Choral Chameleon releases Deus Ex Machina
Choral Chameleon has released a new recording of Messiahs: False and True on their debut album, Deus Ex Machina, featuring works of past Composers-in-Residence Rex Isenberg and Dale Trumbore.
DEUS EX MACHINA
What Are We Becoming (2018)
Dale Trumbore
Messiahs: False and True (2014, rev. 2019)
Rex Isenberg
Choral Chameleon Chorus
with Nathan Taylor, Organ
Christine Chen, Percussion
Paul Hecht, Narrator
Vince Peterson, Conductor
Recorded at: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brooklyn NY
Narration Recording, Mixing and Mastering at: The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn NY
Hear, O Israel published by ECS Publishing
Feathers in the Wind a Finalist for The American Prize
Rex Isenberg’s Feathers in the Wind has been selected as a finalist for the 2018-19 American Prize for Composers (Choral Music). The American Prize is a series of national competitions in the performing arts for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States.
World Premiere of Hear O Israel
Under the skillful leadership of Master of the Music Jeffrey Parola, the Choir of St. Thomas the Apostle of Hollywood premiered Hear O Israel, an English-language setting of the Hebrew prayers Sh’ma and V’Ahavta, creeds central to the Jewish liturgy. Accompanied by Dr. Parola at the organ, the choir sang the piece during High Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood, CA on February 24, 2019.
Feathers in the Wind published by ECS Publishing
ECS Publishing has released a second work from Rex Isenberg, Feathers in the Wind, through E.C. Schirmer.
Choral Chameleon premieres Laudamus Te at San Francisco Conservatory and National Sawdust
Choral Chameleon premiered its fourth commissioned work from Rex Isenberg, Laudamus Te, at San Francisco Conservatory of Music on May 8, 2018 and at a sold-out National Sawdust in June 10, 2018. Laudamus Te breaks down its own musical scaffolding to reveal the underlying architecture of the music as a way of exploring what a singer might be thinking about as they perform a piece of music.
NOTUS performs Feathers in the Wind at Indiana University
Under the masterful Dominick DiOrio, NOTUS IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble performed Rex Isenberg's Feathers in the Wind at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music’s Auer Hall on February 8, 2018.
“The program ended with the concert’s most extended composition, the infectious work of guest Rex David Isenberg. His “Feathers in the Wind” ethnically explores a Jewish tale about malicious gossip and its destructive impact on a rabbi and a village. As in other works earlier in the evening, Isenberg’s piece asked for brief vocal solos from NOTUS members. Double bass Kurt Muroki and pianist Aram Arakelyan supplied the instrumentals. Composed in 2016, “Feathers in the Wind” is timeless and inviting in its impact. The performance could not have been better.” - Peter Jacobi, Herald Times (Indiana) (read the full review here)
Ravta et rivam published by ECS Publishing
Rex Isenberg joined the roster at ECS Publishing, who released Ravta et rivam through Galaxy Music in their Fall 2018 catalogue.
2016-2017 Choral Chameleon Composer-in-Residence
Choral Chameleon, 2015 Winner of the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, has selected Rex Isenberg as their 2016-17 Composer-In-Residence, commissioning him to write three new works to be performed in the upcoming season. The works will include a piece based on Yiddish folklore, a concerto for jazz piano and chorus, and a work for choir and loop pedals.
New recording of Das Stunden-Buch on sTem's debut album
sTem, a trio comprised of clarinettist Eric Umble, pianist Silvie Cheng, and soprano Meagan Brus, just released their first studio album, Lieder/Canciones, with a new recording of Rex Isenberg's Das Stunden-Buch. The Pennsylvania Release party took place on October 2 in Lancaster, PA.
Ravta et rivam at the Wenkheim Synagogue
The old Wenkheim synagogue, dating back to the 17th century, has been inactive since the Nazis expelled the Jews from the small village of Wenkheim, Germany in the 1930s. For the last several years, the building has hosted an annual summer choral festival for members of the community, where Rex Isenberg's Ravta et rivam has been sung every year since 2014. On April 10, the piece was performed at the dedication of a new synagogue museum in Wenkheim, Germany.
Cecilia Chorus of New York performs Messiahs: False and True
Led by Mark Shapiro, Cecilia Chorus of New York performed Rex Isenberg's Messiahs: False and True in a sold-out concert at New York City's Church of the Holy Trinity on March 6, 2016. The 45-minute oratorio, narrated by two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Spinella, explores society's relationship with its leaders using excerpts from interviews, speeches, and writings from or about messianic figures throughout history to tell its story.
Doctoral Recital at Manhattan School of Music
On September 7, Manhattan School of Music's Miller Hall hosted Rex Isenberg's Doctoral Recital, his final concert as a student at the Manhattan School. The recital featured sTem, flautist Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, pianist Robert Fleitz, Washington Square Winds, and the composer himself performing music written during his doctoral studies.