Tag: Chicago A Cappella

So much to share this month!

Let’s dive right in…


Composition

World premiere coming in April

Just 42 days until the world premiere of my piece “The Song of Significance” at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performed by the Grammy Award Winning Los Angeles Master Chorale.

I Believe:
The music of Bach, Bonds and Robles

Grant Gershon, conductor
Lara Downes, piano
Chloé Vaught, soprano
Jamal Moore, bass


Two competitions to share

George Heussenstamm

CCDA/Heussenstamm Composition Contest

The CCDA/George Heussenstamm Choral Composition Contest at ECCO now moves into its eighth year! 


HerVoice Composition Contest

Chicago a cappella seeks submissions for HerVoice, a competition and mentorship program for women composers. A partnership with the Vancouver Youth Choir, this opportunity is open to composers of all ages who self-identify as female, from anywhere in the world. It is intended to promote the work of promising composers and provide hands-on training to further their skills in choral composition. We are seeking composers who are eager to improve their skill at choral composition. Women composers whose career is in its early stages and women composers of color are particularly encouraged to apply.


Singing

I had a blast singing at the Peacock Theatre in Downtown LA for “NieR in concert.” 


Soundcloud Song of the Month

Guidelines

A cantata in 3 movements for SATB Choir, treble choir, harp, flute, strings, and percussion. Celebrating the life and wisdom of Dominican American poet Rhina P. Espaillat

I. Cycles
II. Para Mi Trataranieto el Pionario
III. Guidelines

Here’s a new demo I recorded of my cantata, Guidelines. Making demos like these is fun and helpful for my compositional process.


For Fun

The Installation of Rev. Dr. Omega Burckhardt at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena was a blast! Four (4) musical Hallelujahs by Cohen, Thompson, Beethoven, and Handel were all performed for the occasion. What a celebration!


Ollie and Archie in love


See you next month!

May is the Best Month Ever!

Today, May 25, is my birthday! One of my favorite things I did this month was working with the Neighborhood Church Youth Chorus. I can’t emphasize enough how much I LOVE working with singers under the age of 13. We always have so much fun singing and learning music together, even through Zoom. We made a virtual choir video of us singing the hymn “Do When the Spirit Says Do” with piano accompaniment by Wells Leng. I can’t help but smile and giggle everytime I see it. I hope it makes you smile, too.

Conducting

The Harvard-Westlake Upper School Virtual Choir Concert is on Friday, June 4 at 7pm on Vimeo. I’m conducting “El Aire Lloro” by Francisco Núñez, “Kang Ding Love Song” by Saunder Choi, and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” arranged by yours truly.

Composition

It’s thrilling to be a mentor composer for one of the winners of the Her Voice Composition Competition with Chicago A Cappella.  Sarai Hillman’s winning composition “Safety and Refuge” is radiant, timely, and well-crafted. Plus, Ms. Hillman is just a phenomenal human being, so full of musicality, poise, warmth, and genuine enthusiasm for the craft of music composition. 

Singing

I’ve been practicing self-accompanying on piano. Here’s a video of me singing and playing “Amarilli” by Caccini. I still get tripped up with my fingering, but the singing’s not bad. How’s my Italian?

For Fun

The bad news is that I got rear-ended in heavy traffic on the freeway last month. Don’t worry, it was a slow-speed impact, and no one was injured. The value of my little car was basically the same as the cost to repair it, so it ended up being a total loss.

The good news is that I got a new car for Mother’s Day! It’s a stylish black 2020 Mazda CX3 – a car I’ve always wanted! 

Nonprofit Music News

Tonality is thrilled to be a recipient of the LA Arts Recovery Fund. As one of 90 nonprofits receiving grants, we are excited to continue serving our community and contributing to the rich cultural fabric and economic recovery of LA County! 


Don’t miss NANM’s first virtual convention, July 11-13, streaming live from Philadelphia!