3 choral albums from 2018 and how to hear them

Time is relative, which means that today is a good day to write about the exciting and infinite increase in my discography – from zero to three albums – that happened in 2018. It often takes years for a piece of music to be written, performed, published, and recorded, so it kind of seems natural that I’d wait another year to tell you all about it online. (Not really.) 

Three choirs in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario recorded my choral music as part of newly released compilation albums. All three are now available, and so are the scores – you can find each piece in my catalogue.

Here’s a little story about each album and how you can listen to or perform these works yourself. In chronological order of release:

1 Fresh – Chronos Vocal Ensemble

Track: “Who Has Seen the Wind?”

I got to sit in the booth and witness this recording session. By booth, I mean behind glass in the foyer of St. Andrews’ United in west Edmonton. By witness, I mean listen through headphones and occasionally speak to director Jordan van Biert in a giant booming voice through a microphone. “Jordan, this is David. Check the tempo.” The tempo was fine. It was my heart rate that was too fast.

“Who Has Seen the Wind?” is a piece that I am deeply proud of. I still enjoy listening to it every time, the poem by Christina Rossetti resonates with me on a deep level, and its compositional journey is a story of persistence that I won’t get into now. Vancouver Chamber Choir gave the premiere in 2014 and it’s published in the Jon Washburn Choral Series by G. Schirmer. It wins a gold star.

Fresh also contains captivating music by composer colleagues like Jocelyn Morlock, Matthew Emery and Nicholas Ryan Kelly.

Notable piece that isn’t mine: Alex Eddington’s “Picking Wild Berries” was commissioned for the project. It’s a playful and evocative setting of the children’s book, Picking Berries, by Toronto author Julie Flett. In concert, it was performed in front of the projected, illustrated book pages. Cool!

Where to listen: Well, you can buy this album at the Junebug cafe in Queen Charlotte (Daajing Giids), B.C. You can also order a copy through the Chronos Vocal Ensemble website. Better yet, go to a concert in the Edmonton area, buy a copy and have Jordan and the choristers sign it – this choir won the CBC’s national competition in 2016 so that’ll be some hot choral memorabilia someday! 

How to perform: Order the score to “Who Has Seen the Wind” from Hal Leonard.

Junebug might be the only the only place on Earth where I currently have physical merch for sale.

2 A Child’s Christmas in Wales – Vox Humana Chamber Choir

Tracks: “Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night)”, “Suo Gân (Lullaby)”  

A Child’s Christmas in Wales is a Vox Humana holiday tradition. Near Christmas Eve, the choir sings carols and winter music to illustrate the reading of the story by Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet whose best-known poem is probably “Do not go gentle into that good night”. The concert evokes nostalgia for childhood and a warmth of the season. It’s a musical hot chocolate, or maybe a hot toddy, though it’s an all-ages show. 

Director Brian Wismath and the choir commissioned me to write these two a cappella arrangements of Welsh carols in 2014 and 2017. They’re beautiful, simple songs with words in both Welsh and English. Fun fact: “Suo Gân” was (re)made famous by the 1987 Spielberg film Empire of the Sun with a score by John Williams. 

The rest of this disc includes a Joni Mitchell arrangement and music from composers like Ola Gjeilo, Stephen Chatman, and Alfred Burt.

Notable piece that isn’t mine: “The Holly and the Ivy” is one of my favourite Christmas carols and I greatly admire Ola Gjeilo’s seven holiday choral arrangements for chamber choir, which is track #2 on this disc. Win/win.

Where to listen: You can get this CD at a Vox Humana Chamber Choir concert, likely in Victoria, B.C.

How to perform: Order the scores to “Ar Hyd y Nos” and “Suo Gân” from my catalogue. 

3 NewWorks – DaCapo Chamber Choir

Track: “In Sweet Music”

That time when I briefly met Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan, one of my classical music heroes, was a true fanboy moment. That was also the weekend that I spent in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, which was having a busy couple of days for visiting choral composers. Sir J.M. was there to lead a mass choir in some of his own works; I’d flown in to join DaCapo Chamber Choir and introduce my work as a world premiere to two audiences. 

Since 2010, Leonard Enns and the DaCapo Chamber Choir have held an annual composition competition called NewWorks. In 2015, “In Sweet Music” was the fortunate winner. This album is a collection of those winning pieces – an impressive catalogue of new choral music made possible through community support. Update: Read The review of this album written by Tiina Kiik for The WholeNote magazine. “Canadian choral music shines thanks to DaCapo!”

Notable piece that isn’t mine: Don Macdonald’s “Tabula Rasa” because I got to perform it once and it is gorgeous.

Where to listen: You can hear the NewWorks album on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or get it directly from DaCapo Chamber Choir.

How to perform: Order the score to “In Sweet Music” from my catalogue.

I’m grateful to these three choirs and directors for choosing and performing my work. Please support them as you are able by attending a concert or listening to the recordings. It helps us composers too.