Check out these Holiday 2023 performances and composer visits around the United States!
I cannot wait for the Holiday season! To prepare for the festivities, check out my Holiday Catalogue: NEW ADDITIONS In the Bleak Midwinter | SATB Choir | 4:00 In Dulci Jubilo | SATB Choir, Piano, & Solo Cello | 3:00 ChristMashUp Series | SATB Choir | 12:00 OTHER HOLIDAY MUSIC … Continue reading September 7th, 2021
This up-tempo arrangement of In Dulci Jubilo, commissioned by the Arlington Master Chorale, directed by Randy Jordan, features a modern reharmonization of this beloved carol. The choir is partnered with a colorfully orchestrated Piano and Solo Cello accompaniment. The melody is passed between the voices so each part has a chance to sing the main theme. The harmonies feature surprising twists, such as the use of modal interchange and pedal tones.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
This fresh arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter, commissioned as part of a Consortium, is combined with the melodic, rhythmic, and mo.vic content from another beloved carol, Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming. The material from both carols is interwoven among the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass parts throughout the piece, giving each singer a chance to sing elements of both carols.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
This piece is the third installment of the ChristMashUp series, which features carol mashups. The first one is What Child Is This (mashed up with Carol of the Bells) & the second one is Joy to the World (combined with Deck the Halls).
JANUARY started off with a commission from Dr. Joesph Ohrt for the Central Bucks High School-West Choir of Doylestown, PA. This was an exciting project for me because I had the chance to collaborate with poet, Charles Anthony Silvestri, who has written the texts for some of my favorite choral composers such as Eric Whitacre. … Continue reading My 2019 Year in Review
I Celebrate Life (the second and last movement of the Light Cycle suite), commissioned by Jennifer Gaderlund for the Graham Middle School Choirs, sets the beautiful poem by Rhoda Gordon, the composer’s late grandmother, for SA (SSA divisi) Choir and Piano. The piece opens with an excited yet hushed ostinato in the Piano. The Choir sings the first four lines of the poem by repeating the beginning line and adding the next line un.l it is complete, utilizing the modern technique of additive processes popular in Minimalism. In the more pensive middle section, the ostinato transforms into a more poignant texture as the Choir “realizes the joy of being through seeing the glorious creation” they are a part of. The ostinato then speeds up and returns to the hushed excitement heard in the opening. The piece concludes with the Choir building up to the most important line of the text: “The most powerful light to celebrate by is love.”
This piece is suitable for any Treble-voiced ensemble. It may be performed as a stand-alone piece or paired with Light Up as the complete Light Cycle suite.
Light Cycle was premiered on December 12, 2019 by the Graham Middle School Choirs conducted by Jennifer Gaderlund in Mountain View, CA.
The holiday season is upon us and thus so is holiday music. I have several upcoming performances of my holiday music, including a premiere of my brand new piece Light in the Darkness, a brand new arrangement of Joy to the World, and my arrangement of What Child Is This. This is my favorite time of the … Continue reading November 24th, 2018
This up-tempo arrangement of Joy to the World, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista and dedicated to Nova Vocal Ensemble, features lively rhythms, playful dialogue between the voices, and a fresh reharmonization of this beloved carol. Most of the melodic, rhythmic, and motivic counterpoint is adapted from another beloved carol, Deck the Halls.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
Light in the Darkness, commissioned by and dedicated to Dr. Mary Breden, sets the Christmas poem “Light in the Darkness” by poet Norval Clyne (1817-1888). The bright and bell-like piano accompaniment, although sometimes also quiet and pensive, reflects the simultaneous darkness of winter and the shining hope that the Savior’s birth brings the world on Christmas morning. Steadily building in intensity throughout the piece, the choir proclaims the coming great Light that is about to shine. The piece also features surprising modal shifts, harmonic progressions, and modulations.
This carol would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
The piece was premiered by the LMU Concert Choir, conducted by Dr. Mary Breden, on December 6th and 8th, 2018 at Sacred Heart Chapel at Loyola Marymount University.
We Three Kings is a traditional Christmas Carol telling the story of three Magi who followed a star to Bethlehem, leading them to the infant Jesus. This arrangement, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista and dedicated to Nova Vocal Ensemble, features a modern reharmonization and an original motive (introduced in the tenors’ first three notes) that is woven throughout the entire piece. Each choir part is featured throughout the arrangement, with verses being sung by sopranos, altos, and tenors. The original motive is passed between the parts in a contrapuntal texture, making this a good arrangement for any choir looking for fun interplay and hocket-like textures.
This arrangement would fit well in any holiday-themed concert, Festival of Lessons and Carols, or sacred Christmas and/or Epiphany service.
Continue reading We Three Kings