I learned today that my cantata Hakol Hevel (All is Mere Breath) was recognized as the 2nd place composition in the major choral works category by the 2024 American Prize!

This is a wonderful honor to receive; many thanks to the prize judges. It is the second time a piece of mine has been recognized as outstanding by the American Prize: in 2020, As kingfishers catch fire was a finalist in the choral octavo category. I hope this new award will draw more attention to the piece among audiences and conductors; while it was composed during the COVID pandemic, I think it remains only too relevant today.

Musae has just released a livestream on YouTube of their May 4 concert in Walnut Creek which includes the premiere of my “One Equal Music”. It's really lovely-- not just my piece but the whole concert. But if you want to fast-forward, “One Equal Music” starts with a brief preview discussion at about 0:32:45. Enjoy!

I'm going to be in Cincinnati this coming Sunday, April 28, for the premiere of my “Lecha Dodi” at the Cincinnati Camerata concert “Hallelujah: Songs of Praise and Passover”. Should be great fun, and if any of you happen to be in the area, I hope to see you there!

This time from OperaWire. 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!

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:

https://www.musae.org/current-season.html

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.