The Composer-in-Residence

Music has been a central aspect to religions throughout the world for the entirety of human history. For Christianity, and particularly the churches in the Anglican communion like the Episcopal church, music's place or primacy in culture and worship is no different. Whatever musics we know  like the back of our hand were once new pieces that had never been heard before; what are now well-worn rituals or venerated masterworks were once the experimentations of young firebrands.

At St. David's, we are proud to support the work of musical creators who are continuing to expand the liturgical and concert repertoire. The Composer-in-Residence program honors a particular composer each year with a commission and featured performances throughout the season. The focus of the residency is on choral works, and, though compositions may be shared in concert settings, the commissioned work is always heard within the context of a liturgy, providing a touchstone to a living tradition of music within the community.

Composers-in-Residence and Commissioned Works:

2019-2020: Natalie Draper has been commissioned to complete a new setting of the Preces & Responses, to be premiered in September 2019, as well as several motets exploring silence and stillness, to be premeired in Lent 2020. Learn more about Natalie and her music here.

2018-2019: Longtime choir member and lauded composer Joshua Bornfield will write a series of psalm settings in Hebrew for the choir to premiere in 2019. Learn more about Joshua, and listen to some of his music, here.

2017-2018: We welcomed Faye Chiao, who was also previously commissioned to compose Ave Verum Corpus. Faye's setting of Invitation to Love was sung at the 2017 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (watch the live recording on YouTube). Learn more about Faye, and listen to her music, here.

2016-2017: Michael Rickelton's Into the Darkest Hour was premiered by the Choir of St. David's at the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, December 18, 2016 (listen to the live recording here). Learn more about Michael, and listen to his music, here.

2015-2016: Tariq Al-Sabir's Preces and Responses were premiered by the Choir of St. David's at the Evensong for the Feast of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., January 17, 2016. Learn more about Tariq, and listen to his music, here.