Happy New Years!
Here is my 2017 in the desktop backgrounds I found most inspirational while composing. Click on a picture to see which piece it inspired!
Category Archives: News
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 year, so I am thrilled to have so many wonderful choirs performing these pieces and spreading the cheer!
Fall is in the air and I could not be happier. Fall is a precious commodity in Los Angeles, so I will soak up every minute of it.
I began my Fall with the very exciting news that my song Nurse’s Song for SSA & Piano won 2nd place in the Corinfesta International Competition for Children’s Choir Composition! Nurse’s Song was commissioned by Jennifer Gaderlund and dedicated to The Graham Middle School Vocal Ensemble. This is especially important to me as this is the first official choral competition I have won, after having applied to probably over 50 over the past few years.
After celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones, I realize how much I have to be thankful for. I feel so blessed that I get to spend almost every minute of my waking life (and probably dreaming life as well) involved in music, whether composing, performing, or teaching. I try to never once take it for granted. I also thank everyone that supports me on this journey.
I am particularly thankful to have won my first call for scores, hosted by soprano and composer Ivana Jokic. My song Winking Waking Wishes Wail was one of five pieces chosen out of 200 submissions to be performed by Ivana Jokic at the Array Space in Ontario, Toronto on May 6th, 2018. I am very excited about being selected and having her bring the piece to life!
On August 26th at 4pm at St. Francis Palos Verdes, The South Bay Chamber Singers will premier my brand-new choral song cycle “As Time Stops to Rest”. This song cycle is dedicated to my late aunt Susan Jordan, who is the author of the beautiful text used in the song cycle. The song cycle begins with the first movement Two Friends which paints the serene picture of two friends sitting by the ocean and enjoying their time with each other and nature. The second movement, Storm’s End, contains more conflict and opens with a storm-like flurry in the piano. After the storm passes, a sense of peace and love with life comes over the narrator. The third and final movement, Magic, describes the journey of sensing the ever-present “spirit kingdom” throughout life, occasionally almost touching it, and finally joining it (perhaps upon death) as the narrator “enters the kingdom of All, and AM”.
The South Bay Chamber Singers is a brand-new professional choir in the South Bay directed by Mallory Gantner. It is conducted by Bryant Nguyen and features accompaniment by Manuel Arellano.
The concert is free and will have a delicious reception after with wine and food!
More details may be found here.
NEW SUMMER SHOWS!
Here are a few highlights of my upcoming summer performances:
Sat July 22nd at 7pm at The Coffee House Gallery in Altadena:
The Los Angeles Belles will be performing a few of my pieces, including “Shadows“.
More info here.
Sunday July 30th at 4pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale:
The Los Angeles Belles will be performing a set of my pieces, including “Shadows“, as part of the unSUNg concert series hosted by Lauri’s List. I may even make a surprise appearance!
More info here.
August 26th at 4pm at St. Francis Church in Palos Verdes:
The brand-new South Bay Chamber Singers, of which I am a singing member, will premiere my brand-new song cycle “As Time Stops To Rest”.
More info TBA!
My brand-new choral song cycle “In Memoriam“, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista, is receiving its world premiere by Nova Vocal Ensemble this Sunday 5/21/17 at 7:30pm at Eagle Rock Covenant Church.
This has been my biggest and most important piece as of yet, as it reflects on the still very palpable American tragedies that occurred in 2016. Each movement of the text, beautifully written by Nova-member Sharon Goldstein, is dedicated to an American tragedy that occurred in 2016: specifically the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in July of 2016, the Dallas Police shootings in July of 2016, and the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting in June of 2016. The song cycle as a whole is an attempt to remember these and all victims of violence, while calling for the community to come together and overcome hatred with a unified love.
More information about this concert may be found here.
Tickets are $10 pre-sale/$15 at the door.
I am excited to share that my original score to the first Felix the Cat cartoon “Feline Follies” will be performed by a live orchestra, as part of the The Sound of Silents fundraiser concert for Vineyard Touring Opera Company. My score includes lots of “cat” orchestral sounds, including pizzicato strings and woodwind trills galore.
It will be an amazing evening full of music, film, schmoozing, beautiful views of LA at night, and light refreshments.
Tickets may be purchased here.
For a preview of the event, here is an orchestral mock-up of “Feline Follies” with my original score:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Welcome to my brand new website, beautifully designed by Patrick Hassani, founder and owner of Business Website Builders.
The new website features:
- A brand-new Choral and Chamber Music Catalog
- Individual Pages for each of my music compositions, such as my latest arrangement of “What Child Is This”
- A new tagging system for my compositions, including tags such as Christmas or A Cappella
- An updated Shows list
I hope you enjoy checking it out and discover music that speaks to you.
If you see a piece you’d like to program or would like to commission a new piece, feel free to contact me and get in touch!
My arrangement of “What Child is This“, commissioned by Jonathan Bautista and Nova Vocal Ensemble, will be performed Nova Vocal Ensemble’s holiday concert: Go Tell It on the Mountain: A Concert for Christmas.Nova will be premiering my arrangement, as well as world premieres by composers Saunder Choi and David Conley.
Please come and join us for a festive evening of inspiring Christmas music!
The concert is at 8:00pm on December 5th at St. Mark’ Episcopal Church in Glendale, CA.
Tickets are $11 (plus a service fee). You can purchase tickets here.
More event info on my shows page.