Lyric Fest commissioned my first “Letter” song for its newest commission project, “Sincerely Yours — Letters Set to Music”.
I spent several months trying to find the perfect letter to serve as the basis for my song, finally settling upon one written by Mike Gioia, who is the son of my frequent collaborator, Dana Gioia. Mike had written this missive several years ago, as part of his application to Stanford University. Mike’s sense of humor, language and evocative descriptions made this letter perfect for song.
I composed “Dear Future Roommate” in July 2015. Baritone Keith Phares and pianist Laura Ward will premiere the work on these two concerts:
April 2, 2016 at Haverford College at 8 pm
April 3, 2016 at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia at 3 pm
Other commissioned composers include composers Benjamin C.S. Boyle, John Conahan, Thomas Lloyd, Abbie Betinis, Daron Hagen, and Logan Skelton. Other performers include soprano Kelly Ann Bixby, tenor Andrew Fuchs and mezzo-soprano Katy Pracht.
For more information, please click here and here.
Hope to see you there!