The poet was 10 years old. The composer, much his senior, was all of 18.

And on June 3 and 7, the combined vision of these creative artists, Eric Pierson and Ryan Harper, will come to life when the acclaimed choral ensemble WomenSing debuts its three-year project, “Youth Inspiring Youth,” in concerts culminating WomenSing’s 43rd season. The Concert Choir from the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir will make a guest appearance in these special performances honoring the artistic accomplishments of young people.

Youth Inspiring Youth is WomenSing’s collaboration with the River of Words organization, founded by former U.S. Poet Laureate and 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Hass, and Northern California writer Pamela Michael. River of Words was established in 1995 to nurture the creative voices of children in their expression of the natural world through poetry and art. Each year, in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book in Washington, D.C., River of Words conducts an international poetry and art contest for children in grades K-12, oriented around themes of nature.

As part of their innovative collaboration, WomenSing established a regional competition for young music composers, with the winners receiving commissions to write choral works based on poetry from River of Words. WomenSing Board member and singer Patty Murray explained that this unique partnership originated when WomenSing’s artistic director, Martín Benvenuto, first read River of Words children’s poetry. He found it truly inspirational, and from there, the project seemed to come together naturally and magically . . . It just seemed like a fit for us to find [young] composers to put the beautiful poetry to music!

One of America’s most dynamic and celebrated composers, Libby Larsen, joined the collaboration when she graciously agreed to serve as Teaching Artist and to mentor the young composers in their commissioned works. Artistic director Benvenuto explained why Larsen was the perfect mentor for this type of collective work of young poets and composers. “Libby Larsen is . . . considered one of America’s great composers, and I think one of the great choral composers”, Benvenuto said. “I think one of the things that is really remarkable about her is her respect for poetry, her respect for the intent of the poet. And she feels very strongly about teaching that to our young composers”.

Ryan Harper, who grew up in the East Bay and is now a composition major at Yale University, is the first Youth Inspiring Youth competition winner to have his work premiered by WomenSing. Harper’s choral composition is based on a poem by Eric Pierson, then of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, which was a finalist in the 2001 River of Words competition. Eric is now a student at the University of Delaware studying Natural Resource Management.

The poem, Wit and Fright, was the 10-year-old Pierson’s expression of the interplay between a hungry owl and a terrified mouse. Harper masterfully wove the verse into a piece written for a women’s chorus (the owl) and a children’s chorus (the mouse), with music that highlights the lyrical movements and instincts of each – the owl, “swimming in dark pools of sky,” and the mouse, “eyes ablaze with fear” – and a piano accompaniment that heightens the sense of interaction between the predator and its hoped-for prey.

Along with its international poetry and art competitions, River of Words trains educators to incorporate observation-based nature exploration and the arts in their work with young people. Its efforts also include a variety of student and community-based environmental efforts such as creek clean-ups and restorations, as well as poetry clubs, art exhibitions, Girl Scout patches, and other student projects. River of Words has been profiled on PBS’s “Green Means” series, Voice of America, NPR’s “Living on Earth,” and radio and television stations around the country. Its children’s artwork has graced the covers and pages of magazines, textbooks and many other publications, while its poetry of youth has been included in numerous literary anthologies and journals.

Pamela Michael, who is now the Executive Director of River of Words, said her organization is “very, very happy to be collaborating with WomenSing on the Youth Inspiring Youth project.” She expressed her hope that Youth Inspiring Youth will also help to inspire grown-ups nationwide. “It’s [our] dream to include musical composition some day as one of the components of our annual contest that we do with the Library of Congress,” Michael said. “I’m hoping that we’ll achieve an increased understanding and appreciation of the power of youthful voices.”

The concert on Wednesday, June 3 will be presented at 8:00 p.m., in St. Mary’s College Chapel in Moraga. The Sunday, June 7 concert, WomenSing’s season finale, will take place at 4:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Berkeley, with a reception and silent auction to follow.

Concert information and tickets, and further information on WomenSing and its Youth Inspiring Youth project, can be obtained on WomenSing’s website. Information about River of Words, including displays of the works of finalists in the children’s poetry and art competitions since 2001, may be found on its website.