tag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:/blogs/unlimited-transpositionsUnlimited Transpositions2024-03-06T12:47:22-08:00Nicholas Brock Weiningerfalsetag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73628212024-03-06T12:47:22-08:002024-03-06T12:47:22-08:00Another great review of All is Mere Breath<p>This time from <a class="no-pjax" href="https://operawire.com/cd-review-navona-records-all-is-mere-breath/" data-link-type="url">OperaWire</a>. I continue to be very pleased at the thoughtfulness of these reviews and the extent to which they really get what I'm trying to do-- such an audience is the best any creative person could wish for. Hoping for more like this!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73575962024-02-26T11:56:43-08:002024-02-26T11:56:44-08:00Musae in May<p>I'm delighted to announce that a new work of mine for SSAA treble choir will be performed by the SF-based ensemble Musae on May 4 and 5, in Walnut Creek and Tiburon respectively:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.musae.org/current-season.html">https://www.musae.org/current-season.html</a></p><p>The piece is called “One Equal Music” and sets a text by John Donne. Musae is a terrific group and I'm very much looking forward to the premiere.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73482202024-02-08T14:59:06-08:002024-02-08T14:59:06-08:00I'm on Choralosophy<p>I talked to Chris Munce about All is Mere Breath, Hebrew as a choral language generally, and my composing approach and plans. It was a fun time. Check it out on YouTube: </p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="n2YPs-weP7U" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n2YPs-weP7U?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73428312024-01-30T10:30:29-08:002024-01-30T10:30:29-08:00Gramophone loves "All is Mere Breath"<p>There's a new review up of my Navona album of “All is Mere Breath” as part of Gramophone Magazine's February issue:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/weininger-all-is-mere-breath">https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/weininger-all-is-mere-breath</a></p><p>I'm delighted and honored to say that it's all I could have hoped for. The reviewer clearly gets what I was trying to do with the piece and thinks that I've succeeded in doing that. I wrote it hoping it could bridge some of 2020's terrible gaps and make us feel less alone in our experience, and here I am feeling less alone reading about how someone else perceived it. Feeling grateful, and now determined to “send out my bread upon the waters” some more.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73373512024-01-20T13:19:07-08:002024-01-20T13:19:08-08:00A new premiere to kick off the year<p>Happy 2024, everyone. May it be a year of meaningful musicmaking for all of us.</p><p>Just before the end of last year, I got the great news that my piece "Lecha Dodi", a setting of the classic Hebrew poem that compares the Sabbath metaphorically to a beautiful bride, had won the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://cincinnaticamerata.com/2023-composition-contest-winner/" data-link-type="url">Cincinnati Camerata's 2023 Composition Contest</a>. The Cincinnati Camerata will premiere the piece in their spring concert on Sunday, April 28, at 3 PM in the historic Isaac M. Wise Temple in downtown Cincinnati. I plan to make the trip to attend and I'd love to see you there if you're in the area!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73164542023-12-08T08:44:40-08:002023-12-08T08:44:40-08:00Album release day<p>It's finally out, after a long and winding and very educational road. The album of my cantata “Hakol Hevel” is now officially, fully released by Navona Records and available for streaming and digital purchase from all major services through: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6587/">https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6587/</a></p><p>Please do check it out. It's the most meaningful and ambitious thing I've written yet and the journey of writing it and getting it performed and recorded has been a key formative experience in my life. I hope it can bring solace and catharsis and a sense of belonging to more people now, in what continues to be an unsettling and sometimes isolating time.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/73122212023-12-01T08:56:33-08:002023-12-01T08:56:34-08:00Such a musical December!<p>Exciting things coming up in the next week. As mentioned previously, Sacred and Profane will be premiering the SATB version of “Oseh Shalom” tonight in Berkeley-- along with tomorrow in SF and Sunday in Santa Rosa. IOCSF, meanwhile, will have my “Hanukkah Blessings” on our program, <i>also</i> tonight in Berkeley and tomorrow in SF, and December 10 in Healdsburg as well. sacredandprofane.org and iocsf.org have the details respectively.</p><p>And in advance of the full release of the “All is Mere Breath” album from Navona Records, we have a single release, of movement II: “How she sits alone”. This is a very special movement to me because it's where the whole conception of the piece began: with my reading Lamentations in 2020 and realizing how relevant that opening lament could be to the COVID experience. It's available right now from all the major streaming services via <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6587/">https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6587/</a>. Enjoy!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/72858772023-10-10T15:32:03-07:002023-10-16T07:52:37-07:00Recording release, and more singing appearances<p>As I hinted in a previous post, Hakol Hevel is going to have an album release this year! It's coming out on the Navona Records label from Parma Recordings, and the release date is set for December 8. I'll post again when it's actually out there so you can find the appropriate links to buy or stream. I'm so grateful to everyone involved in the recording process; the result of lots of behind-the-scenes effort is very high quality.</p><p>I'm also singing in the SF Symphony Chorus a couple more times this fall. My engagements will include performances of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, on October 19, 21, and 22; and then just a few weeks later, Stravinsky's <i>Les Noces </i>on November 17 and 18. You can get tickets at sfsymphony.org and I hope to see folks ther.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/72695392023-09-06T15:34:32-07:002023-09-06T15:34:32-07:00December premieres<p>I'm delighted to be able to officially announce that two of my pieces will be premiered in the Bay Area on the same weekend: December 1 and 2.</p><p>First, as previously mentioned, Sacred and Profane will premiere the SATB version of my <i>Oseh Shalom, </i>the final movement of my cantata <i>Hakol Hevel (All is Mere Breath)</i>. Their concerts will be on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sacredprofane.org/concerts/2023/12/1/reflections-of-peace" data-link-type="url">December 1 in Berkeley</a>, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sacredprofane.org/concerts/peacesf" data-link-type="url">December 2 in San Francisco</a>, and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sacredprofane.org/concerts/peace" data-link-type="url">December 3 in Santa Rosa</a>.</p><p>Second, my “home choir”, IOCSF, the wellspring of so much of my compositional and choral activity over the past sixteen (!) years, will have a new piece of mine on their-- really, our-- fall program as well. This season IOCSF is doing “Holidays with a Twist”, a program of new takes on well-known holiday poems and tunes; and my <i>Hanukkah Blessings</i>, a setting of the three Hebrew blessings traditionally sung when lighting Hanukkah candles, will be included. IOCSF's concerts are… also on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.iocsf.org/events/holidays-with-a-twist" data-link-type="url">December 1 in Berkeley</a> and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.iocsf.org/events/holidays-with-a-twist-san-francisco-show" data-link-type="url">December 2 in San Francisco</a>. Sorry about the conflict; there are only so many holiday-season weekends and they're always packed with concerts. I hope to see some of you there!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/72318752023-06-24T16:10:07-07:002023-06-24T16:10:08-07:00Interesting times, interesting new musical opportunities<p>So the Hakol Hevel premiere went very well indeed. Performance venues were full, audiences were moved; the choir, soloists, and orchestra all did a fantastic job. Just one wrinkle for me: I couldn't attend because I came down with COVID the day of the premiere. Argh. The writers were really lazy that day, as they say.</p><p>But I have good news about the future of the piece. First of all, we should have an album release of the recording later this year… stay tuned for details on that one, but I'm super excited about both the quality of the recording and the quality of the record label involved. And second, the final movement of the cantata, Oseh Shalom, is tentatively set to receive a Bay Area premiere in SATB a cappella form in December, sung by the excellent East Bay chorus Sacred and Profane. Save the dates-- December 1 and 2-- and again watch this space for more details.</p><p>Meanwhile, in the shorter term, I am singing up a storm. Today and tomorrow I am joining the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, singing the men's chorus part in the last movement of the Busoni Piano Concerto. We gave our first performance Thursday night and it got a splendid review: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/sf-symphony-busoni-concerto-review-18126671">https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/sf-symphony-busoni-concerto-review-18126671</a></p><p>And on July 18 I will be singing with a festival chorus organized by Volti for a program of contemporary music in Napa Valley, centered on the Yiddish-language oratorio “Vessels of Light” by Lera Auerbach: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://festivalnapavalley.org/calendar/seasons-of-hope/">https://festivalnapavalley.org/calendar/seasons-of-hope/</a></p><p>Looking forward to the singing and to seeing folks there.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71546762023-02-15T16:59:22-08:002023-02-15T16:59:22-08:00Deeply moved and honored<p>ECMC's Instagram feed is doing a series of chorister interviews about my cantata Hakol Hevel as they prepare for the premiere performances. They're all worth listening to if you Instagram, but I was particularly touched by this:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CosIsOrjOVq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link"><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38);">https://www.instagram.com/reel/CosIsOrjOVq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link</span></a></p><p><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38);">I can only hope the piece itself will do justice to the depth of feeling these wonderful folks are bringing to it!</span></p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71469132023-02-01T07:57:10-08:002023-02-01T07:57:10-08:00Tickets available for Hakol Hevel!<p>You can now purchase tickets for the premiere of my cantata <em>Hakol Hevel </em>(All is Mere Breath) through the <a contents="ECMC website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://empirecitymenschorus.org">ECMC website</a>, for both <a contents="Saturday" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://secure.givelively.org/event/ecmc/all-is-mere-breath-saturday-march-25th">Saturday</a> and <a contents="Sunday" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://secure.givelively.org/event/ecmc/all-is-mere-breath-sunday-march-26th">Sunday</a> concerts. Less than two months away now-- so exciting! I did a publicity interview about the piece last week and am looking forward to more conversations about it as performance time approaches.</p>
<p>And for those in the San Francisco area, don't worry, you'll have more chances in May and June both to hear me sing and to hear my work performed in person. Stay tuned for details on that in a forthcoming post.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71390172023-01-16T23:27:46-08:002023-01-16T23:27:46-08:00Hakol Hevel performance times and venues<p>We've now got exact places and times where you can go to see the premiere of my cantata <em>Hakol Hevel. </em>They are:</p>
<p>Saturday, March 25, 8 PM, at St. Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan</p>
<p>Sunday, March 26, 5 PM, at the Church of the Holy Apostles, 296 9th Ave, Manhattan</p>
<p>I hope to see many of you there!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71312392023-01-01T13:07:53-08:002023-01-01T13:07:54-08:00Hakol Hevel official performance dates<p>Happy New Year, everyone! We're going to start the year off with a big performance announcement. My cantata <em>Hakol Hevel</em> (All is Mere Breath), as I've mentioned before, is being premiered by the <a contents="Empire City Men's Chorus" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://empirecitymenschorus.com">Empire City Men's Chorus</a> in New York on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26. Now there are official event webpages for <a contents="both" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://empirecitymenschorus.org/event/4912928/626132279/all-is-mere-breath">both</a> <a contents="performances" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://empirecitymenschorus.org/event/4912929/626132280/all-is-mere-breath">performances</a> with a lovely blurb about the cantata.</p>
<p>We still don't have exact times and venues set, but I anticipate that will be nailed down in the coming weeks. It's very likely to be Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, though, and the most likely venue is a church in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Excitement is growing!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71248952022-12-18T16:24:08-08:002022-12-18T16:24:09-08:00Links to my other stuff<p>Since Twitter is unstable, I am posting here and elsewhere a list of where you can currently find my content on the web:</p>
<p>@qubit_sf@qoto.org (Mastodon)</p>
<p>post.news/nweininger (Post)</p>
<p>thisgreenhouse.substack.com (climate blogging)</p>
<p>futuremoreperfect.substack.com (world improvement blogging)</p>
<p>Interesting times!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/71021912022-11-14T13:55:22-08:002022-11-14T13:55:22-08:00Winter dreams and a breath of spring<p>I'm singing with IOCSF on this December's concert program, "Sleeping While Dreaming," featuring pieces by nine contemporary composers including a world premiere by my friend and IOCSF alum, Sam Maurer. You can join us on <a contents="December 3 in Berkeley" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.iocsf.org/sleeping_east_bay">December 3 in Berkeley</a> or <a contents="December 10 in San Francisco" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.iocsf.org/sleeping_san_francisco">December 10 in San Francisco</a>, and there will also be a webcast on December 22.</p>
<p>And for my cantata, <em>Hakol Hevel,</em> I am still waiting on a full release of official details to make the big announcement... but all is still falling into place for concerts March 25 and 26 in Manhattan. In the meantime, you can follow <a contents="Empire City Men's Chorus" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://empirecitymenschorus.org/">Empire City Men's Chorus</a> for the first official word when it comes.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/70679682022-09-24T10:15:51-07:002022-09-24T10:15:51-07:00A foray into solo singing<p>This coming October, I will be singing solo vocal pieces in public for the first time in many years. I'll be giving a recital on Saturday, October 29, at 6:30 PM at the Unity San Francisco church, 240 Page St. This will be a joint recital with mezzo-soprano Maria Polyakova and collaborative pianist Jeffrey Sykes. The program will include works by Bach, Schumann, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Faure, and Debussy. Admission is free-- if you're interested to see how my art song interpretation skill is progressing, please come!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/70272422022-07-30T10:45:55-07:002022-07-30T10:45:58-07:00An upcoming premiere, and another Substack<p>Musical news: I am both performing and premiering a new choral work with Coro Mundi on Sunday, October 9, 2022 at St. Paul Church in Stone Harbor, NJ. Coro Mundi is a wonderful annual festival choir founded by Steve Kushner, who I was privileged to learn from when he directed the Concert Choir at the high school I attended several decades ago. I'm honored to be singing with them and even more honored to be writing music for them! If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Jersey Shore, please come and see us.</p>
<p>Nonmusical news: I have started yet another Substack, thisgreenhouse.substack.com, to chronicle the green home retrofitting projects I've been plugging away at this past decade. If you're interested in practical ways to reduce your home's carbon footprint, take a look.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/67830012021-10-21T13:17:43-07:002021-10-21T13:17:43-07:00Fall 2021 concerts, and new Substack<p>Two quick updates, one musical, one not:</p>
<p>1. IOCSF's fall concerts are now scheduled! We'll be singing on December 4 at 7:30 PM at Christ Church Berkeley and December 18 at 7:30 PM at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco. Details at iocsf.org.</p>
<p>2. For those interested in my non-composing-related thoughts, I now have a Substack at futuremoreperfect.substack.com. You can subscribe for periodic posts on ways to sustainably and substantially improve the world for future generations. Stay tuned for more upcoming news on my own more concrete plans to do my bit...</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/67435082021-09-11T20:25:52-07:002021-09-11T20:25:52-07:00Singing in person again!<p>I don't have any performances of my own music to announce, but I do have a couple of in-person singing gigs to promote!</p>
<p>First of all, in October, I am going to be singing with Coro Mundi, an ensemble founded by my former high school choir director, Steve Kushner. We'll be giving a concert in Stone Harbor, NJ on October 9th and in Philadelphia, PA on October 10th. Details in the image below.</p>
<p>Second, I am about to start rehearsing with the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco in our return to in-person singing for the fall season. We can't yet be certain of our December concert dates and venues due to the ongoing situation, but we definitely plan to have a December concert even if it has to be a livestream! www.iocsf.org will have the updates as the season evolves.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/302547/45b68751e7b3e753cc0d8c90c449a3b6efd00358/original/coro-mundi-fall-2021-poster-final-for-email-with-border.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/66120872021-04-23T11:00:12-07:002021-04-23T11:00:12-07:00Looking ahead<p>The end of pandemic restrictions and the return to group singing are occupying my thoughts quite a lot lately, as I think they are occupying many folks' thoughts. I got my first vaccine shot a week ago and am planning choral events with medium confidence for late June and with high confidence for mid-October. It feels awfully good to be able to say that.</p>
<p>I'm very lucky to have had time to compose this past year, and to have had a wonderful teacher, Vince Peterson, to guide me in my composing process. I highly encourage anyone interested in his teaching to check out Vince's new project, <a contents="Greenhouse Music" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.greenhousemusic.us/">Greenhouse Music</a>, a venture aiming to reinvent conservatory-level music education for the 21st century. If you want to get serious about leveling up as a musician, but are turned off by the barriers to entry of a typical conservatory, I can think of nobody more passionate, more committed, or more qualified than Vince to help people like you.</p>
<p>In my own news for 2021, I have two new pieces for a cappella SATB choir up on SMP Press, both looking forward to the spring-of-love spirit that I hope will accompany our emergence from social distancing: <a contents="Invitation to Love" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/invitation-to-love-digital-sheet-music/21997871?ac=1">Invitation to Love</a> and <a contents="Letabundus rediit" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/letabundus-rediit-digital-sheet-music/22007205?ac=1">Letabundus rediit</a>. I am also working on a cantata for TTBB choir, soloists, and chamber orchestra, tentatively titled "Hakol Hevel (All Is Mere Breath)," which will serve as both my first "major" work and my definitive emotional statement on the extraordinary and difficult experiences of the past year. It is currently on track for a premiere sometime in the 2022-23 season, most likely in the early spring of 2023. Stay tuned for more details!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/64572532020-10-16T09:02:40-07:002020-10-16T09:02:40-07:00New publications of my pieces<p>I am delighted to announce that I am officially a published composer! Three of my best and most interesting pieces-- "As kingfishers catch fire," "O Clavis David," and "Songs in Time of Peril"-- are now part of the catalogue of <a contents="Personage Press" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.personagepress.com">Personage Press</a>, the imprint headed by my longtime teacher and dear friend Vince Peterson. I'm so excited to have these pieces more widely publicized to choirs worldwide.</p>
<p>I've taken the opportunity as well to revamp the rest of my catalogue and produce new editions of additional pieces of mine, which I've then self-published through <a contents="Sheet Music Plus" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sheetmusicplus.com">Sheet Music Plus</a>. Availability through SMP makes the pieces simpler to purchase and more searchable too. You can see all my scores available for purchase, as always, on my <a contents="scores page." data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores">scores page.</a></p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/62832302020-04-15T10:34:09-07:002020-04-15T10:34:09-07:00A new score for our times<p>Another new score is up on my <a contents="scores page" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores">scores page</a>, a setting of the Advent antiphon "O Clavis David." I started working on this piece some months before the pandemic hit, but was inspired to push it through to a finished product while cooped up here at home. The setting is in Latin; a rough English translation is:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel,</p>
<p>Who opens, and no one can shut; shuts, and no one can open;</p>
<p>Come and free the captive from the prison house,</p>
<p>who sits in darkness and the shadow of death.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'd initially thought to dedicate it to refugees and immigrants unjustly detained; but now it speaks to all of us who are effectively under house arrest "for the duration." I can only hope that when the Advent season comes this year there will be choral concerts again, and that somewhere people will gather to sing this piece and hear it sung and recall a feeling of confinement that will then be a memory.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/62726122020-04-05T12:30:23-07:002020-04-05T12:30:23-07:00Oh my country so beautiful and lost<p>Yesterday I recorded a video of myself singing the first tenor part to "Va pensiero" for the <a contents="Musical Solidarity Project" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.nofaryacobi.com/virtualverdichoir-covid-19">Musical Solidarity Project</a>. I'll post again if and when the completed, merged/mastered virtual choir recording is available. In the meantime, if any readers are looking for a way to express our togetherness virtually in musical form, check it out and consider submitting a part-recording yourself. It was a somewhat awkward exercise since I don't usually do at-home self-recordings, but I think it came out well. The quoted line-- "Oh mia Patria si bella e perduta"-- was the most emotionally difficult to sing, as I imagine it must be for many.</p>
<p>On a happier and longer-term note, my "As kingfishers catch fire" has been <a contents="named a finalist" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2020/03/finalists-composers-choral-music-2019-20.html">named a finalist</a> for the 2019-20 American Prize for short choral works. It continues to be one of my favorites and one of my most honored pieces-- do check out the <a contents="recording" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APF37yht3r0">recording</a> on my YouTube channel and consider purchasing the score from my <a contents="scores page" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores">scores page</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/62630002020-03-26T14:50:44-07:002020-03-26T14:50:44-07:00New catalog acceptance, new available score, and looking ahead<p>A few updates to share:</p>
<p>1. Several of my works are cross-listed on <a contents="Project Encore" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.projectencore.org/nicholas-weininger">Project Encore</a>, a catalog of previously performed choral music deemed to be of high quality by a panel of choral conductors. I'm pleased to announce that the most recent set of additions to Project Encore includes my piece <a contents="Rise up, my love" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.projectencore.org/nicholas-weininger-rise-up-my-love">Rise up, my love</a>, a Hebrew setting of verses from the Song of Solomon, which IOCSF originally performed in 2012 and has since reprised in its current revised form.</p>
<p>2. In keeping with the spring season, a new piece of mine is available on my <a contents="scores page" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores">scores page</a>: a setting of Horace's ode "Diffugere nives" in a style heavily influenced by Renaissance motets, but given my own spin with a little more harmonic movement and a 7/8 time signature. There has been no public performance of this one, but the skilled readers and singers of the First Readings Project have produced a very fine <a contents="demo recording" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/first-readings-project/nicholas-weininger-diffugere-nives">demo recording</a>. The text reminds us to enjoy the pleasures of spring while remembering that our lives are fleeting and our time of enjoyment limited-- this last message unfortunately has only become more poignant with the present world situation.</p>
<p>3. Speaking of the present world situation, I am sheltering in place with my family like many of you, missing choral singing intensely, and thinking ahead to the time when the present crisis will have passed and we can gather together in person to make music again. I'm working on a couple of pieces whose texts speak to the fears we face now and offer hope for deliverance from those fears. More details hopefully soon.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/60668752020-01-07T21:41:06-08:002020-01-07T21:42:04-08:00American Prize semifinalist<p>I'm honored to be able to announce that I have been selected as a semifinalist for the American Prize in choral composition for 2019-20:</p>
<p>https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2020/01/semi-finalists-composers-choral-music.html</p>
<p>You can learn more about this prestigious national competition here: www.theamericanprize.org or follow the news on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanprize</p>
<p>The pieces for which I was selected, <em>As kingfishers catch fire</em> and <em>Ve hayah ba-'acharit hayamim</em> (movement 3 of my "Songs in Time of Peril" cycle), are available for purchase on my <a contents="scores page" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores">scores page</a>.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/60362202019-12-20T12:05:12-08:002019-12-20T16:51:53-08:00A belated summary of 2019, and a look ahead<p>It's been a very busy, and very distracted, 2019, but I nonetheless have some musical highlights to share:</p>
<ul> <li>In June, IOCSF <a contents="performed" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icFhJ-seDRM">performed</a> a revised version of my "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away," originally written in 2012 and setting verses from the Song of Solomon in Hebrew.</li> <li>In September, my new motet "Diffugere nives" was <a contents="named a finalist" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.seghizzi.it/2019/09/09/seghizzinews-settembre-2019/">named a finalist</a> in the Seghizzi choral composition competition based in Gorizia, Italy. It will be performed at the competition sometime in 2020-- I will update with exact dates when I know more-- and the First Readings Project will prepare a demo recording in March.</li>
</ul>
<p>I've also been studying privately with a new teacher, Vince Peterson, and I feel like it's really levelling up my musicianship and command of structure and form in my compositions. I've got a couple of new pieces planned for 2020 already which I mean to send around widely: more details next year.</p>
<p>Happy holidays and beautiful music to all!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/54482992018-09-28T19:58:36-07:002018-09-28T19:58:36-07:00Video of Choral Chameleon Institute performance of my work<p>On June 29, Choral Chameleon concluded its Institute in Brooklyn with a performance of twelve new choral works including my own "Ve hayah ba-'acharit hayamim," the third movement of my Hebrew cycle "Songs in Time of Peril." Their excellent performance is now up on YouTube:</p>
<p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCrSuB65HOs</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/53525592018-07-18T15:09:40-07:002018-07-18T15:09:40-07:00New YouTube channel for my works<p>I've started a YouTube channel with recordings of some of my pieces:</p>
<p>https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkIxjX39N9rMQW-7imQIj9A</p>
<p>All these recordings come with perusal scores so you can see how the music unfolds, hopefully helping you decide whether to <a contents="purchase scores." data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores" target="_self">purchase scores.</a> I'll add more as I get more recordings of the appropriate quality. Enjoy!</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/53467942018-07-14T21:02:55-07:002018-07-14T21:02:55-07:00New major work: "Songs in Time of Peril"<p>I'm delighted to announce that I've completed a three-movement choral work entitled "Songs in Time of Peril," with Hebrew texts from Job, Psalm 69, and Micah. Each movement is based harmonically around a different one of the symmetrical scales that Messaien called "modes of limited transposition." The movements draw stylistically from a diverse set of sources; there's some Brahms in there for sure, some Poulenc, a bit of Britten, quite a bit of the Russian Orthodox liturgical style-- and, I hope, my own distinctive voice bringing it all together. It's not easy by any means, but worthwhile for the emotional payoff and singing pleasure it can bring a choir who decides to take it on. The score is available for download from my <a contents="scores page" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores" target="_self">scores page</a>.</p>Nicholas Brock Weiningertag:nicholasweininger.com,2005:Post/52561732018-05-24T20:37:58-07:002018-05-25T09:57:54-07:00Welcome to my new website!<p>I've redesigned and reorganized my composing website, nicholasweininger.com. You can now listen to <a contents="performance recordings" data-link-label="Recordings" data-link-type="page" href="/recordings" target="_self">performance recordings</a> of many of my pieces, <a contents="buy scores" data-link-label="Scores" data-link-type="page" href="/scores" target="_self">buy scores</a>, sign up for my mailing list, and read my updated <a contents=" biography" data-link-label="Bio" data-link-type="page" href="/bio" target="_self">biography</a>.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for further updates. 2018 is shaping up to be a productive and exciting time for my music:</p>
<ul> <li>In February I wrote an arrangement of the classic Israeli folksong "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) by Naomi Shemer.</li> <li>In March I composed a short setting of "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor" which IOCSF will feature on our <a contents="spring concert program" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.iocsf.org/songs_of_pilgrimage_passage_and_exile_east_bay" target="_self">spring concert program</a>, Pilgrimage and Passage.</li> <li>I'll be attending the <a contents="Choral Chameleon Institute" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.choralchameleon.com/institute.html" target="_self">Choral Chameleon Institute</a> in Brooklyn this June, likely to workshop the final movement of a major three-movement work I'm almost done with. More news on that later in the summer...</li> <li>In other singing news, I'll be joining the inaugural Orvieto Festival Choir for <a contents="concerts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.orvietofestivalofstrings.com/concerts.html" target="_self">concerts</a> this August in Orvieto, Italy. My former high school choir director, Steve Kushner, will conduct, and the choir will include several of my favorite classmates.</li>
</ul>Nicholas Brock Weininger