News

March 10, 2022 Commissioned by Terri Eickel on four poems by Margaret Gibson I’m delighted to announce the completion of a new song cycle, commissioned by my friend, soprano, Terri Eickel. I will never forget our first meeting. It was a piano dress rehearsal for Madam Butterfly, and Cio-Cio-san (sung by Terri) was introduced by Goro (sung by tenor, David Cangelosi) for her aria Ancora un passo or via . Her voice filled Davis Hall, like I had never heard. From that moment I w

March 5, 2022 Every face is in you, Every voice Every sorrow in you, Every pity, Every love, Every memory, Woven into fire. Every breath is in you, Every cry, Every longing in you Every Singing, Every hope, Every healing Woven into fire. Every heart is in you, Every tongue, Every trembling in you, Every blessing, Every soul, Every shining, Woven into fire. What a beautiful moment– lifting up our voices in gratitude for our mentor and teacher, Carmen-Helena Téllez. Every stude

February 18th, 2022 was the premiere of my Passion Cantata, Black Wolf, about the life of a wolf in Juneau, AK who befriended the town and romped and played with the domestic dogs, and delighted the inhabitants of this city, nestled in a beautiful fjord in South East, Alaska. Libretto was written by Dave Hunsaker, a screenwriter from Los Angeles, who also has a house in Juneau. I was fortunate enough to take my fiancee, Abbie; we stayed with Dave and his wife, Annie Calkins.

February 14, 2022 PROGRAM Black Wolf (2021) A Passion Cantata for Narrator, Chorus, and Chamber Orchestra in 4 movements Music by Emerson Eads, Narrator text by Dave Hunsaker. Additional text for chorus complied by Emerson Eads 1. My Morning 2. G̱ooch 3. That Romeo Wolf ​4. Epiphany Emerson Eads, Composer Dave Hunsaker, Librettist Vox Borealis, Sara Radke Brown – Director Amalga Chamber Orchestra Composer’s Notes Black Wolf – Composer’s Notes ​While initially drafting Black

November 3, 2021 A Facebook Live Broadcast of Baritone Jeremy Huw Williams and pianist Paula Fan. From The Music Hall on the campus of Cal State LA, November 10th, at 7:30 PM, the duo will perform a recital of songs with social justice themes. Among the works to be performed is the premiere of “Monument li Dwerja” by CSULA music professor John M. Kennedy. The program will include works of Charles Shadle, Chris DeBlasio, Ricky Ian Gordon, Fred Hersch, Grace Williams, Niloufar

October 16, 2021 Emerson Eads’ Mass for the Oppressed made Honorable Mention in the Finalists of the AMERICAN PRIZE ERNST BACON MEMORIAL AWARD for the PERFORMANCE of AMERICAN MUSIC, 2021. http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2021/10/winners-bacon-awardamerican-music.html Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/5JGQBO28terAZfUg50rR9Q?go=1&sp_cid=e31ce5e54bd1b7e0dfc5315e6b077419&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&si=0NGZRJDkQxSNmI_uc0-cUw&nd=1&dlsi=0279e69c158843e

October 10, 2021

September 30, 2021 Zoom workshop with the Nancy Menk and the Women’s Choir of St. Mary’s College in Indiana. They will give the world premiere of my setting of Meditabor on October 9th 2021. Text: I will meditate on thy commandments, that I love exceedingly:and I will lift up my hands to thy commandments, that I love.

September 9, 2021

August 4, 2021 Love Is, & When you are Old, are now published and included in Volumes 1 & 2 of these new soprano anthologies. Recordings will be forthcoming, but until then they have both been recorded and are available on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/emersoneads You can order these anthologies here: https://www.northstarmusicllc.com/index.php/shop/ Scores are sold as PDF downloads, and will contain a small watermark with your name and date of purchase on

July 4, 2021 Emerson Eads, assistant professor and Director of Choral Activities at Minot State University, had been awarded Third Place in the American Prize in Composition, 2021, in the vocal chamber music division, for his song-cycle The Gleaners for soprano, mezzo-soprano, string trio, and piano. It was commissioned by Northwest Art Song and premiered by soprano, Arwen Myers; mezzo-soprano Laura Beckel Thoreson. Prize info here: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2021/

May 3, 2021 Featuring tenor, Edward Graves; alto, Cheryl Nilsen Poetry by Eran Eads Music by Emerson Eads The Minot Chamber Chorale The Minot State University Concert Choir The Western Plains Youth Ensemble https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2021/04/minot-chamber-chorale-presents-we-will-shine/

May 3, 2021

May 1, 2021 Minot State’s Emerson Eads, assistant professor and director of choral activities, is a national semifinalist in the Performance of American Music of The American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the recording of his Mass for the Oppressed. See The American Prize WEBSITE for more information and a listing of semifinalists. A Mass for the Oppressed is an original setting of the traditional Latin Mass, along with text by Pope Francis and Evan Eads. It is an em

April 2, 2021 Emerson Eads is excited to be featured with 40+ other composers of American Art Song in soprano, Laura Strickling’s 40th Birthday commission and performance project: 40@40

April 1, 2021 Patrick Milian ‘s and my The Gleaners was selected as a semi-finalist in the Vocal Chamber Music division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here’s the link: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/…/semi-finalist… . Commissioned by and premiered here by Arwen Myers, soprano , Laura Beckel Thoreson & Northwest Art Song .

March 13, 2021 I’m excited that my song Love Is from the cycle with the same name will be published by Modern Music for New Singers: 21st Century American Art Songs, Volume I, and my setting of Yeats’ poem, When You Are Old will be published by Modern Music for New Singers: 21st Century American Art Songs, Volume II edited and curated by Eastern Michigan University’s Dr. Robert Peavler.

March 13, 2021 Emerson Eads has formally begun writing a cantata profana based on the life of Romeo, Juneau’s Wolf for Chamber Choir & Chamber Orchestra. Librettist is Dave Hunsaker, and Maestro William Todd Hunt and The Orpheus Project commissioned the project. For performance in Spring of 2022.

You can read about it here in Norman Lebrecht’s Slipped Disc blog. You can also watch it here:

October 29, 2020 While at the University of Notre Dame, Emerson Eads conducted a choir of undergrads, graduate students, professors, and community members in a rendition of the Habanera from Carmen with new text by U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams, a Notre Dame alumna and Trustee. It was reported in Norman Lebrecht’s Slipped Disc blog .