Rostam set Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb” to music (listen)
One of the highlights of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' inauguration ceremony on Wednesday was Amanda Gorman's reading of her poem "The Hill We Climb." The young Los Angeles native is the United States' first-ever youth poet laureate and drew universal praise for her recitation. (It also shot her poetry collection The Hill We Climb and a picture book titled Change Sings: A Children's Anthem to the top of Amazon's bestsellers list.) One of the many who was touched by Gorman was former Vampire Weekend member Rostam, who set her inaugural reading to music.
"I was deeply moved by Amanda Gorman's poem this morning," he wrote. "I went to my studio and improvised three piano takes while listening back to the speech." This is the second take, which he calls "Improvisation in G Major." Watch the video for that, below.