Choir and Composer Collaborations- Commissioning as Cultural Bridge
Session Abstract: Commissioning new works is an exciting opportunity for a choir, not only to bring new repertoire to life, but to provide insight into the lived experience of the composer. The University of Texas Permian Basin choirs commission 4-8 new works each year. Composer collaborators are chosen for the excellence and for their ability to bring a different lived experience to the ensemble through their music. Because the University is a Hispanic Serving Institution, about half of the commissions are collaborations with Hispanic composers of the US and Latin American countries.
Recent collaborators include Reginald Wright, an African-American composer. Reg has written dozens of octavos for young voices. His music is original, effective and distinctive. Reg was commissioned to compose an original work, with new text, for the top vocal ensemble of the University. The work he wrote, 'Manifestation', is a powerful sonic representation of the journey from youthful innocence to mature determination and pursuit of worthy goals. The message of this work resonates with people from all walks of live and the text by poet
Eduardo Cota Magallanes lives in Veracruz, Mexico. While leading workshops in the summer of 2021, I met Mr. Cota. He shared new music that had not been premiered. I was able to share the scores with GIA Music. The works will be published by Walton in the fall. The choirs from UTPB recorded the reference tracks for marketing the works.
Julio Morales, a Mexican national, is developing an international reputation as composer, jazz artist and entrepreneur. I met Julio in 2018 while performing at the Tlaxcala Canta, an International choral festival in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Julio has been commissioned to write three works for the UTPB ensembles. Two will be settings of the poetry of Federico García Lorca. The third will be an arrangement of a jazz standard set for a cappella voices. Julio will travel to Texas for a residency with the ensemble in fall 2022.
The thread that connects all of these collaboration is the reality that there are incredible composers from underrepresented groups that are waiting to be 'discovered'. Their music is unique as they are unique. The composer's lived experience, understood and appreciated through their music, becomes a part of the lives of our choirs as we share in that experience through rehearsal and performance.
This session will detail the process of commissioning and premiering. Specific attention will be given to developing an experiential understanding of composer's cultural and lived experience. The UTPB University Choir will perform brief selections and excerpts of commissioned works. Collaborative partners including Reginald Wright and Julio Morales will be co-presenters.
University of Texas Permian Basin Choirs
University of Texas Permian Basin
Frank Eychaner
University of Texas Permian Basin
Frank F. Eychaner is an internationally recognized conductor, teacher and clinician. He is Director of Choral Activities, Music Department Chair and holds the Kathlyn Cosper Dunagan Endowed Professor of the Humanities at the University of Texas Permian Basin. He has conducted honor and festival choirs across the US, Cuba, Korea and Mexico. Eychaner authored “Foundations of Conducting Technique” published with GIA. He has presented over 120 interest sessions around the world. Eychaner is the Artistic Director of Vocalterra International. Headquartered in Mexico, Vocalterra is committed to choral music education and creating artistic opportunities for marginalized communities across the Americas.
