I grew up in Sandy Hook, CT and attended Sandy Hook Elementary School.
I believe that music is one way we can remember the victims of the tragedy, their families, and victims of similar tragedies. This was the hardest piece I have written, but I hope that the music allows listeners to pause and remember these victims, and come together to prevent this kind of violence in the future.
I am very excited to be organizing a consortium of ensembles to support the composition of a new song cycle scored for soprano and chamber winds octet! You can read all about the project background and details <a title="Alcott Songs – Consortium for Soprano & Chamber Winds" href="http://www.stevedanyew.com/alcott-songs-winds/">here</a>. You can also listen to a couple of the songs (voice & piano versions) below! VI. Lullaby
[audio http://www.stevedanyew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/song6.mp3]
I. Awake! Awake!
[audio http://www.stevedanyew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/song1.mp3]
If you are interested in joining the consortium, or if you have a question about the project, please send me a message via the form at the bottom of <a title="Alcott Songs – Consortium for Soprano & Chamber Winds" href="http://www.stevedanyew.com/alcott-songs-winds/">this page</a>.
The video below is from a live performance, April 18, 2013, by the Texas A&M Commerce Wind Ensemble under the direction of Phillip L. Clements. You can see/hear clips of "This World Alive" from 1:57 - 5:26.
I feel so fortunate to have all these wonderful ensembles and musicians performing my music! Here are some upcoming events: April 23, 2013 Troy University Symphony Band performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive Troy, AL
April 25, 2013 University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble performs Flash Black Storrs, CT More info
April 25, 2013 Abilene Christian University Wind Ensemble performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive Abilene, TX More info
April 28, 2013 Bethel College Wind Ensemble performs lead commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive North Newton, KS More info
April 28, 2013 Illinois State University Wind Symphony perfoms Flash Black Bloomington, IL More info
April 29, 2013 Spring Arbor College Wind Ensemble performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive Spring Arbor, MI
May 2, 2013 West Liberty University Wind Ensemble performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive West Liberty, WV More info
May 4, 2013 Pacific University Band performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive Forest Grove, OR More info
June 5, 2013 University of California Davis Wind Ensemble performs co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive Davis, CA More info
On Saturday March 16, 2013 the University of Delaware Wind Ensemble conducted by Chad R. Nicholson presents a co-commissioner world premiere performance of This World Alive. Best wishes for a great performance! University of Delaware Wind Ensemble, conducted by Chad R. Nicholson Saturday March 16, 2013 - 8:00pmMitchell Hall, University of Delaware
Several of the 27 consortium ensembles who commissioned This World Alive have scheduled premiere performances of the piece in the coming days.
Best wishes to these ensembles and their directors!
The new winds & film consortium piece that I have mentioned many times before is complete! The music and film are done and everything is about to be sent out to the 27 consortium members. We are thrilled with the response and support that this project has received, and we thank all of the consortium members for helping make this work possible! You can view the full list of schools and read the new program note for the piece here. In the program note I explain the inspiration for the title that we chose - This World Alive.
In the coming months, I will be providing updates here as the performances of this new piece are scheduled. After seeing the beautiful film produced by Cuyler Bryant on my little computer screen, I can't wait to experience the complete work with live film projection and wind ensemble. Stay tuned for more!
It has been a few weeks since I last posted here - things have been busy! I have been working hard on the new piece for winds and film, and the consortium has been growing! We now have a wonderful group of 22 schools signed up (see the list here)! Thank you to those supporters who are making this exciting project possible! There are still a few spots left if you or someone you know is interested.
