This month we got to know composer Alistair Coleman, currently in his first year at The Juilliard School, and the youngest composer as yet published by E. C. Schirmer. His career as a composer and musician is off and running, and it’s one we’re very excited to follow. How did you become involved with music?Continue reading “Connecting through a Solitary Sport: Interview with Alistair Coleman”
Category Archives: Sacred Choral
Learning the Essentials with Mark Lawson
Guest post by Mark Lawson Here is a quick quiz…..what are five choral pieces that every high school or college student should sing before they are conductors themselves? Is there a common set of pieces that make up the core repertoire? Most of us in the choral world can agree on many pieces that shouldContinue reading “Learning the Essentials with Mark Lawson”
Neil Harmon: Featured Sacred Composer
This month we’re featuring composer Neil Harmon! Acclaimed as “one of the finest products of the American organist school,” [La Nuova Venezia] Neil Harmon enjoys a career as organist, conductor, composer, and teacher. He is Director of Music and Organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware, where he directs a semiprofessional choir, aContinue reading “Neil Harmon: Featured Sacred Composer”
Tried & True Works for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter
Guest post by Kelly Dobbs-Mickus At MorningStar, we strive to publish liturgical music that makes a meaningful contribution to the repertoire. As you prepare for Lent and Easter, perhaps looking for some new ideas, take a few minutes to explore these tried and true editions, from Hal Hopson’s subdued Lenten Prayer to Randall Thompson’s iconicContinue reading “Tried & True Works for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter”
Fall & Winter 2017 Performances
November and December are always busy months for concerts! Here’s a run-down of just some of what our composers have been up to. The Boston-based chamber music group Radius Ensemble performed a concert with works by E. C. Schirmer composers Elena Ruehr and Libby Larsen. Both works were programmatic in nature, with Ruehr’s Lucy titledContinue reading “Fall & Winter 2017 Performances”
Getting into the Christmas Spirit with The Snow Lay on the Ground
Everyone has their favorite Christmas album. Whether it’s Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey, The Nutcracker Suite, or Messiah, those winter traditions like decorating a tree, sitting by a fire, and baking cookies, just don’t feel the same without the right music in the background. This year we have enjoyed listening to the 2016 Arsis release, TheContinue reading “Getting into the Christmas Spirit with The Snow Lay on the Ground”
Robert Hobby: Keyboard & Choral Composer of the Month
Robert A. Hobby, born 1962, currently serves as Director of Music for Trinity English Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his responsibilities include playing for many of the worship services, overseeing the graded choral program, and managing the concerts the church offers. Numerous activities during his tenure include Trinity Church establishing a choral series withContinue reading “Robert Hobby: Keyboard & Choral Composer of the Month”
Featured Recording: Dawn of Night, choral music by Stephen Chatman
“Infusing softness of tone with luscious harmonies, [Chatman’s] music always sounds deceptively simple…” – Dianne Wells, The Whole Note Centrediscs released the latest album of choral music by Stephen Chatman this month. Dawn of Night is the inspiring new album featuring the voices of the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers, under the direction of Hilary Apfelstadt. Chatman’sContinue reading “Featured Recording: Dawn of Night, choral music by Stephen Chatman”
Interview with Choral Composer of the Month: Philip W. J. Stopford
Philip W. J. Stopford (b. 1977) is an English composer and choral director, revered worldwide for his contemporary settings of traditional Latin and English prayers and hymns. Stopford’s relationship with church music is a long one, beginning as early as 7 years old. As of 2016, Stopford has served as Director of Music at Christ Church,Continue reading “Interview with Choral Composer of the Month: Philip W. J. Stopford”
Gramophone Magazine reviews new albums from Su Lian Tan & Michael John Trotta
Since 1923, Gramophone Magazine continues to devote itself to reviewing classical music, particularly recordings. The August 2017 issue featured two albums in the ECS Publishing Group catalog: Seven Last Words by Michael John Trotta and Revelations by Su Lian Tan. Seven Last Words, review excerpt By Guy Rickards “Trotta’s musical style is fairly straightforward….not unlike that ofContinue reading “Gramophone Magazine reviews new albums from Su Lian Tan & Michael John Trotta”
In Tune blog 