On Sunday, May 21, The Maryland Choral Society concluded its season with the music and poetry of England, featuring my How Sweet the Moonlight, and the second premiere performance of my The Lark at Heaven's Gate Sings. The Lark... was jointly commissioned by The Maryland Choral Society and the Harford Choral Society. The program also featured works by Edward Elgar, Douglas Buchanan, and Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb.
The final event of the St. David's 2016-2017 music series took place on Sunday, May 14. The Service of Evensong included my setting of the traditional Preces and Responses. It has been an honor to serve as the 2016-2017 St. David's Composer-in-Residence.
On Sunday, April 30, 2017, The Harford Choral Society gave the first of two premiere performances of my latest Shakespeare setting, The Lark at Heaven's Gate Sings. The Harford Choral, out of Bel Air, MD, is led by Dr. William Spencer. The second premiere performance will take place on Sunday, May 21 in Forestville, MD by the lead commissioning organization, The Maryland Choral Society. The Maryland Choral Society is led by Dr. Douglas Buchanon.
My Timor et Tremor was heared at this year's Wednesday Tenebrae service at St. Mark the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Oro Valley, AZ. I also recently completed settings of all 27 Tenebrae responsories for SSATBB a capella chorus, adding to a number of works intended for performance during Holy Week.
On Sunday, February 12, the choir of St. David's Episcopal Church presented by O salutaris hostia at the 10:00 a.m. service. Honored to serve as St. David's 2016-2017 composer-in-residence.
Thank you to all those who have been so generous in their support of my Time and Memory recording project. Your support of this project is greatly appreciated. Please consider helping us spread the word to others who may be interested in supporting new music.
James Reese, tenor
Matt Sullivan, baritons
Molly Young, soprano
Hsiao-Ying Lin, piano
Ta Wei Tsai, piano
If you're anywhere near the internet (or a radio in Maryland), then I hope you'll tune in to WBJC, 91.5 FM, Maryland's Classical Music Station tonight (Thursday, Dec. 22) at 6:30 to hear a broadcast of my setting of Madeleine L'Engle's Into the Darkest Hour. This Advent anthem was premiered this past Sunday by the St. David's choir in its annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. If you're outside of Maryland, then you can stream WBJC live at www.wbjc.com. The St. David's choir is led by music director Douglas Buchanan.