• Do you, or does someone you know, have a significant occasion coming up — a wedding, an anniversary, a baptism, a birthday, a recital?
• Is there someone special you would like to honor, in life or in memoriam?
• Is there an institution or organization that means a lot to you?
• Is there an historical event you'd like to memorialize?
• Do you have a unique story to tell, and could you envision it being set to music?
• Do you know a singer or musician or ensemble (of literally any age or ability!) that you would consider gifting with a new, original piece written just for them?
...I can create unique, wonderful music to suit any need or occasion!
I would be thrilled to create a new, meaningful piece of music celebrating or honoring your person(s) or event. The music could be premiered at the time and place you designate, by performers of your choosing — or, if you need help finding performers, I can help, even from a distance.
The premiere performance of a new work is literally a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, and a dedication lasts forever. Commissioned works are typically dedicated to the honoree(s) of the commissioning party’s choosing. A musical dedication is a special, unique, sacred gift. (Famous composers throughout history often dedicated their music to someone or something. Those names will appear on the compositions’ printed scores, in music encyclopedias, in concert program notes, in recordings’ liner notes, even hundreds of years after the work was created.) Gifting a loved one or ones, a performer or ensemble, or a budding music student with a new work, one dedicated to them and written especially for them (whether to play or to enjoy), can be a unique, wonderful experience for the giver and receiver alike. Gifting a congregation, a community, an institution with a legacy piece that can be performed again and again is yet another idea.
It doesn't have to be. There are many variables. Commissions can be tailored for duration, complexity, instrumentation and/or voicing, number of performers, etc., to accommodate nearly any budget and performing ability. Depending on a budget and timeline, I can create new music on virtually any scale, for nearly any instrument or group of instruments, and/or for any voice or combination of voices. I've done this many times. It is work that I love, and I do it well. I can provide references on request.
• A 2-hour opera (with soloists, chorus, and a 26-piece orchestra)
• A 22-minute symphony
• A concerto for clarinet and chamber orchestra
• A 6 movement work for mixed chamber ensemble with narration
• A 4 movement work for clarinet and piano
• A short work for flute quartet
• One work for prepared guitar duo and another for prepared guitar quartet ("prepared" means to attach various things to the instrument to produce unusual sounds)
• Numerous choral works of various durations, some with sacred texts and others secular, some accompanied and some not — including one work for 3 choirs and chamber ensemble, another for chorus and orchestra
• Works for solo instruments (and not just piano)
• More than one lullaby
• A studio-produced kid's song celebrating a pair of twins' first birthday
• A studio-produced popular-style song with sacred text
The possibilities are endless. Do you want to know more about the commissioning process? Send me an email, and let's start a conversation!
Are you someone who thinks big? I have some large-scale, extraordinary concert music ideas in early development requiring patronage to proceed: funding for my daily life so that I can give these projects my full focus and attention until they are completed. Or, perhaps you have an idea of your own for a grand scale, new music project. Bringing a large work to life requires either one generous patron or a consortium of co-funding commissioning parties. If being a part of such a visionary project appeals to you, please send me an email and let's talk!
