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October 30, 2023 On October 28th, At The Dawn, I Seek Thee was premiered by The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor, and their director, Benjamin Cohen. This piece for mixed choir SATB, on a text by 11th Century Andalusian Rabbi, Solomon ibn Gabirol, was commissioned by the VAE and Benjamin Cohen for their October concert entitled The Darkness is No Darkness. I dedicated this piece to the memory of Andrew Hibshman. Andrew was gentle. He cared for others more than himself. I lo

August 3, 2023 https://www.facebook.com/events/272249622104207?ref=newsfeed These are the performances since its world premiere in 2016: Grand Rapids Community College Choir/Orchestra Grand Rapids, MI (Caleb Wenzel, conductor) St. Mark’s Capitol Hill Choir & Orchestra, Washington D.C. (Jeff Kempskie, conductor) St Philips in the Hills Choir and members of the Tucson Symphony, Tucson, AZ (Justin Appel, conductor) Concordia Orchestra & Choir, University of Notre Dame, South Ben

July 27, 2023 Patrick Milian and Eads’ third collaboration, a song cycle for soprano and mezzo-soprano, (contained in an audio format and book format released in September 2023 by Entre Rios Books ) is published with North Star Publishing and available as sheet music for distribution and purchase. The recording/book release will feature recordings by soprano, Arwen Myers , mezzo-soprano Hannah Penn , and pianist, Susan McDaniel . “Arresting poetry and truly beautiful music

May 24, 2023 Emerson Eads’ composition, Meditabor , for treble voices , has now been published in the Nancy Menk’s College Choral Series, exclusively with Earthsongs music publishing and is now available for purchase and performance. It was given its world premiere by Dr. Nancy Menk and the St. Mary’s College Women’s Choir and was performed by them in the Cathedral at Fort Wayne, IN, by the invitation of Bishop Rhoades.

April 26, 2023 Dr. Emerson Eads joins the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and maestro Eduard Zilberkant for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Maddison Warren, soprano; Mary Catherine Moroney, mezzo-soprano; and Daniel Narducci, baritone along with his alma mater, Choir of the North, The Fairbanks Symphony, Whitestone Community Chorus & Alaska National Guard Chorus.

April 11, 2023 Deborah Sternberg, soprano Kristen Dubenion Smith, mezzo-soprano Matthew Hill, tenor James Rogers, baritone Choir of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church & St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Jeff Kempskie, conductor

April 11, 2023 A beautiful and heart-felt performance of Emerson Eads’ Mass for the Oppressed in Royce Auditorium, St. Cecilia Music Center on April 7th, 2023. Emelia Clark, soprano Tyler Roberts, mezzo-soprano Jon Lovegrove, tenor William Bokhout, baritone Grand Rapids Community College Choir & Orchestra Dr. Caleb Wenzel, conductor

March 3, 2023 Third place winner of the American Prize in Vocal Chamber Music 2021, The Gleaners , on poetry by Patrick Milian , set to music by Emerson Eads, has been selected for publication by North Star Music. This song cycle/cantata hybrid, commissioned by Arwen Myers and Northwest Art Song, delves into the imagined world of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible. It is composed for soprano & mezzo-soprano, two violins, cello, and piano. Available for purchase here: https://www.

February 18, 2023 Emerson Eads’ cantata, “…from which your laughter rises.” has just been named a national semi-finalist in The American Prize in Composition – choral music (professional division), 2023. A companion to his Mass for the Oppressed , this cantata, inspired by Kahil Gibran’s poem “On Joy and Sorrow” , was written for the mothers of the Fairbanks Four– four Alaskan native men who spent 18 years in prison for a murder they did not commit. “…from which your laught

February 4, 2023 Everywhere is Archipelago , a song cycle by Emerson Eads, on poetry by Margaret Gibson , commissioned by soprano, Terri Eickel , has been published by North Star Music. Gibson, Connecticut’s Poet Laureate from April of 2019, “has created a voice and an art that connect the sensuous experience of the physical world with the inner life.” Gibson’s poetry revels in the sublime beauty of our natural world and hauntingly reminds us that our very existence on this p

October 13, 2022 Emerson Eads’ Mass for the Oppressed , will have its East Coast premiere on November 5, in Washington DC at St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill. Maestro Jeff Kempskie, and the forces of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will be joined by soloists Deborah Sternberg, soprano; Kristen Dubenion Smith, mezzo-soprano; Matthew Hill, tenor: and James Rogers, bass. Admission is free, but donations will be collected to benefit SentencingProject.org , an organization that advocat

Todd’s song By Michael Linnell University Communications Director MINOT, N.D. – When Emerson Eads first heard there would be a fundraiser for the Western Plains Opera involving his skill as a songwriter, he wasn’t sure what to think. “You know, I thought, maybe this will go for $500, it’s a fundraiser and all,” said Minot State’s director of choral activities. “But as the bidding process finished where it did, I knew it had to be good, it had to be meaningful. Not that thing

September 15, 2022 Todd Mathistad won a bid at Western Plains Opera Company’s fundraising gala in March of 2022 to have Emerson Eads write a song with a text of his choice, and this commission was gifted back to the opera company by Eads. The gala featured the tenor, David Cangelosi who hails from Chicago but performs internationally in the world’s great opera houses and on the most popular concert stages. As Eads worked with Todd over the summer of 2022 to fashion the text f

June 30, 2022 Edward Vogel, baritone sings the world premiere performance of Emerson Eads’ setting of Joseph Smith’s Evening Poem for a concert with soprano, Laura Strickling’s 40@40 project along with Calliope’s Call in June 2022. Edward Vogel, baritone sings Emerson Eads’ setting of his brother Evan Eads’ poem Echoing King for a concert with soprano, Laura Strickling’s 40@40 project along with Calliope’s Call in June 2022. Soprano, Laura Strickling, sings the world premie

June 14, 2022 North Star Music LLC has published Emerson Eads’ song cycle, Love Is… in their 21st Century American Art Song Series. https://www.northstarmusicllc.com/index.php/product/love-is/ This delightful short song cycle is perfect for beginning singers and seasoned performers alike. Based on children’s insights surrounding love, you’ll be charmed by the expert musical settings of wisdom that can only come through the words of a child. Full cycle live performances:

June 13, 2022 Emerson Eads’ setting of his twin nieces’ text, Words of Hope & Joy , has recently been published by North Star Music and is available here: https://www.northstarmusicllc.com/index.php/product/words-of-hope-and-joy/ Soprano, Arwen Myers commissioned these two songs within a song for a concert during the Covid-19 lockdown which she sang and live-streamed from the piano in her home. These poems written by his nieces after their cousin died by suicide are messages

April 30, 2022 Album Art: Kylie Eads This piece is a long time in the making. Mallory Bernstein asked me to write her a piece for a concert in the Denver Cathedral, and she wanted something sacred. Knowing her ability to play and her particular predilection for the Russian Romantic repertoire, I decided to give my reminiscences and keyboard improvisations pen. I composed this 12-minute work with well-known hymns connected by fragments of songs that my dad wrote, but with her

April 12, 2022 It was surreal traveling back to my alma mater, The University of Alaska Fairbanks, to hear the world premiere of my new work for accompanied choir, Give Me Room on a text by Meta Herrick Carlson. I was commissioned by Dr. Jaunelle Celaire and the University of Alaska Department of Music to celebrate the massive $2.5 million gift from Steve Holmberg to endow the Department Chair of the University of Alaska Department of Music. After a party at Chancellor Daniel

April 7, 2022 I’m beyond delighted that Laura Strickling will be singing my music and that she has included me in her recent 40@40 project. For this concert in April/May, my friend, Edward Vogel , will also be singing a few songs of mine including Echoing King (which was eventually interpolated into my Mass for the Oppressed, and An Evening Poem (Joe’s Song). An Evening Poem was written by Joe Smith, for his husband, David Eicher, who lived and worked in South Bend, while bo

March 21, 2022