News and Notices

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners, runners-up, and citation recipients of The American Prize in Choral Performance, 2021, in all divisions.

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of non-profit competitions in the musical and theater arts, unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles, directors and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Applications for the 2022 contests are being accepted through September 14, 2021, with extensions available by email request. (theamericanprize.org)

Please follow this link to be taken to the official announcement of choral ensemble winners on our blog:

http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2021/09/winners-choruses-2021.html

Winners of The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, 2021, may be found here:

http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2021/08/winners-conductors-choruses-2021-dale.html

Congratulations!

Dear PROJECT : ENCORE followers,

We are pleased to announce the amazing new compositions added to the PROJECT : ENCORE catalog this quarter! Congratulations to these 16 successful applicants! Particular welcome to Carlos Cordero, David Heinick, Jack Ballard, Meredith Brammeier and Lisa Neher – all of whom are new to the catalog! These compositions and so many others can be found at projectencore.org.

Advent Calendar-Simon Beattie
Ave Maria- Giuseppe Di Bianco
Ayúdame (Venezuelan Plea for Life)- Carlos Cordero**
Cave-David Heinick**
Cherubim Bells-Jack Ballard**
Four Elizabethan Songs about Love-Colin Eatock
Guiding Star- Gordon Thornett
Hymn to the Moon-Donald Skirvin
Noel- Meredith Brammeier**
The Singer’s Path-Karen P. Thomas
Three Basho Haiku-Lisa Neher**
Tides of Peace- John Muehleisen

Each of these selections has been blind-vetted by at least three of the prominent conductors who serve in our pool of reviewers.An average of just over half of all post-premiere compositions submitted are accepted into the P:E Catalog. Congratulations, all!

CONDUCTORS are urged to sign up to receive the quarterly report, for regular updates on new repertoire! projectencore.org

COMPOSERS are urged to submit compositions that have been premiered, but have not been extensively performed beyond the premiere–as frequently as one per quarter–for review and possible upload into the prestigious PROJECT : ENCORE database at projectencore.org

New York Premiere of Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard (Nov 6)

Messiah Sing (Dec 3) Christmas at The Met:

Margaret Bonds’s The Ballad of the Brown King (Dec 19)

New York Premiere of Margaret Bonds’s Credo (Apr 28)

DessoffSample-012.jpeg

New York City, NY (For Release September 20, 2021)— Hailed as “one of the great amateur choruses of our time (New York Today) for its “full-bodied sound and suppleness (The New York Times),” The Dessoff Choirs today announced its 2021-22 season. Marking its first live, in-person performance in almost two years, The Dessoff Choirs kick- starts its 97th season with the New York premiere of Considering Matthew Shepard co- directed by WQXR’s Elliott Forrest and Rod Caspers. This year’s traditional holiday programs include Dessoff’s debut performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presenting Margaret Bonds’s Christmas cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King, along with works by jazz great Mary Lou Williams. The season concludes with the New York premiere of the orchestral editions of two neglected Bonds cantatas: Credo (edition by Dr. Rollo Dillworth of Temple University) inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’s essay, and Simon Bore the Cross (edition by Malcolm J. Merriweather), a collaboration with Langston Hughes. Dessoff welcomes some of today’s rising opera stars as soloists including Matthew Cahill (New York City Opera), Laquita Mitchell (San Francisco Opera), Markel Reed (Metropolitan Opera), Noah Stewart (Covent Garden), Lucia Bradford (New York City Opera), and more. (The complete season schedule is below.)

As Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dessoff’s ninth Music Director explains, “The Dessoff Choirs has been bringing beautiful music to New Yorkers for nearly 100 years. It was challenging and heartbreaking to not perform with each other and for our audiences for the past two years. We look forward to returning more resilient, energetic, humble, and generous. I have no doubt our choristers will sing their hearts out!”

The 2021-22 season shines a spotlight on African-American composer Margaret Bonds (1913-1972), a significant figure in the fight for civil rights. This season’s concerts mark the latest in Dessoff’s ongoing exploration of Bonds’s important work. In 2019, Dessoff released The Ballad of the Brown King (ArkivMusic/Avie) to much acclaim. According to WQXR Radio it was one the Best Classical Recordings of the year. “

All 2021-22 performances are conducted by Malcolm J. Merriweather. Tickets are priced at $20-40, and only available for purchase at dessoff.org.

About The Dessoff Choirs

The Dessoff Choirs, one of the leading choruses in New York City, is an independent chorus with an established reputation for pioneering performances of choral works from the Renaissance era through the 21st century. Since its founding in 1924, Dessoff’s concerts, professional collaborations, community outreach, and educational initiatives are dedicated to stimulating public interest in and appreciation of choral music as an art form that enhances the culture and life of our times. With repertoire ranging over a wide variety of eras and styles, Dessoff’s musical acumen and flexibility has been recognized with invitations from major orchestras for oratorios and orchestral works. Past performances include Britten’s War Requiem and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Lorin Maazel in his final performances as Music Director with the New York Philharmonic.

Over the course of its nearly 100-year history, Dessoff has presented many world premieres, including works by Virgil Thomson, George Perle, Paul Moravec, and Ricky Ian Gordon; the first American performance in nearly 100 years of Montemezzi’s opera La Nave with Teatro Grattacielo; and the American premieres of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 5 and Sir John Tavener’s all-night vigil, The Veil of the Temple. Dessoff’s recent discography includes REFLECTIONS, featuring music by Convery, Corigliano, Moravec, and Rorem; GLORIES ON GLORIES, a collection of American song featuring composers from Billings to Ives; and MARGARET BONDS: THE BALLAD OF Nearly 60 years after its premiere, conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather and the phenomenal New York-based Dessoff Choirs have at last provided a way to experience Margaret Bonds’ genius cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King.” Dessoff brings this Christmas cantata to the stage at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the choir’s annual holiday programming. Wrapping up Dessoff’s season is the New York premiere of the orchestral version of Bonds’s little-known Credo. THE BROWN KING AND SELECTED SONGS, a debut recording of Margaret Bonds’s crowning achievement, which was cited as a “Best Classical Recording of 2019” by WQXR-FM Radio. The Dessoff Choirs is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Please visit dessoff.org for more information.

About Malcolm J. Merriweather

Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Music Director of The Dessoff Choirs, founded in 1924, and known for pathbreaking performances of choral works from the pre-Baroque era through the 21st century. Merriweather enjoys a versatile career with performances ranging from the songs of Margaret Bonds to gems of the symphonic choral repertoire. The baritone can be heard on the GRAMMY nominated recording of Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road (NAXOS). Hailed by Opera News as “moving…expertly interpreted,” Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs (AVIE) has earned considerable praise around the world.

An Associate Professor, he is Director of Choral Studies and Voice Department Coordinator at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and the Artistic Director of “Voices of Haiti,” a 60-member children’s choir in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, operated by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation.

Merriweather is excited to resume in-person rehearsals and concerts. Highlights of his 2021-2022 season include the world premiere performance and recording of Credo and Simon Bore the Cross by Margaret Bonds; a performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of Margaret Bonds’s Ballad of the Brown King; and performances with Syracuse Opera, North Carolina Opera, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. During the pandemic, Merriweather’s 2020-2021 season has been enriched with guest lectures and virtual appearances around the world, most notably at Yale University and Columbia University. He has inaugurated a series of virtual events entitled “Dessoff Dialogues.” These conversations emphasize matters of social justice, equity, and inclusion as they relate to classical music and the choral art.

Merriweather’s 2019-2020 season included Fauré’s Requiem; Rutter’s The Sprig of Thyme; and Gregg Smith’s Continental Harmonist with The Dessoff Choirs. He was engaged by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road, and at the Eastman School of Music for the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Conference in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. The COVID-19 global pandemic forced cancellations with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

Merriweather holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the studio of Kent Tritle at the Manhattan School of Music, where his doctoral dissertation “Now I walk in Beauty, Gregg Smith: A Biography and Complete Works Catalog” constituted the first complete works list for the composer and conductor. He received Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and in Vocal Performance from the studio of Rita Shane at the Eastman School of Music, as well as his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Syracuse University, summa cum laude. His professional affiliations include membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the American Choral Directors Association, and Chorus America. Connect with him on Twitter and Instagram @maestroweather.

THE DESSOFF CHOIRS 2021-22 SEASON

Considering Matthew Shepard

Saturday, November 6, 2021, 4:00-6:00 p.m.; Pre-concert talk: 3:15 p.m.
New York Society of Ethical Culture Concert Hall, 2 West 64th Street, New York City

Marking its New York premiere, Dessoff presents a lightly staged performance of Considering Matthew Shepard, a three-part fusion oratorio about Matthew Shepard, a young, gay student who was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. The story is illustrated by a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole and a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work. Performers: The Dessoff Choirs, Dessoff Orchestra, Matthew Cahill (Matthew Shepard), Tami Petty (soprano), Markel Reed (baritone), Brooklyn College Conservatory Singers. Co-directed by WQXR’s Elliott Forrest (Peabody-winning broadcaster, producer and director) and Rod Caspers.

Considering Matthew Shepard Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1962)

Messiah Sing

Friday, December 3, 2021, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway, New York City

Dessoff holds its popular annual Handel Messiah Sing. Audience members are invited to join the choir for Messiah choruses; solos are performed by Dessoff members.

Messiah George Friderick Handel (1685-1759)

Christmas at The Met

Sunday, December 19, 2021, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York City

The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra usher in the winter solstice with Margaret Bonds’s Christmas cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King, along with shimmering choral works by Mary Lou Williams, featuring Black Christ of the Andes as the centerpiece. These works display the bittersweet intersection of music, poetry, religion, and the Civil Rights movement in America.

The Ballad of the Brown King was written in 1954/1960 to a libretto by Bonds’s long- time collaborator, Langston Hughes. The cantata focuses on the journey of the Three Kings through the lens of Balthazar, the Black king. Dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., the piece is characterized by call-and-response textures, jazz harmonies, gospel vocalizations, calypso rhythms, and syncopated gestures. Using these styles Bonds affirms Black identity and its place in classical music during a tumultuous time in United States history.

Similarly, jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams wrote Black Christ of the Andes out of inspiration from the Second Vatican Council and the Civil Rights movement. A devout Catholic, Williams often infused her music with themes of social justice, and she served as an activist from the stage and podium.

Performers: The Dessoff Choirs, Dessoff Orchestra, Laquita Mitchell (soprano), Noah Stewart (tenor), Lucia Bradford (mezzo-soprano), Ashley Jackson (harp), Nathaniel Gumbs (organ), Steven Ryan (piano)

The Ballad of the Brown King Credo
Lazarus
Our Father

Act of Contrition
St. Martin de Porres I have a dream

Credo

Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981)

Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Pre-concert talk: 6:45 p.m.

Church of the Heavenly Rest, 1085 5th Avenue, New York City

Dessoff continues its mission to perform rarely heard choral masterpieces with the New York orchestral premiere of Margaret Bonds’s Credo. Portions of the work were performed in 1972, just four weeks after the composer’s untimely death. In the mid- 1960s, Bonds focused her attention on the writings of civil rights activist and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois. Du Bois’s essay Credo (1913) so inspired Bonds that she immediately began to compose her cantata on its text. The seven-movement piece was dedicated to the memories of poet Langston Hughes and singer-actress Abbie Mitchell. The text promotes unity and social equality, and Bonds expertly portrays the sentiment with rich harmonies and exciting motifs.

Simon Bore the Cross, an Easter cantata written in collaboration with Langston Hughes, is another rarely performed Bonds work. As in Ballad of the Brown King, the protagonist is again a black man, Simon, a role model for helping lift the lives of others. By performing and recording these overlooked works, Dessoff shines a light on Bonds’s neglected but important contribution to the American music canon.

This concert is made possible in part through the support of the Church of Heavenly Rest NYC and Reverend Matthew Heyd.

I BELIEVE: CREDO (world premiere) Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) Simon Bore the Cross

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Bring new music to life and reinvigorate your choir program this year by joining Graphite’s 2021-22 Commissioning Consortium! We’re elated to commission Graphite composers Christopher Harris and Christine Donkin for what will surely be two exquisite and gorgeous works for SATB choir and piano. These new pieces will be written for a Level 3 difficulty rating, with easily sung lines and minimal divisions, perfect for high school, college, and community choirs.

Christopher Harris is on faculty at Arkansas Tech University as Director of Choral Studies and Assistant Professor of Music. He is the founder of the Houston Master Singers and has served as the Assistant Director for the Houston Ebony Opera Guild.

Music from Canadian composer Christine Donkin has been described by critics as “stunning”, “poignant”, and “astonishingly beautiful”, her work is promoted by several publishers and is performed all over the continent and beyond.

This project will deliver both PDF scores to print for all your singers and a 9-month local premiere window. Join the consortium here!

Scores delivered by Jan. 7th, 2022
Must be funded by Dec. 17th, 2021
$285 / ensemble
Difficulty: 3 · Medium
Length: 4 minutes (for each work)

Christine Donkin will set Sara Teasdale’s ‘Like Barley Bending.’

“…So would I softly,
Day long, night long,
Change my sorrow
Into song…” 
…read more

Christopher Harris will set Devondra Banks’ ‘Joy Never Leaves.’

“…These years which once fell for loss, now build a grateful river that runs through forests of prayer and possibility. They flow, but joy never leaves…”
…read more

I am interested in finding some choral works (30-60 minutes) for men’s choir: preferably of medium to medium difficulty. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Voicing can be TBB, TTB, or TTBB

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Mark

 THE 2021 GREGG SMITH CHORAL COMPOSITION CONTEST 

In honor and memory of the historic work of American composer/conductor Gregg Smith and the Gregg Smith Singers, the Syracuse University Setnor School of Music, Department of Choral Studies is pleased to announce the 2021 Gregg Smith Choral Composition Contest. This is a biennial event with the specific Syracuse University Setnor School of Music choral ensemble named for each contest. 

The award: 

Award winning composer will receive a $1,200 prize. The selected composition will be premiered in Spring, 2022 on the Syracuse University campus. Travel expenses to the premiere are the responsibility of the prize recipient. The presence of the winning composer at the premiere is welcomed and encouraged, but not required. 

Composer age limit: 

Composer must be 21 to 35 years of age at the time of submission. 

Due date: 

Scores must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2021. 

Choir to present the premiere for Spring 2022: 

Crouse Chorale conducted by Dr. Wendy Moy 

Submission criteria: 

• 3-4 minutes’ duration 
• Unpublished and unperformed works only 
• The SU Department of Choral Studies will reserve the right to the world premiere of the winning piece and to release the first recording of the piece until July 1, 2022. 
• Accessible 3 or 4-voice work for soprano and alto voice a cappella or accompanied by piano or organ; additional instruments optional 
• Crouse Chorale is a treble voice ensemble. Students from any major are welcome in this non-auditioned choir. The choir will perform SSA and SSAA repertoire in 2021-2022. 
• Rights to texts must be cleared, and evidence of copyright holder’s permission must be shown.
• Composer will retain the copyright of the piece. 
• May be secular or sacred 
• The SU Department of Choral Studies will retain copies of winning scores for future performances. 
• The composer must reside in North America. 
• Composer must include a biography, list of works, and proof of age (copy of driver’s license, passport, etc.) with submission. 
• The winner will need to submit tax forms in order to receive the prize. Taxes may be withheld from winnings. 

Please include your name, email address, postal address, and phone number(s) in a sealed envelope together with your score. Size of original scores must not exceed 8 ½ x 14”. No materials will be returned unless a self-addressed mailer and postage are provided. The winner will be notified by December 1. 

Submit to: 

Gregg Smith Choral Composition Contest
Department of Choral Studies
208 Crouse College
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY 13244-1010 

For additional information contact:  

315-443-4106