…Beckenhorst Press will be publishing my new arrangement of The First Noel, this spring. I wrote it over the last couple weeks, as the Christmas season was in full swing. It’ll come out later this spring, for use next Christmas.
Now, this new year, I’ll be getting to work on my Te Deum…
Happy New Year!
Carol of Joy was broadcast today on NPR’s Performance Today broadcast…click here for the webpage and a RealAudio file of the broadcast. Carol of Joy is at around 28:00 or so in the first hour…
I found out about a recording today that I hadn’t been previously aware of, titled “Carol of Joy”. (Hmm…I think I know that title…) It’s a recording of the University of Utah Singers- more info here.
1. Arise Shine was performed at the Crystal Cathedral this past week, with Donald Neuen conducting. A video cutting of the performance can be viewed here- it’s the fourth video across- the one with the picture of a choir on it. The professional videography is quite cool!
2. I’m pleased to finally be able to publicly announce something that’s been in the works for quite some time now. The Brehm Center for Worship (housed at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA) has commissioned me to write a new large-scale work to launch a new publishing venture of theirs through the Fred Bock Institute. I’ve been communicating with Dr. Ed Willmington for quite some time now, via email, and he even came all the way across the country to meet with me, in November. We’ve been hashing out the details of the piece and the contract for the commission and waiting on everything to come together- but today I faxed the signed contract to him, and it’s official. I’ll be writing a 12-15 minute Te Deum for chorus and orchestra, which will be professionally recorded, and then published. It’s an exciting venture, and the best part has been getting to know Ed- we have a good friendship in place already, and we’re looking forward to the writing, recording, and publishing of this piece. Now, I just have to think of something to write…!
I heard from Ron Staheli, today, that his combined choirs and orchestra will be reprising Carol of Joy as the concert closer for their annual Celebration of Christmas, again this year. (The concerts are this weekend, and they’re completely sold out). I’m thrilled, since the recording of last year’s performance is one of the very finest performances I’ve ever gotten.
Also, Ron mentioned that they’ll be performing Oread Farewell in the spring- I’ll be looking forward to that. Collegiate choirs don’t get much better than this!
There Is Faint Music received a highly successful premiere in Kansas Tuesday night, I’m told. I’m looking forward to hearing it myself for the first time Thursday at 5:00 at BJU’s Glyric Choir concert.
Also, the USC Concert Choir (whose performance of Arise Shine I glowed about, a few posts ago) is performing their big annual Christmas concert at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, this coming Sunday at 6:00 PM. Admission is free. If you want to hear Arise Shine performed about as well as it can be with piano accompaniment, and you’re in the area, go hear them- they have my hearty endorsement!
My newly commissioned Christmas piece, There Is Faint Music, will be premiered tomorrow night (December 2) by the Santana High School (Kansas) 7-12 choir, with the commissioner, Daniel Baldwin, conducting. It will also be performed at the Community Congregational Church in Garden City, KS on December 14 in its alternate SSA version.
Closer to home, the BJU Glyric Choir will be performing it this Thursday, December 4, on their Christmas concert. I’ll be attending that one- looking forward to it.
Also, Hal Leonard has accepted it for publication in their Hal Leonard Sacred Series- which means it will be promoted both to the Brookfield (church) market, and to their regular Hal Leonard (school) market, as well. It’ll come out in spring 2009.
And, along similar lines, Shawnee Press has accepted my setting of All People That On Earth Do Dwell. It will be placed in their brand-new Cathedral Series, which, likewise, is crossmarketed both to the Harold Flammer (church) market and the Mark Foster (concert) market. This is my first piece with Shawnee, and I’m glad to make the connection with them. It should be out in May 2009. The SSA version will be released simultaneously, as well.
