Junior Composers Institute

VocalEssence is proud to participate in the 2009 Junior Composers Institute (JCI) as ensemble-in-residence. Philip Brunelle and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers will give two readings of student compositions on the evenings of Monday, July 6 and Thursday, July 9. Young composers from throughout the United States receive individual instruction in music theory, composition, and conducting as the result of the intense, week-long camp (July 5-11, 2009) on the Augsburg College campus.

JCI is a project of the North Central Region of the National Federation of Music Clubs. The 2009 Institute features vocal composition and arranging; in future years, JCI will spotlight film-scoring and composition inspired by and incorporating visual art.

For more information about JCI and application forms, visit the Junior Composers Institute website at http://www.juniorcomposers.org/.

“Junior Composer Institute is an intense and fun experience for any music student interested in exploring their creative talents. Augsburg College is very pleased to host the Institute & to help students get the most out of their experience.” — Randall Davidson, composer and JCI faculty

Selected works for advance study

Philip Brunelle, Founder and Artistic Director of VocalEssence, has selected the following compositions for students who are considering JCI 2009. These works are exemplary and worthwhile for young composers to carefully study. Listen closely for how the composers use the inflection of the words to inform their choices in creating equivalent melodic inflections. The parts are woven together to create counter-melodies, harmonies and silences that express the meaning and drama of the text.

For example, Carol Barnett’s “Ballad” has a folk music feeling and yet is a very sophisticated setting of American English that finds an internal rhythmic cadence in the language. The highest note in the refrain is very short and comes on the word “Himself.” One understands the “Him” is God, come down to Earth in human form. The highest note is followed by a descending melodic gesture expressing that arrival from heaven. What other voices are singing at that moment and what are they doing? What voices are not singing?

Music samples & scores

Ballad, Second Verse and Refrain from The World Beloved (Carol Barnett)
I Cannot Dance, O Lord (Aaron Jay Kernis)

Water Night (Eric Whitacre) (download PDF of first page)
Heritage (William Bolcom) (download PDF of first page)
El Hambo (Jaakko Mäntyjärvi) (download PDF of first page
The Day is Done (Stephen Paulus) (link to first two pages of the score)
Black is the Color (traditional, arr. Norman Luboff) (download PDF of first page)

To purchase scores, visit http://musical-resources.com/.