News

MUEHLEISEN’S “BORDERS” PREMIERES AT CARNEGIE HALL TO STANDING OVATION AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM

“After a brief pause, the Great Bend Chorale from Washington, [conducted by Matthew Melendez] took the stage, along with a five-piece string group, piano, and the excellent soprano soloist Tess Altiveros to present…the world premiere of a DCINY [and Great Bend Center for Music] commission, John Muehleisen’s politically relevant work Borders.

“The theme of how we treat strangers, never more crucial than at this moment, formed the arching unifier of Mr. Muehleisen’s extended cantata, Borders. ‘Politically relevant’ music is always risky, but the choice of texts was so thoughtful in this case, with a huge cross-cultural span, that it showed the issue without being too didactic. The most effective moment, for me, was the revelation of letters from an Irish woman, starving in the potato famine of the mid-19th century, writing to her son, who presumably emigrated to the US. Here, the work of Ms. Altiveros was clear and very poignant. Two very small children, one boy and one girl, also made a significant brief utterance.”

— Frank Daykin for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF “A KIPLING PASSION” RECORDING ON THE GOTHIC LABEL BY CHORAL ARTS NORTHWEST, CONDUCTED BY ROBERT BODE

 

I’m thrilled to announce that, after over a year in the making, the recording of my most ambitious work to date, “But Who Shall Return Us Our Children – A Kipling Passion,” has released worldwide and is available in a variety of formats: physical CD, digital download, and on various streaming services. Please consider purchasing the CD from one of the following organizations, without which, this recording would not have been possible.

Conceived as a WWI commemorative oratorio, the work was premiered in March 2017 during the centenary of WWI and has received nearly a dozen performances in the two years since its premiere.

If you’d like to read more details about the work, please download the beautifully designed digital CD booklet here, with insightful program notes by Dr. Gary D. Cannon.

For a perusal score of the full work, contact the composer via the Contact page on this website.

Featured Works

Looking for Advent and Christmas repertoire?

Please consider one of the following works from my catalog:

A solis ortus cardine – Variations on a 5th-c. Christmas Hymn

Alma Redemptoris Mater – Double SATB choir, a cappella

Invocation from This Night – SATB a cappella version

The Great “O” Antiphons – 7 settings for SATB choir, a cappella

1.   “O” Sapientia (O Wisdom)
2.   “O” Adonai
3.   “O” Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
4.   “O” Clavis David (O Key of David)
5.   “O” Oriens (O Rising Dawn)
6.   “O” Rex gentium (O King of Nations)
7.   “O” Emmanuel

This Night – 3 Celtic Christmas settings for SATB choir and harp

1.   Invocation
2.   The First Miracle
3.   Christmas Hail

Movements from both The Great “O” Antiphons and from This Night can be performed individually, in combination with one another, or as full sets. These works are all available from Muehleisen Music. Click here to access the order form.

Performances

Recent Performances

  • September 10 – Eat Your Vegetables – Set One, Catalina Foothills HS Choir, William Mattison, cond. (Tucson, AZ)
  • September 15 – “Welcome Song” (from Borders), First United Methodist Church Sanctuary Choir, Elisabeth Ellis, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • September 15 – “Welcome Song” (from Borders), University Congregational Church Chancel Choir, Heidi Blythe, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • October 11 – Snow, (The King’s Trumpeter), Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, Loren Pontén, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • October 23, 2019 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (WORLD PREMIERE of Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes), Commissioned by Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond., (Arvada, CO)
  • October 25 – Love is…, (WORLD PREMIERE of SATB + Trumpet Version) and Perplexed Music, Nicholls State University Concert Choir, John St. Marie, cond. (Thibadoux, LA)
  • October 26 – River Moons, Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, Loren Pontén, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • October 30 – “Minnie and Mattie and May” (from The Tilden Songbook), Eastside Catholic School 6th Grade Choir, Jacob Malpocker, cond. (Sammamish, WA)
  • October 30 – “Humpty Dumpty’s Recitation” (from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass), Roosevelt High School Treble Choir, Jean-Marie Kent, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • November 9 – “Singing Together” (East Coast PREMIERE), Ember, Deborah Simpkin King, cond. (New York City)
  • November 10 – “Singing Together” (New Jersey PREMIERE), Ember, Deborah Simpkin King, cond. (South Orange, NJ)
  • November 23 – “Aversion to Carrots” (from Eat Your Vegetables! – Set One), Kaleidoscope Singers, Zoe Peate, cond. (Steyning, West Sussex, UK)
  • November 24 – Invocation, Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, cond. (Olympia, WA)
  • December 7 – Eat Your Vegetables! – Set One, Cantate Chamber Singers, Victoria Gau, cond. (Washington, D.C.)
  • December 14 (3:00 PM and 7:30 PM) – Invocation, Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, cond., (Kenmore, WA)
  • December 15 – “Song of the Stranger” (from Borders), University Congregational Church Chancel Choir, Heidi Blythe, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • December 15 – Invocation, Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, Loren Pontén, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • December 19 – “Winter-Time” (from The Tilden Songbook), Eastside Catholic School 7th/8th Grade Choir, Jacob Malpocker, cond. (Sammamish, WA)
  • December 21 (3:00 PM and 7:30 PM) – Invocation, Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, cond., (Seattle, WA)

Upcoming Performances

  • January 21,  2020 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes), Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond. (Arvada, CO)
  • January 23,  2020 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes), Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond. (Colorado Music Educators Assoc. Conference: Colorado Springs, CO)
  • Feb 2020 – Eat Your Vegetables! – Set One, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Concert Chorale, Zachary Durlam, cond. (Milwaukee, WI)
  • Feb 2, 2020 – Pietà excerpts, Connor Koppin, cond., Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
  • Feb 22-23, 2020 – Commission for Kirkland Choral Society, Glenn Gregg, cond.
  • March 5, 2020 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (Arkansas PREMIERE of Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes at SW ACDA Conference), Commissioned by Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond. (Little Rock, AR)
  • March 5, 2020 – From Eat Your Vegetables! – Set One: Aversion to Carrots, RAH!, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Concert Chorale, Zachary Durlam, cond. (North Central ACDA Conference, Milwaukee, WI)
  • March 14, 2020 – RAH!, Mission Peak Chamber Singers, Ofer Dal Lal, cond. (Fremont, CA)
  • March 15, 2020 – RAH!, Mission Peak Chamber Singers, Ofer Dal Lal, cond. (Fremont, CA)
  • March 29, 2020 – Sing to Me!, Concord Chamber Choir, Steve Stevens, cond. (Bellevue, WA)
  • March 29, 2020 – Imagination! – Commission for The Donald Brinegar Singers in honor of the conductor’s 70th birthday, The Donald Brinegar Singers, Donald Brinegar, cond.
  • March, 2020 – RAH!, Wellington High School Chamber Chorus, Bradford Chase, cond. (Wellington, FL)
  • April 22, 2020 – Commission for Wake Forest University Concert Choir, Brian Gorelick, cond.
  • April, 2020 – RAH!, Wellington High School Chamber Chorus, Bradford Chase, cond. (Wellington, FL)
  • Spring, 2020 – Eat Your Vegetables! – Set One (Irish PREMIERE), New Dublin Voices, Bernie Sherlock, cond. (Dunboyne, County Meath, Ireland)
  • May 9, 2020 – Snow (The King’s Trumpeter), Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, Loren Pontèn, cond. (Seattle, WA)
  • May 16, 2020 – Two River Nocturnes: 1. Prairie Waters by Night, 2. River Moons, The Singers, Matthew Culloton, cond. (Columbia Heights, MN)
  • May 17, 2020 – Two River Nocturnes: 1. Prairie Waters by Night, 2. River Moons, The Singers, Matthew Culloton, cond. (St. Paul, MN)
  • May 29, 2020 – Borders, (WORLD PREMIERE of Complete Version) Great Bend Chorale, Matthew Melendez, cond., Venue TBD
  • May 31, 2020 – Borders, Great Bend Chorale, Matthew Melendez, cond., Venue TBD
  • June 8, 2020 – SA + piano version of Humpty Dumpty’s Recitation from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass” (East Coast PREMIERE), Manhattan Concert Productions: National Children’s Festival Chorus (incl. Georgia Children’s Chorus and others), Emily Ellsworth, cond. (Carnegie Hall, NYC)

View Event Calendar + Archive…

Commissions and Premieres

Recent Premieres

  • May 24, 2019 – Borders, Great Bend Chorale, Matthew Melendez, cond. DCINY Concert – Carnegie Hall, NYC.
    • Additional performances:
      • June 1, 2019, 8:00 PM – Shelton, WA
      • June 2, 2019, 4:00 PM – Bremerton, WA
  • June 9, 2019 – Love Is – Poem by Rabia of Basra (female Sufi mystic and saint, c. 717–801), Irvine United Congregational Church, John St. Marie, cond.
  • October 23, 2019 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (WORLD PREMIERE of Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes), Commissioned by Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond., (Arvada, CO)
  • October 25, 2019 – Love is…, (WORLD PREMIERE of SATB + Trumpet Version) and, Nicholls State University Concert Choir, John St. Marie, cond. (Thibadoux, LA)

Please contact composer for perusal scores of the works above.

Upcoming Premieres

  • Feb 22-23, 2020 – Commission for Kirkland Choral Society, Glenn Gregg, cond.
  • March 5, 2020 – Consolation: Requiem for Parkland (Arkansas PREMIERE of Version for SSAA, piano, and chimes at SW ACDA Conference), Commissioned by Company West Treble Chorus, Arvada West High School, Chris Maunu, cond. (Little Rock, AR)
  • March 29, 2020 – Imagination! – Commission for The Donald Brinegar Singers in honor of the conductor’s 70th birthday, The Donald Brinegar Singers, Donald Brinegar, cond.
  • April 22, 2020 – Commission for Wake Forest University Concert Choir, Brian Gorelick, cond.
  • May 2020 – Borders, (WORLD PREMIERE of Complete Version) Great Bend Chorale, Matthew Melendez, cond., Venues TBD