Alec Roth’s The Traveller is an oratorio for solo tenor, solo violin, SATB choir, children’s choir and an orchestra of strings, harp and percussion. In addition to writing six new poems for the piece, Vikram Seth has made English translations of twenty Indian texts from a rich variety of traditions and languages, including Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Tamil. Taking as its theme the Ages of Man, the work is divided into six main sections: Unborn – Child – Youth – Adult – Old – Dead, followed by a short epilogue. In this universal tale of Man’s journey through life, the role of The Traveller is taken by the solo violin, The Companions by the Choir and The Poet by the tenor soloist. The Traveller was commissioned jointly by the Salisbury, Chelsea and Lichfield Festivals with funds provided by the Arts Council of England and the PRS Foundation. It was first performed by Mark Padmore (tenor), Philippe Honor (violin) and the Britten Sinfonia, conducted by the composer, with the Salisbury Festival Chorus and Salisbury Area Young Musicians Junior Choir, at Salisbury Cathedral on 31 May 2008. This is the children’s choir part only.