Boston Choral Ensemble Selects Stephen Feigenbaum as Winner of Fifth Annual Commission Competition

BOSTON – December 15, 2011 – The Boston Choral Ensemble is pleased to announce the winner of its fifth annual Commission Competition: emerging composer, and Yale School of Music MM candidate, Stephen Feigenbaum.  Originally hailing from Winchester, Massachusetts, Feigenbaum’s work draws on aspects of popular music, from the grittiest to the most lyrical.
 

At only 22 years old, Stephen has already received international attention for his work, winning the Sacra/Profana (San Diego) choral composition contest, and the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, amongst others.  His compositions have been performed at Jordan Hall and the Hatch Shell in Boston, the Green Room in San Francisco, Lincoln Center and Le Poisson Rouge in New York, and in cities from Vancouver, to Berlin, to Prague.  His work has also been performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, directed by Erich Kunzel, on From the Top at the Pops, released by Telarc in 2009.

The Competition Jury selected Stephen out of a group of over 40 international composers, based on a portfolio of three representative works, and one new work proposal.  BCE artistic director Andrew Shenton explained their decision, stating, “The jury was impressed with Stephen's affinity for choral music and his ability to write original, appealing music that is both relevant and engaging.  We are very much looking forward to the work he is going to write for us.”

The goal of this year’s commission competition was to identify a talented composer and support him or her in the creation of a new work to be premiered by the Boston Choral Ensemble on Friday, June 1, 2012 and Sunday, June 3, 2012 as part of the ensemble’s final concert of the 2011–2012 season, Chichester.  The winning work will be rehearsed, prepared, and integrated into the program, which will include Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Canticles by William Walton and Bryan Kelley, and William Albright’s Chichester Mass. The winning piece may be for a cappella choir or may utilize any or all of the instruments used in the chamber version of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms: organ, harp, and percussion.

 
About Boston Choral Ensemble
 
The Boston Choral Ensemble is a chamber choir that seeks to enrich the choral art through innovative programming, artistic excellence, and creative collaboration.  BCE is dedicated to performing a wide range of repertoire with stylistic integrity, promoting new music, and educating its audience and singers.
 
For more information, visit www.BostonChoral.org.