Works to keep us united 

When I sit down and start to write music, my vision is to think that I am giving a moment for both the performers and the audience to be together as one. To sing, synchronize beats, breaths and create a bonding moment with those who are listening. To make sure that everyone can be a part of this experience, I would like to offer a special “flat rate week”, this way we can help numerous choirs to join us in gaining the opportunity to acquire new repertoire and create experiences together.

With this promotion I want to invite you to be part of a community. From October 21 to October 31, 2021, you can purchase however many copies you need at a flat rate of US $ 47.86. To promote the feeling of togetherness, and by participating in this promotion, you would get a 15% discount in case you want to be part of the commission of a work in the consortium format. My mission is to bring people together, create choral families, and provide high-performance works so that your choir can grow.

Bases of the promotion: Available from October 21 to 31, 2021. Includes concert licenses and up to 130 copies for a total of US$ 40 + taxes (US$47,86). Presenting the invoice, you have a 15% discount on future purchases. It is necessary to have a PayPal account to be part of this experience. Request the title of the work plus the number of copies by sending an email to

Click here to read a step-by-step explanation of the procedure.

13 titles available for this experience

Galaxias

SATB + Piano + Crystal Glasses

4:50 min

We are all stars, we are to illuminate and be illuminated by those around us. This piece will always remain in my heart because it has been the result of the commission of very luminous people who have given me warmth while I was recovering from a hard setback of health. This work is the adventure of mutual support. We are lighting our way but the neighboring stars -those people who are our loved ones on any plane of existence- create and guide that way with more light than we are capable of perceiving.

23 pages

The Last March of Destiny

SSAATTBB

4:20 min

The earth is submerged in darkness. A voice of light that comes from the beginning of time resounds at the edge of the portal where the angels live. It is the resounding of the march of the mountains awakening every living being on the face of the earth and calling the angels. It is the sound that calls the beginning of a new era. The gray cloak that once covered the sky is transformed into radiant light. All forces manage to unite to grant a new opportunity. Now is the time to live with determination, wisdom and humility. Thanking our ancestors and the environment for giving us a second chance. Celebrating with the commitment to use this new era to improve each other.

33 pages

Land of Angels

TTBB

2:30 min

Land of Angels represents the uncertainty of the time in which it was written. Solo passages, dynamics dominated by PP and P and many moments of silence. Its sound is intended to immerse us in great introspection at the same time that we enter a paradise, a world reigned by angels.

9 pages

HUMAN

SSA + A solo

4:30 min

This work is demanding, it requires questioning social roots and dogmas. It is a work that was born to support the LGBTIQ + community. This piece has a soul committed to equal rights and opportunities among people. A non-normative person is one who has evaluated himself and asked many questions to find the true inner self. That is not something so common in this society. This work is full of questions, internal fights and the fighting spirit necessary to overthrow dogmas.

18 pages

La Magia del Río

SATB

3:40 min

We are brothers of the same species and maybe we do not realize but our differences ideological, behavioral, religious, gender, etc. – In truth are skills to complement us and if we unite them, we will have access to all the knowledge of all the truths existing in humanity.

 We must be tolerant and learn from one another because we are in the same boat traveling together and to live a wonderful life, we must listen to each other and unite to awaken our kindness and create synergistic relationships. So we will always remember that we are the same species and we will find peace.

14 pages

Incertitude

SATB

2:20 min

The questions, however simple and short, can take up a lot of space in our minds, leading to insomnia and uncertainty. This piece tackles a simple premise and the overload of textures that generate confusion and harassment. It contains literally whispered secrets, hidden truths and disturbing harmonies. A surprising piece for any type of choir.

10 pages

Crucifixus

TTBB

3:25 min

This piece was born as a work to highlight school bulling. A piece that paints every section of the text beginning with whiplash and disturbing contemporary writing. Finding the light and the true being in the middle and culminating with a long that represents death itself.

12 pages

The Secret of Life

SATB

3:45 min

Sometimes we face the question of what we should do with our lives; if we are on the right path. This work teaches us that we must find ourselves, we must not judge anyone in their choices, we must live to fulfill our desires and, above all, to love. We must love life, value humanity. We must keep in mind that life is a miracle and do something worthwhile. 

11 pages

O Crux

SSAA or TTBB or SATB

2:30 min

Description by Donna Sprowles

Ave crux, spes unica is a Latin pious expression meaning, “Hail to the Cross, our only hope”. This expression has a long history in Catholic and Anglican piety.

 “O Crux” is beautiful in the sense of calm it evokes. From the lowest of the low sustained notes to the soaring upper voices, the words and the music become one. The tempo and dynamic changes occur so smoothly as to give the listener a feeling of peace. Yet still at the same time, a rising feeling of hope is exciting. This piece is so very well balanced and crafted, it has become a favorite with women’s as well as men’s choirs in countries all around the world.

6 pages

Entre Humanos

SATB

4:30 min

Each person has a voice and each voice has a truth to say. In this work all the melodic lines are important and to understand the whole, we must listen to each voice. It is the sum of each of the truths that makes us understand and build a wonderful reality. In synthesis “Entre Humanos” will make us understand that each opinion is valid and that without discriminating and listening carefully, we can find a truth that transcends us.

13 pages

O Magnum Mysterium

SSAA or TTBB

4:40 min

Notes from Morna Edmundson

Director of Elektra Women’s Choir

This setting of O Magnum Mysterium is both very challenging and rewarding. With huge ranges of tessitura, dynamics, and tempo, it is more like a landscape than a setting of the text. It provided a powerful high point of tension in our concert and one could tell the audience was engaged in its drama. SSAA with divisi and a soprano soloist at the beginning and end. Not recommended for children’s choirs due to the extreme vocal ranges on both ends.

11 pages

Cuando Neruda Soñó

SATB

6:00 min

This piece is an adventure of someone who is disconnected from himself and his environment, and undertakes a journey in total solitude. Into an immense space carrying all of his uncertainties. It is that space that teaches him to find himself, to ask questions and reflect.

In the process, he may get lost, but he knows that he will struggle to find the way. And ends up revealing to himself a truth that transcends him. A truth so powerful that it dazzles him. It makes him see life where he once saw loneliness. Finally, feeling at peace and harmony with himself, he finds the help of great guides who sail at his side.

This piece leaves us with the teaching that we will never be completely alone. Only when we see ourselves and accept the multiple layers of our embodiment, can we connect with our environment and those around us. When we accept ourselves as we are, we can provide the best version of ourselves with the people around us and the world.

14 pages

Almas de Barro

SSA or TTB

3:30 min

I wrote Almas de Barro at the age of 19, dedicating it to a young woman who at the time was shy and with whom he rarely talked. This piece intimately describes the moments during music theory classes when the two would look at each other continuously, youthfully, and silently, as if unable to do anything else.

The piece, written as a counterpoint assignment, was intended to be performed during music theory class as a declaration of love. The idea was to make a musical representation of those moments. This work begins without words, the voices representing youthful looks. They come together and occasionally dodge each other to highlight the discomfort of the situation, only to come back together within a few seconds. The poem conveys that all this is a fantasy, a dream state in which, upon awakening, will be lost. As the work progresses, the voices begin to detach from each other. When they awaken, they realize that they are lost and in complete solitude, this being the only thing they have in common. Last comes the coda, longing to return to sleep and to the fantasy dream.

9 pages

Welcome to Graphite:

Isaac Lovdahl and Reginal Wright!

Contributing Editor: Jonathan Campbell 

We are welcoming two new composers to the Graphite catalog, Isaac Lovdahl and Reginal Wright! Both composers contribute craftsmanship and music filled with passion. As conductors and composers, they bring an intimate knowledge of choral music to their compositions.

Reginal Wright came to choral music as a young adult, after first immersing himself in the vocabulary of jazz. His music is a rich hybrid of styles as he flows from one to the next. Wright’s accompaniments are conceived as an additional voice to the choir; he expertly integrates piano and other instruments into the choral textures, like a twenty-first-century Schubert. Wright also applies his study of form and analysis in the development of thematic material. His choral works are intentionally lyrical and melodic, but underlying his eloquence is a rhythmic vitality and energy.

His compositional chops grew organically out of his experience as a choral conductor: “I started composing to fill a need with my students. I’m writing as a conductor who understands the singer’s needs.”

Isaac Lovdahl has similar ideas about the importance of melody and rhythm. He recounts a story when he studied with Libby Larsen who told him to “write out the text [you are setting to music] the way you speak it.” He learned to let the natural speech patterns dictate the musical rhythms. Lovdahl’s scores are melodious, but also well-crafted. For example, he is intentional about sharing the melody with all the voice parts. Consequently, his music is contrapuntal in a way that many other lush, chordal pieces are not. Lastly, Lovdahl writes choral music that is colored with chromaticism and altered chords, but he makes certain that singability is never missing.

Both of these composers demonstrate their mastery by writing pieces for vastly different forces:

Wright’s “Life’s Mirror“
SATB, piano

“Life’s Mirror” combines a moving text with expressive lyrical writing, mixed duples and triplets, and gently changing keys to create a colorful, beautiful piece. Singers will love learning the shared melodies and the lovely sonorities.

Lovdahl’s “Behind the Mountain“
3 part round for equal voices

“Behind the Mountain” is an imaginative “round” for three-part equal voices, suitable for virtual or in-person choirs. The text reminds us that the sun is always present, even when it’s hidden from view. And, like a musical round, hope always comes around, too. “Behind the Mountain” is also a great tool for rote teaching and informal choral settings.

Wright’s “Forged”
TTBB, piano, brake drum, and bass drum

“Forged” uses percussion, piano, and low voices to create a powerful, driving work of prophetic power. The text exhorts the listener to be a participant in forging rhetorical weapons for change and justice. Elements of jazz and Western art music are fused by the composer to create a work of unique relevance.

Lovdahl’s “Everyone Sang“
3-part mixed choir, piano

“Everyone Sang” is a gorgeous partsong accessible to middle school choirs up through adults. Three-part mixed voicing allows for the piece to be sung by developing or smaller choirs. The sophisticated and hopeful text speaks to our times and the joy of singing, even in difficult times.

Wright’s “The Gift to Sing“
SATB (div.), piano

“The Gift to Sing” tells a story anyone can relate to: from the mists of sadness and difficulty, singing helps us find joy and sunlight again. Wright’s piece is divided into two sections. The first section sets the emotional stage of tension and difficulty. In the second section the tension is relieved with cascading voices calling all people to share the gift of song.

Lovdahl’s “They Brought a Joyful Song”
SATB (div.) a cappella

A beautiful and substantial contribution to the Christmas repertoire, “They Brought a Joyful Song” tells the story of the wonderful gifts brought to the newborn Christ. The most amazing gift is the divine and mysterious song of the angels, imagined gloriously in Lovdahl’s score. Sustained passages of wordless chorus and divided voices add to the richness of the piece.

Wright’s “Tides“
SATB choir, violin, viola, and piano

“Tides” is like the opening chorus of a late Bach cantata or a Haydn mass. The instrumentation, voicing, and substantial musical development all contribute to a piece of ambitious proportions and weight. Add a culturally relevant text, and you have a handsome opening piece to a serious concert program.

About the composers

Reginal Wright is a clinician, composer, conductor, and educator from Arlington, Texas. He currently teaches at Mansfield High School in Mansfield Texas. As a 20-year educator, Reginal’s choirs frequently earn Sweepstakes and Best of Class Awards at Local, State and National Festivals. His choirs have also been featured at the Texas Music Educators and Southwest ACDA Conventions. As a conductor, Reginal enjoys conducting choirs and ensembles across the United States. Reginal is also a highly sought after adjudicator / clinician on the Middle and High School levels. Reginal has published compositions with Graphite Publishing, Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, BriLee, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing Companies.
 

Isaac Lovdahl is a composer, conductor, educator, and vocalist currently based in Fargo, ND. He directed high school, church, and community choirs in Minnesota after graduating from Concordia College in 2015, and is now pursuing a DMA in Choral Conducting at North Dakota State University where he was named the first ever Challey School of Music Choral Conducting Fellow. Along with his doctoral studies, Lovdahl also directs the campus tenor-bass ensemble (The Statesmen of NDSU) and teaches music theory. Additionally, he serves as the director of music at the Lutheran Church of Christ the King in Moorhead, MN. His choral compositions and art songs have been performed in the United States, Germany, South Africa, and Great Britain by educational, community, and professional ensembles and soloists. His distinct harmonic language, detailed attention to natural speech rhythms, and highly expressive text setting have begun to solidify a niche for him in the world of vocal music. He was named a winner of the 2017 VocalEssence ReMix composition program, and has received notable recognition in similar competitions. His original music can be found online through Graphite Publishing, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, NewMusicShelf, VocalEssence Music Press, MusicSpoke, and his own website.

Our Contributing Editor

Jonathan Campbell received his B.A. from Luther College in 1998, a Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota in 2002, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting in 2015 at North Dakota State University. As a composer, Jon has received numerous awards and commissions, including a Faith Partner’s Residency through the American Composer’s Forum, as well as first place in the Morningstar College Choral Composition Festival. From 2004-2012, Jon conducted the Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota Chorale and in the spring of 2011, served as interim director of choral activities at Winona State University. At Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN he recently served as faculty conductor of the Cedar Singers male chorus and the Masterworks Chorale. Jon is founder and was artistic director of the Minnesota Renaissance Choir, and is currently Director of Music and Fine Arts at Claremont United Church of Christ and Lecturer in Music at Pomona College, both in Claremont, CA.

Chorus America invites nonprofit organizations and schools to apply to the Music Education Partnership Grants program, which is designed to support collaborations between community organizations and elementary and/or middle/junior high schools during the 2022-23 school year.

In the inaugural year of the program, Chorus America will award $900,000+ in grants serving students in 4 regions of investment: British Columbia & the Northwest, Central Appalachia, the Southwest, and the Upper Midwest.

Chorus America will award grants ranging between $15,000 – $50,000 to each region. In addition to funding, Chorus America will also offer a robust peer learning experience for the grant partner cohort, including virtual convenings and participation in the 2022 and 2023 Chorus America conferences.

Projects led-by BIPOC/People of the Global Majority are strongly encouraged to apply, as well as applicants led-by and serving historically marginalized communities. First-time grant applicants are also encouraged to submit an application.

Applications are due January 28, 2022. Please visit Music Education Partnerships Grants page  on the Chorus America website for program details. We highly encourage applicants to review the scoring rubric, as well as Chorus America’s core values & guiding definitions, to get a better understanding of the criteria that will be applied when reviewing applications.

Melodia Women’s Choir Presents: Sun, Moon, and Stars
LIVE and IN-PERSON!
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 at 4 PM
Church of the Holy Apostles
296 9th Ave @ 28th St, Chelsea, NYC
Melodia Women’s Choir, conducted by Cynthia Powell, Artistic Director, present an afternoon of 20th and 21st century music celebrating the sun, moon, and stars. Works by Imant Raminsh, Morten Lauridsen, and Randall Thompson are among the rich repertoire. With Taisiya Pushkar, piano; strings and flute.
Although tickets may be purchased at the door prior to the concert, we STRONGLY encourage that they are bought in advance to avoid crowding upon entering the church. $20 general admission; $15 for students and seniors.
Purchase tickets here: https://rb.gy/o39pxq
In keeping with the NYC pandemic safety mandate, presenting proof of vaccination is a requirement for entry into the church. Once inside, masks will be also be required and social distancing is recommended. The church will be fully sanitized before the concert. All choir members are vaccinated and will have received negative COVID tests within 72 hours of the performance.
Program
Ēriks Ešenvalds, Stars
Morten Lauridsen, Sure On This Shining Night
Randall Thompson, Choose Something Like a Star
Imant Raminsh, Songs of the Lights
Lee R. Kesselman, Moonplay
Andre J. Thomas, I Dream a World
Leigh Harline, When You Wish Upon a Star arr. by Cynthia Powell
Clair de Lune, Instrumental Interlude for piano & flute

For more information, please visit: https://melodiawomenschoirnyc.org/melodia-womens-choir-in-concert/

The Carolyn Eynon Singers commissioned Dr Kira Rugen of Scottsdale AZ, to compose a work entitled “HOLD ON” with text by New Mexico poet, Nancy Wood. Kira and Carolyn collaborated to select a text that reflected the strength needed to hold on when times are difficult, when life seems overwhelming, when hope seems minimal, and our community is threatened. The treble choir will be performed by the wonderful Phoenix Boys Choir under the direction of Herbert Washington and the string octet will be from the Phoenix Symphony orchestra. CES is an auditioned adult community choir whose mission includes performing new works by female composers and every year, Carolyn Eynon performs the commissioned work.
Tickets online; cesingers.com
The Beethoven Choral Fantasy in c minor will follow HOLD ON with 60 singers and 22 piece PSO orchestra featuring pianist, Nellie Cronin, the accompanist for CES. The venue is the large 800 seat Scottsdale Center for the ARts Piper Auditorium. It will be a glorious celebration for Beethoven’s 251 Anniversary and CES 15th Anniversary.
The performance is Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 3;00pm at Scottsdale Center for the ARts

The 2nd Melody-way international choir festival will take place live in Thessaloniki, Greece 25-29 November 2021. For conditions, applications and details please contact us .
We look forward to welcome you in Greece and sing together!