The February 2024 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “A Summing Up: Choral Composition through Nine Decades” by Kirke Mechem. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ After a lifetime of writing for chorus, how can I sum it up in a way that will interest conductors and composers of a later […]
composition
Reflections on Conductors, Composers, and Commissions
The March/April 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Reflections on Conductors, Composers, and Commissions” by Andrew Crane. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Over the course of the past two decades as a full-time director of choral activities (three at the high school level and eighteen at the university level), I’ve […]
Words and Music: A Conversation with Poets and Composers
The March/April 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Words and Music: A Conversation with Poets and Composers” by Robert Bode. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Many of us wonder about the process of bringing a new piece of choral music into the world. Where do composers get their inspiration? How […]
The Business of Composing Part 1: Commissions & Publishing
The March/April 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Business of Composing Part 1: Commissions & Publishing” by Jake Runestad with Dan Forrest. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ One of the great traditions of the choral community is supporting and performing new music by living composers. The development of […]
Music is My Culture with Trevor Weston
You need to create music that reflects you. Start with who you are. I tend to tell students not to filter out aspects of their lives from their music. If you start with who you are, then you are the only one who can come up with the best solutions. Trevor Weston Trevor Weston is […]
Writing Music People LIKE to Sing with Alan Bullard
For this Oxford Press conversation, I was able to speak to composer Alan Bullard about his life, career and approach to choral music. We talked about what it was like to study with Herbert Howells, the need for music for flexible voicings, the contrasting economy of sheet music sales in the US and UK, as […]