Commissioned for the Phoenix Bach Choir and the Kansas City Chorale, both under the direction of Charles Bruffy, "This Moment" is a tone poem that calls the listener to "be in the moment and to discover all the beauty, power, and magic that awaits us when we are open to it." Hayes begins the piece with quiet and plaintive musical phrases that slowly build in sonority and harmonic complexity. The piece concludes much as it began, with lush chords framing the phrase "in silentio" while the sopranos whisper into stillness.
