My newest work for choir, Filled with His Voice, premieres tomorrow at Bethel College in Newton, Kansas! The work, scored for SATB choir, alto saxophone, and piano was commissioned by Dr. William Eash and the Bethel College Choir. You can read the beautiful text I worked with here. Thank you to Dr. Eash for helping to bring this work to life, and best wishes to him and the choir for a great performance tomorrow!
A Wonderful Consortium Group!
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.
New Work for Soprano and Wind Octet - "Alcott Songs"
I really enjoy the poetry of Louisa May Alcott, and I decided to create a song cycle comprised of six of her relatively short poems. I tried to pull together poems that are particularly fun, witty, and whimsical. As I began choosing these texts, I realized that it would be fun to organize them in a way that could depict a summer day: the first poem opens with “Awake! Awake!” The second talks about jumping among lily pads, the third describes spring flowers, and the fourth portrays a squirrel and his acorn adventures. The fifth seems to be about bees or another animal in a sort of dream-like story – I picture this as the point at which we dose off to sleep. The sixth and final poem is a lovely lullaby which brings the day to an end. Musically, I tried to create melodies and textures that mirror the fun and wit of the poetry. There is a variety of music, from very light spring-like dancing in the opening song, to the quiet and delicate lullaby at the end.
Commissioned by the following musicians and institutions:
Dr. Brenton F. Alston – Florida International University Dr. Daniel Belongia – Illinois State University Dr. Justin Davis – Greatbatch School of Music, Houghton College Mr. Duane Hill – Texas Tech University Dr. John Oelrich – University of Tennessee at Martin Dr. David Ragsdale – University of Alabama Huntsville Dr. Catherine Rand – University of Southern Mississippi Dr. Jason Rinehart & Dr. Claire Vangelisti – University of Louisiana at Monroe Dr. Mark Scatterday – Eastman School of Music Mr. Timothy Shade – University of Miami Dr. Mark Walker – Troy University
Read more about the work here.
Goodnight, Goodnight for Band - Winner of the 2012 Hot Springs Concert Band Music Composition Award
I'm excited to announce that my work Goodnight, Goodnight for band has been named the winner of the 2012 Music Composition Award by the Hot Springs Concert Band in Hot Springs, AR. This wonderful ensemble will perform Goodnight, Goodnight on Sunday October 21st at 3:oopm and I will be in attendance! Who: Hot Springs Concert Band performs Goodnight, Goodnight When: October 21st, 3:00pm Where: Woodlands Auditorium, Hot Springs Village, AR
Joy
There is so much joy here - beautiful to watch.
World Youth Wind Symphony Video Recording!
Slight correction from my last post: The World Youth Wind Symphony was the ensemble that performed Lauda at Interlochen under the baton of Gary Green. You can watch the wonderful video recording of the performance below. These are some very talented young people (high school students) who played my piece (and the whole concert) beautifully. Thanks to the World Youth Wind Symphony, Gary Green, and Interlochen! Bravo!
Lauda at Interlochen Tomorrow! Watch via Webcast!
My wind ensemble work Lauda will be performed tomorrow, Saturday July 14th by the Interlochen Symphony Band conducted by the incomparable Gary Green. Interlochen will be streaming live video of the concert at the link below. Check it out if you can! Who: Interlochen Symphony Band conducted by Gary Green When: Saturday July 14, 2012 - 7:00pm Where: Kresge Auditorium, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, Michigan Webcast: Live video streaming here
Quiet Places
For the most part, we live in a noisy, fast, and relentless world. Sometimes, especially when I am trying to come up with the initial ideas for a new piece, I want to be in a quiet place. A place where I can really savor the sounds I create and not be distracted by anything. A basement practice room, an empty church. For others, it's a garden, a backyard, a patio. Here's to enjoying a few moments in your own quiet place!
New Commission - Choir, Saxophone & Piano
I'm excited to announce a new commission which has just been finalized and that I am writing this summer. Dr. William Eash and the Bethel College Choir are commissioning a new piece for choir, saxophone, and piano! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Eash and the Bethel Choir, and also to include saxophone (near and dear to my heart!) in this piece. The text we decided on is below. I have been thinking about ideas for the piece for a few weeks and have a good idea of the general structure and to some extent the roles of the various forces (men, women, saxophone, piano). Yesterday I got to spend a bit of time working on the piece in one of my favorite spots - the basement of the Eastman annex building! Stay tuned for more details about this piece! O thou, in whose presence
O thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight, on whom in affliction I call, my comfort by day, and my song in the night, my hope, my salvation, my all;
Where dost thou, dear Shepherd, resort with thy sheep? to feed in the pastures of love? Say, why in the valley of death should I weep, or lone in the wilderness rove?
Oh, why should I wander an alien from thee, or cry in the desert for bread? Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see, and smile at the tears I have shed.
He looks, and ten thou-sands of angels rejoice, and myriads wait for his word. He speaks, and eternity filled with his voice, reechoes the praise of the Lord.
"This Song of Mine" Recording Now Posted
In April, "This Song of Mine" for women's choir and piano was premiered by the Houghton College Women's Choir conducted by my friend David Horace Davies. David recently sent me the live recording from their premiere and it is wonderful (listen below)! His direction of the piece and the sensitivity of the singing is just beautiful. "This Song of Mine" is a simple lullaby, and I love the way this performance portrayed the piece. Bravo David and the Houghton College Women's Choir! [audio http://www.stevedanyew.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Danyew_this_song.mp3]
Houghton College Women's Choir David Horace Davies, Conductor Live Concert Recording - April 2012