When I see a boy or girl with a thousand bluebells in their arms
It makes me angry...