- Commissioning a piece from a living composer brings a level of connection between your performers and the music that really can’t be achieved any other way. Being part of the process of creating a work of art from the beginning creates a connection to the piece that leads to stronger commitment in rehearsal and performance that just doesn’t happen any other way. In a very real sense it’s their piece because they had input and involvement in its creation!
- A commissioned work gives your musicians a step up in the musical world that is an achievement that few players and singers get to experience.
- Commissioning supports composers you love – allowing them to do what they love! Plus you get to sing their new piece before anyone else! And you get to have your organizations name along with theirs on that work! This shows other organizations that you are a leader in the arts.
Most composers are pretty happy with the above reasons, and rightly so! But we have a few more.
- Commissioning a new piece provides a unique and powerful opportunity to have your young singers and musicians be inspired to create their own work! Young people who get a glimpse into how a work is composed and refined, are often surprised how easy it can be to create a song. Once they get a little taste of being part of it, they are more likely to give it a try themselves. Especially if your commissioning composer invites them to!
- The most important reason to commission a new piece is not for the composer, the organization or the audience. It’s to inspire and let a little composer rub off on your musicians. And that is priceless!
We have composed commissioned pieces for over thirty years!
Aardvark Hill composers are experienced writing songs for festivals where hundreds, even thousands of singers perform in mass. These same songs, while being the favorite songs of the festivals are also performed by small choirs all over who say they are their favorites songs ever! Emotionally moving, sweeping melodies that bring life to beautiful, meaningful lyrics that audiences young and old adore.
simple piano vocal, small combo, percussion, piano with solo instruments or orchestral accompaniment in styles ranging from contemporary to old world folk ballads.
How to get started?
The first thing to do is to make as simple list of what you hope your commissioned work would achieve, include, feel like (mood) and how it would be performed. Who would perform the piece? What is the performing situation? What are performers’ technical capabilities? For choral and solo vocal works, are their specific ideas or images that you want to include that we can craft lyric and melodic lines around?
As we answer those questions, we then draw up an agreement that clearly states the parameters of the commission and the expectations we all have from each other.
Whether your project is just the beginnings of an idea or is more developed, please contact us and we can start a conversation. Exploration of a project is always free, and does not commit you to commissioning us.
Let’s create!
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