New Recordings

Please tune in to a video from last evening’s premiere of a Virtual Performance video of “The Lesson of the Lark.”

“The Lesson of the Lark” – with its moving story about the struggles of the suffragettes, and its powerful call for gender equality, seems even more relevant now than when the work was first premiered last year.

Written in celebration of last year’s 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, TLOTL is now available with new accompaniment options: the original jazz orchestra accompaniment (Full Version), the NEW reduced jazz combo accompaniment (Combo Version), the NEW jazz quartet accompaniment (Quartet Version), or the NEW piano-only accompaniment. Also now available: practice tracks (available from ChoralTracks) and an accompaniment track. (Please email me for more info.)

This multi-movement concert work composed for narrator, soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, and chorus, takes its inspiration from the language of Jazz – including elements of Swing, Blues, Bossa Nova, Gospel, Salsa, and improvisation. The piece is composed for both SATB and SSA choral ensembles. (SATB and SSA versions may be combined for a collaborative performance.) All choral parts are written with accessibility in mind – with generous use of unison lines, canonic phrases, and triadic harmonies.

Score available here.

For a perusal score, please contact Jeffrey Cobb

In order to weather the pandemic, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus – one of America’s oldest independent choirs – created a series of presentations for its members & supporters, reminding them of its achievements and aspirations. These shows are now freely available on its YouTube channel , and feature between 10 and 20 different works. The first show traced the choir’s 65-year history, and featured music from its founder, Ronald Arnatt, masterworks from Brahms & Vaughan Williams, and premieres provided by Richard Rodney Bennett, Eriks Esenvalds & Sasha Johnson Manning. Of particular interest is a Tudor motet by John Sheppard reconstructed by the eminent musicologist, Craig Monson.

In order to weather the pandemic, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus – one of America’s oldest independent choirs – created a series of presentations for its members & supporters, reminding them of its achievements and aspirations. These shows are now freely available on its YouTube channel , and feature between 10 and 20 different works. The first show traced the choir’s 65-year history, and featured music from its founder, Ronald Arnatt, masterworks from Brahms & Vaughan Williams, and premieres provided by Richard Rodney Bennett, Eriks Esenvalds & Sasha Johnson Manning. Of particular interest is a Tudor motet by John Sheppard reconstructed by the eminent musicologist, Craig Monson.

On Friday, June 18, October Project and Chorus Austin are proud to announce the release of the full album of THE BOOK OF ROUNDS! These “21 Songs of Grace” are written by Julie Flanders (lyrics), Emil Adler (music), and arranged by Keiji Ishiguri. Chorus Austin’s Chamber Ensemble is led by Ryan Heller, and special guests Marina Belica (lead singer of October Project), Mela Sarajane Dailey, soprano, and Jonathan Edward Christopher, baritone, appear on the recording. This original song cycle of 21 original rounds is offered to comfort, heal, and awaken listers as we emerge from the past year; it is an inspiring complete work that is also satisfying one song at a time.

Pre-orders, pre-saving, and more information can be found at: thebookofrounds.com

Swara Vocal Ensemble from Belgium, under the direction of Ivan Yohan, has just premiered a new concert recording that took place at the Church of Our Lady and St Peter in Ghent, Belgium.
The recording will stay for some time at Swara’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3D7XiHWbXa4

Featuring works from Carlo Gesualdo, Cipriano de Rore, Sergio Rodríguez, Timo Tembuyser, Jan Moeyaert, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Judith Bingham, Charles V. Stanford, Gonçalo Lourenço and Ezra Permana Trisna.
Program pdf book can be downloaded at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xoCVKQUpuWWMDrHppNJtpn7Vw5ZGE67T/view?usp=sharing

To celebrate the arrival of Spring to Scotland, I have just received this wonderful recording of the Aberdeen Vocal Ensemble singing “Loch Lomond”: https://youtu.be/WocF8fBeoB4