new music

I finished Color Madrigals, Vol. 2 the other day! My commissions for this season are done and I'll probably take a much-needed hiatus for a month or two. It was commissioned by The Summer Singers and, since they're a "seasonal ensemble", it will be my first July premiere.

Every time I finish a commission I'm blown away by the enterprising nature of an ensemble that would take such a risk. Even with established composers (where you essentially know what you're getting) it's still a gamble because, given that choir directors like to know exactly how they're going to rehearse things, they sort of don't know how much time they'll need for this new piece. Forget the fact that most times they have to go through an insane process to get there:
-Decide to commission a piece.
-Which composer? (I've heard of conductors having a committee appointed to do this.)
-How much does he/she charge? Sometimes there are negotiations for price.
-Add at least 4 months if grant-writing is involved.

In any case, the major investment of time they obviously undertook got me thinking about how many new works I've premiered over the years as part of a choir. Once I put a list together it turns out it's actually quite a lot. I've premiered at least 1 new work per year since my freshman year in college and, if you apply the aforementioned process to them all, it's a colossal amount of time and effort on the part of the conductors, composers, singers and anyone involved in the production. Check this out:

Sanctus (Gyorgy Orban)
This monster was for triple choir and triple organ and performed in a giant cathedral. It was completely done on manuscript paper...and really hard to read if I remember
By the Waters of Bablyon (Matthew Culloton)
Prayer (Neil Flory)
Rejoice! (Gwyneth Walker)
A Future With Hope (Daniel Kallman)
Near the Snow, Near the Sun (Kevin Dobbe)
To the Evening Star (Abbie Betinis)
Some Glad Morning (Abbie Betinis)
Sanctus (Jocelyn Hagen)
Benedictus (Jocelyn Hagen)
Afternoon on a Hill (Stephen Paulus)
Sonnet 104 (J. David Moore)

That's not to mention the 16 arrangements that I've sang the world premieres of as well (some of them were very extended and extremely hard).

Abbie Betinis:
The Babe of Bethlehem
Long Time Trav'ling
Remember O Thou Man

Drew Collins
People, Look East
Angels We Have Heard on High

Matthew Culloton
Away in a Manger
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
Norge, mitt Norge
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Per Spelman
Sussex Carol

Jocelyn Hagen
I Saw Three Ships
O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Nicholas Lemme
Merton's Woods
Wayfarin' Stranger

Robert Sieving
Carol of the Birds

Timothy C. Takach
Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

And then, on top of that, I've been in the ensemble for the nerve-wracking premieres of my own works.
Autumn
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
Gabriel's Message
Nell Flaherty's Drake

So, if you count everything, the grand total is 33 and that's impressive any way you write it. The directors that had the courage to commission these things should be commended for advancing their art because it's not an easy thing to do. Thanks to Vicki Peters and the Summer Singers for asking me to write Color Madrigals, Vol. 2. I can't wait to hear them sing the works.