Melissa Dunphy - I am the World I am the World  is an exceptional example of how a composer can use age old compositional techniques and create something brand new.  I am the World , commissioned by BBC Radio 3, was premiered in London by the BBC Singers , led by Grace Rossiter , on March 8, during a program to celebrate International Women's Day. The entire concert, which includes four world premieres, can be streamed on the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (click here ). Dr.  Melissa Dunphy is a Philadelphia based composer and performer specializing in vocal and political music. For I am the World , she adapted the poetry of Irish poet Dora Sigerson Shorter, written in 1898. In I am the World , Dunphy gives herself a chance to show off her prowess in counterpoint, text setting, and choral scoring.  I am the World  opens with immediate imitation in the lower voices, giving the audience a chance to both grasp the text, as "I shall arise" is repeated multiple times, and aur