NEW MUSIC

A Ph.D. in Musicology might not be the most likely beginning of a career, in addition to conducting, ultimately devoted so strongly to the advancement of composers and new music! Yet there is a through line connecting my current conducting career, my early academic work, and my new-music advocacy: human impact. My passion is 100% about communication, on a profound level.

I fervently believe that artistic creativity is necessary to our survival as a human species. To this point, I believe that our creative artists—in this case, our composers—are nothing less than our modern day prophets. From this deep conviction came:

• PROJECT : ENCORE (P:E) Launched in 2009, and sponsored by Ember Choral Arts, in response to the rapidly-changing world of new-music composition, Project:Encore is an online catalog of post-premiere choral music which has been blind-reviewed and endorsed by a a panel of renowned conductors.  It has been recognized by the American Composers’ Forum, and by ASCAP, and heralded as establishing a new and necessary paradigm for score evaluation and promotion for the 21st century.

• “PROJECT : ENCORE News” is a monthly column in ACDA’s Choral Journal I write that brings news about new P:E endorsements into 22,000 households around the world! 

• Ember Choral Arts By 2010 my choral organization found itself programming music of almost exclusively living composers. Actioning a strong belief in the communicative power of contemporary voices, the organization not only continues to sponsor PROJECT:ENCORE but has just birthed the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab, in addition to boasting an impressive resume of commissioned and premier performances–always featuring the many marvelous P:E works! Its programming centers around socially relevant themes, weaving an eclectic array of styles and diverse genres, serving as a catalyst for fresh experiences.

• Ember Ablaze Composer Lab (EACL) This is the newest branch of Ember Choral Arts’ new-music initiatives, in which young composers compete for a commission and mentoring experience with Ember’s Composer in Residence.  Each composer has a live workshop experience with Ember in which to try out their first draft, and experiment with options. The new works are ultimately premiered by Ember in concert.

• Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart biannually produces a 1000-voice community-engagement experience, commissioning such composers as David Lang, Jonathan Dove, and John Luther Adams. I was pleased to be a founding conductor of this experience, and I am pleased to continue conducting in these large events!