Thursday, October 12th, 2017

When I Sing by Rosephanye Powell
for 3-part treble and piano with optional hand percussion

We are thrilled to announce our newest addition to ChoralQuest®, our music series for middle-level choir: When I Sing by Rosephanye Powell. “Rosephayne Powell has done it again! Using an original text about the power of singing, this piece is a first-rate choice for building musicianship and fostering community in the classroom. Your singers won’t want to stop singing the improvised ‘circle song’ section of the piece.”  -Eugene Rogers, Series Editor

 

 

Last season, Dr. Powell was in residence with the Elites choir at Auburn Junior High School in Auburn, Alabama. The school’s choir teacher, Teresa Rhyne, worked with Dr. Powell to engage the students in the composition process and introduce them to the composer and her work. This experience also gave choral students at Auburn Junior High School the rare opportunity to get to know a composer, to interact with Dr. Powell and learn about writing music from a living composer. Of the experience, Teresa Rhyne said, “The AJHS Elites is a group that has a special musical camaraderie. It’s been a joy to see the students work together to contribute to Dr. Powell’s composition and come to understand that “When I Sing” belongs to them – it’s their song.”

Learn more and order here.

 

About ChoralQuest and American Composers Forum

ChoralQuest® is a music series for middle-level choir, written especially for middle-level choirs by world-class composers. The series is designed to breathe new life into the available repertoire for choral students in middle school and junior high, introduce students to the composition process, and give commissioned composers the unique opportunity and challenge of writing new works for young, changing voices. Thus far, the series includes new works by composers René Clausen, Rollo Dilworth, Jennifer Higdon, Stephen Paulus, Alice Parker, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and Chen Yi.

Based on the success of ACF’s decade-long BandQuest® program, the composers selected for ChoralQuest partner with a middle school in their area. Composers will visit rehearsals and engage with the students before composing a piece specifically for them. These pieces are published by ACF and distributed exclusively by the Hal Leonard Corporation, the world’s largest music retailer.