Commissioning and Clinics

Recent Pieces and Commissions:

  • "Bound by Love" was commissioned by Protestant and Catholic churches in Reading, PA to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. The piece was performed at St. Ignatius in Reading, PA and was sung by a choir of about 70 singers from all denominations. Please see a performance of the piece below.
  • "Troll the Carol, Bells Be Swungen" commissioned by the Berks Youth Chorus for their 2011 Holiday Concert
  • "For the Children" commissioned by the Berks Youth Chorus for their 2012 Spring Concert
  • "Be Alert, Be Brave, Be Strong" commissioned for the inauguration of the newly built organ at Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, PA. The piece was premiered on Easter Day, March 31st, 2013.  The organ was built by Patrick J. Murphy and Associates.
  • "My Mind Is (Something a Little Different)" for my daughter Rachel's senior voice recital in May 2012 (See the YouTube video HERE).
  • "Sing A New Song" for Karen Eddinger at Hain's Church. The choir secretly commissioned a piece for Karen, rehearsed it with David and performed it on the church's Choir Recognition Sunday.

"Bound by Love" as performed by Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, PA.
About Commissions
Many groups and individuals have questions about commissioning pieces. The following should explain the reasons that commissions cost more:

  • A piece that has been commissioned and written for another group costs $40.00 or $50.00. The piece has already been written, so all that a group is buying is the permission to copy and use the piece. You are paying for work that has already been done, but only a small portion. The composer is just copying the piece or sending the piece to use. This process takes minutes.
  • Commissioning a piece means that you are paying the composer to take the time to write a brand new piece for a special event or occasion. This process takes weeks to months depending on the scope of the piece.
  • The next question might be, "How much does this cost?" It depends on the size of the piece. A small, short piece for chorus could start at $200.00. A large piece for brass, organ and chorus could go as high as $1,000.00.
  • Please call or email David to talk specifics for your special event or occasion.

About Clinics
In addition to commissions, David can run clinics for church choirs or school choruses.  He has also done reading sessions with selected music and his own music. The clinics and reading sessions have slightly different purposes:
  • High School Chorus clinics - The purpose is to be able to perform a piece that a living composer has written and gain insight into the composing process, selection of text and the choral art form. Clinics can simply be a rehearsal with David or rehearsals and small workshops about composing.
  • Church Choir clinics - The purpose of these clinics would be to work with a living composer of sacred music. Most church choirs also enjoy discussing the texts of sacred pieces and how they enhance the worship service. Some choirs even enjoy being part of the text selection process for newly commissioned pieces.
  • Choral Reading Sessions - David can run a reading session for choral directors of music picked by him or the directors themselves. That music is then read by the group and David will bring several more selections of his own that are appropriate for the level of choruses the educators direct.

Please contact David for pricing for clinics and reading sessions.

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