Among composers with premiers this month were Daron Hagen, Paul Gibson, and Gwyneth Walker.
Paul Gibson’s piece Ring Out, Wild Bells! premiered on December 3 at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, performed by all five choirs of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The piece will be performed again in two concerts December 17 with the Children’s Chorus and the Pasadena Symphony.
Daron Hagen’s setting of the W. B. Yeats poem, An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, premiered in New York on December 12. Baritone Jorell Williams and pianist Mila Henry performed the work in a concert presented by Phoenix Concerts at the Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy. The new setting was commissioned by the Steven Gerber Trust, for premiere on the Phoenix Concerts, is dedicated to Mr. Williams and Ms. Henry.
Northsong, a Vermont choral society, premiered Gwyneth Walker’s The Friendly Beasts on their two Christmas concerts in early December. The composer writes: The Friendly Beasts portrays the animals who have protected Jesus and Mary during the birth. Each animal proudly takes its turn announcing its contribution of the gifts they brought to Immanuel.
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