When Clarisse decided on Lucy M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables as the primary text source for this piece, I was thrilled. Anne has always been a kind of “kindred spirit” to me — I watched the CBC series dozens of times as a child, and even as an adult I’m still inspired by Anne’s constant sense of wonder and curiosity. In this song set, I wanted to portray the essence of Anne’s journey from childhood into womanhood, while capturing the mystery, depth and wisdom of her character as a dreamer with childlike yet profound thoughts. Starting out as an orphan girl whose only friends were fictional characters and her own reflection, Anne was often rejected and misunderstood for her unique personality. Through being loved and learning to love at Green Gables, she blossomed into a woman with many meaningful relationships — able to share with and influence the world around her. The Way I Dream tracks this maturing process from independent to relational and internal to external, beginning with the text, “if only you could dream the way I dream” and concluding with, “come dream with me” (these sentiments, and the text of the set as a whole, are directed primarily at the love of Anne’s life, Gilbert Blythe). Lucy M. Montgomery seems to say, through Anne’s story, that of all the incredible wonders in this world, love — often unfolding rather quietly and unexpectedly — is the most thrilling adventure, the greatest dream, and the most awe-inspiring mystery of all.