An Orchestral Journey CD is released!

 

Brian Wilbur Grundstrom: An Orchestral Journey CD

Released August 12, 2016
Order today!!

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www.brianwilbur.com

An Orchestral Journey was recorded on July 23 and 24, 2015 at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland in July. The studio’s orchestra was conducted by Maestro Erik Ochsner and Parma Recordings did all the engineering and post production. Works included on the CD are:

Contentment, Poem for Orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn ,4 hn 3 tpt, 3 tbn 1 tb, timp, perc, strings) (10:54) (1999)

Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra

Jubilation! Dance for Orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn ,4 hn 3 tpt, 3 tbn 1 tb, timp, xyl, vibr, mar, perc, strings) (8:20) (2000)

Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra

Suite for Chamber Orchestra (fl,ob,cl,bn,hn,timp,strings)

I. Before the Fall (10:18) (2001)

II. Avalon (12:54) (2002)

III. Celebration (8:00) (2002)

Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra

American Reflections for Strings and Harp (14:32) (2009)

Maestro Robert Ian Winstin and the Millennium Orchestra

Chenonceau (fl,ob,cl,bn,hn,strings) (13:22) (2013)

Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra

Original photos by Matt LeClair

Artwork by Parma Recordings

https://player.vimeo.com/video/161500587

Review from InfoDad.com

There is much of interest as well on a new Navona CD of the music of Brian Wilbur Grundstrom … shows a great deal of compositional skill and provides some very fine and sensitive performances of works by a contemporary composer whose solid craftsmanship offers much to be admired. more

How to Give Birth to a Rabbit

I’ve written two songs for a new musical premiering this Saturday in the DC Fringe Festival. I’ve made both the doctor and the king sing, using lyrics by Jon Gann. Rehearsal was great this week and I’m looking forward to opening Saturday.   See rabbitmusical.com

Cheers,

Brian
www.brianwilbur.com

Jon writes:

“HOW TO GIVE BIRTH TO A RABBIT” is a theatrical song cycle premiering at the Capital Fringe Festival. The story — and the themes of poverty, pride, pomp, and fraud — are revealed through character monologues — each expressing their desires, actions, and the results of their involvement.

The true, twisted story of 18th century peasant Mary Toft, and those who instigated, verified, promoted — and ultimately vilified — her plot to better herself weaves together the lives of many people: from the poorest in 18th-century England to King George I. Her dramatic delivery of praeternatural rabbits continues to puzzle and inspire, and today, her legend lives on.

We are excited to announce that tickets to “How to Give Birth to a Rabbit” are now on sale though the Capital Fringe website:
https://www.capitalfringe.org/events/895-how-to-give-birth-to-a-rabbit or rabbitmusical.com

 

We look forward to seeing you starting this week. If you are not yet following us on Facebook, please do so. We are posting photos and video from rehearsals so you can watch the show’s progress. https://www.facebook.com/rabbitmusical

Jon Gann
Producer

Vote for CD Cover for Brian Wilbur Grundstrom: An Orchestral Journey

I’m so excited to have hired an orchestra for two full days of recording this summer! My first orchestral CD is currently in post production at Parma Recordings. Parma has designed two options for my CD cover, and I would like your input as to which one I should use. Please vote for your choice of the two covers below. After voting, you will have a chance to listen to a sneak preview, including an excerpt from my scene for an opera based on Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls that was also just recorded! Cheers,
Brian Wilbur Grundstrom www.brianwilbur.com Composer brian@brianwilbur.com 213-2600-BWG Vote for your choice of CD Cover! Cover A above, Cover B below An Orchestral Journey was recorded on July 23 and 24, 2015 at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland in July. The studio’s orchestra was conducted by Maestro Erik Ochsner and Parma Recordings is doing all the engineering and post production. Works included on the CD are: Contentment, Poem for Orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn ,4 hn 3 tpt, 3 tbn 1 tb, timp, perc, strings) (10:54) (1999) Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra Jubilation! Dance for Orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn ,4 hn 3 tpt, 3 tbn 1 tb, timp, xyl, vibr, mar, perc, strings) (8:20) (2000) Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra Suite for Chamber Orchestra (fl,ob,cl,bn,hn,timp,strings) I. Before the Fall (10:18) (2001) II. Avalon (12:54) (2002) III. Celebration (8:00) (2002) Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra American Reflections for Strings and Harp (14:32) (2009) Maestro Robert Ian Winstin and the Millennium Orchestra Chenonceau (fl,ob,cl,bn,hn,strings) (13:22) (2013) Maestro Erik Ochsner and Omega Studios Orchestra Original photos by Matt LeClair Artwork by Parma Recordings

Ruth Bader Ginsberg attends reading of Grundstrom’s opera

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg attends performance of Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s opera reading of Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls at the composer’s home.  The reading was in preparation for a recording with full orchestra at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, MD.

From left to right:

Maestro Erik Ochsner, Tenor Jesus Daniel Hernandez, Soprano Kelly Curtin, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, Librettist David Dorsen, Mezzo Suzanne Chadwick and Bariton Jose Sacin.  Photo by Matt Leclair.

More photos

American Reflections performed in Ecuador by La Orquestra Sinfonica de Quayaquil

Maestro Jeffrey Dokken conducts La Orchestra Sinfonica de Quayaquil with Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s American Reflections for Strings and Harp

Maestro Jeffrey Dokken is directing La Orquestra Sinfonica de Guayaquil in a concert this Friday that includes Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s American Reflections for Strings and Harp.  This is Grundstrom’s first performance outside of North America!

Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom conducts Tessitura Mission Statement for tenth year!

Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom conducts the Tessitura Network Chorus in Dallas.

For the tenth year in a row, composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom has conducted the Tessitura Network chorus at the annual Tessitura Conference. BWG’s composition was commissioned for Tessitura, and was re-written when Tessitura re-wrote its mission statement a few years ago. To mark such a momentous occasion, conference chair Don Youngberg presented BWG with a ginormous cowboy hat, in honor of the conference being in Dallas, the land where everything is big. Photos by josephmark.com. Video edited by BWG. More information about Tessitura is at http://www.tessituranetwork.com, and more of Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s compositions can be heard at www.brianwilbur.com.

Listen on youtube: http://youtu.be/GBSVqzVvQh4

World Premiere of Chenonceau by Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom Sunday February 16, 3pm North/South Consonance, Church of Christ & St Stephen, NYC

World Premiere of Chenonceau by Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom

Sunday February 16, 3pm

North/South Consonance, Church of Christ & St Stephen, NYC

New York, NY. – Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s work Chenonceau will receive its world premiere by North/South Consonance, Max Lifchitz conducting.  The concert will be held at Church of Christ and St. Stephen, 120 West 69^th Street, New York on Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 3pm.  Admission is free.  The program also includes new orchestral works by Joseph Rubinstein, Harold Schiffman, William Toutant and John Winsor.

Chenonceau, Music for Wind and String Quintets was commissioned by Max Lifchitz and North/South Consonance.  The piece is written for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello and contrabass.  Chenonceau, one of the most magnificent French castles in the Loire Valley, is known for the formal elegance and beauty of its gardens.  A visit on a beautiful day last May with the tulips in their prime inspired the piece.

The music starts with one of the composer’s favorite compound meters, which combine groups of varying number of beats.  A 4/4 meter consists of eight eighth-notes, which have been re-grouped in a pattern of 3 + 3 + 2.  This compound meter propels the piece forward, and can be easily juxtaposed against 4/4.  The texture has been varied by using different combinations of the instruments, not using all the instruments at the same time, and by contrasting the winds against the strings.  Melodic ideas are passed from one instrument to the next, sometimes by starting with the lowest instrument, and adding in the voices above one at a time, reminiscent of a fugue.

Grundstrom was recently selected by The Commission on the Arts and Humanities in Washington, DC as Outstanding Emerging Artist 2013 at the 28^th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards.

            Grundstrom is currently creating an original score for an upcoming opera, For Whom the Bell Tolls, based on the book by Ernest Hemingway with libretto by David Dorsen.  Taking place during the Spanish civil war, the story roughly reflects Hemingway’s own journey in the role of American Robert Jordan, who, with the help of a local band of guerrillas, is assigned to blow up a bridge as part of a communist attack against the fascists.  The opera is being written for full orchestra in two acts with eight singers.

            In addition to his work in film music, Grundstrom’s compositions have been performed by SONOS Chamber Orchestra, Shippensburg Festival Orchestra, Trinity Chamber Orchestra, George Washington University Orchestra, NIH Philharmonia, Holyoke Civic Symphony, The Queer Urban Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, Sunderman Woodwind Quintet, Colla Voce and The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

            More information on Brian Wilbur and his work, sample recordings and photos can be found at www.brianwilbur.com.  Press material is available for download at http://www.brianwilbur.com/html/download/pressDownload.asp.

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Composer, Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, Awarded Prestigious — OUTSTANDING EMERGING ARTIST — 28th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards, Washington, D.C.

 

Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom with award presenters Jonathan Katz and Robin Bronk

Washington, D.C. – Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom has been selected by The Commission on the Arts and Humanities in Washington, DC as Outstanding Emerging Artist 2013 at the 28^th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards.  Grundstrom was nominated in the category along with Caitlin Teal Price, Tommy Taylor Jr. and Luis Peralta. The Mayor’s Arts Awards is the highest honor conferred by the District of Columbia in recognition of artistic excellence and service among artists, arts organizations, and arts patrons in the city.

            Grundstrom joined 30 finalists in 6 categories for the awards ceremony at the Warner Theatre.  Artists and organizations were recognized in six categories: Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Excellence in an Artistic Discipline; Innovation in the Arts; Outstanding Service to the Arts; Mayor’s Arts Award for Teaching and Outstanding Emerging Artist. The awards are limited to individuals and nonprofit organizations that reside in the District of Columbia. 

            In addition to honoring Howard University’s Division of Fine Arts and Barbara and Jane Harman of the Harman Family Foundation, the program celebrated the District’s creative industries in the arts and entertainment community with Helen Hayes Award Winner 2013 Outstanding Supporting Actress, E. Faye Butler as Mistress of Ceremony.

            “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities,” says Grundstrom.  “As a four-time recipient of grants from the Commission, this is particularly gratifying to have my body of work acknowledged in this manner.  Washington DC has been a great artistic home for me.”

            Grundstrom was also previously nominated in 2010 and 2011 for Outstanding Emerging Artist by the D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities.  The song The Bridge Club for the musical Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical received a 2009 OutMusic nomination.  He has won two PEER Awards from the Television, Internet & Video Association of D.C. for his composition of Sadie’s Waltz and Arc of Light: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss.

            The composer received high praise for his original production and musical score for A Day at the Museum, produced for the 2011 Capital Fringe Festival, including that from the Washington Post, MD Theatre Guide, DCist, DC Theatre Scene and Washington City Paper.

            Grundstrom is currently creating an original score for an upcoming opera, For Whom the Bell Tolls, based on the book by Ernest Hemingway with libretto by David Dorsen.  Taking place during the Spanish civil war, the story roughly reflects Hemingway’s own journey in the role of American Robert Jordan, who, with the help of a local band of guerrillas, is assigned to blow up a bridge as part of a communist attack against the fascists.  The opera is being written for full orchestra in two acts with eight singers.

            In addition to his work in film music, Grundstrom’s compositions have been performed by SONOS Chamber Orchestra, North/South Consonance, Shippensburg Festival Orchestra, Trinity Chamber Orchestra, George Washington University Orchestra, NIH Philharmonia, Holyoke Civic Symphony, The Queer Urban Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, Sunderman Woodwind Quintet, Colla Voce and The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

            Finalists were chosen by the Mayor’s Arts Awards Advisory Jury comprised of prominent members of the District’s arts community with expertise in dance, music, theatre, literary arts, visual arts and arts education.

            More information on Brian Wilbur and his work, sample recordings and photos can be found at www.brianwilbur.com.  Press material is available for download at http://www.brianwilbur.com/html/download/pressDownload.asp.

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Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom nominated for Outstanding Emerging Artist at tonights Mayor’s Arts Awards in DC

I’m excited to be going to the DC Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Warren Theatre tonight.  I’ve been nominated for Outstanding Emerging Artist.  This is actually the third time I’ve been nominated, so I’m hoping that it’s the charm.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Cheers,

Brian

Composer Brian Wilbur Grundstrom receives performance at Gettysburg College

I’m so excited to be going back to my Alma Mater Gettysburg College this Friday for a performance of my Music II for Wind Quintet by Teresa Bowers and fellow faculty.  I’m also taking to students about composing.  Should be fun!  I’m going to talk about things students many not get in school – about how really to be successful.  All those other things one needs to do other than one’s art.  Here’s a photo of me at my senior recital in 1985.  You can listen to a recording of my quintet at http://www.brianwilbur.com/html/compsChamberQuintet.html.