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Commissions

In 2015, the Stockton Chorale rededicated itself to supporting the creation of new choral music. This page presents an overview of the results of our efforts so far.  We are proud to be fulfilling our mission through this activity.
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Marianne Forman, 2023 Emerging Female Compositions Contest Winner

A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Marianne Forman has been arranging and composing since childhood.  She holds a B.S. in Music Education with concentrations in piano and choral music. Because of her extensive background in church music, in both large and small congregations, Marianne is passionate about creating music that is both beautiful and functional.
 
She is a three-time attendee of the John Ness Bess Foundation Composers’ Workshop, studying composition under Dan Forrest. Craig Courtney, and Howard Helvey. In 2021, she was invited to a summer mentoring session with Dan Forrest sponsored by the John Ness Bess Foundation. In 2020, Marianne was awarded honorable mention in the King’s Singers New Music Prize for her SSAA setting of James Weldon Johnson’s “The Gift to Sing.” Her sacred and concert choral pieces have been performed around the world and are appreciated for their compelling melodies and accessible settings.
 
An active church musician, Marianne regularly arranges and composes pieces for congregation, choir, and instrumentalists.  She also teaches private piano lessons from her home in sunny San Diego, where she resides with her husband and four children.

2022 Daniel Hughes Commission

Daniel Hughes is in constant demand as a conductor, accompanist, coach, and choral clinician. He serves as the Artistic Director & Conductor of The Choral Project — an internationally award-winning mixed-voice ensemble specializing in dramatic, conceptual performance of high-level choral music from the medieval period to the contemporary, as well as ethnic and  multicultural repertoire. The choir’s vision is “to transform and heal through music and words,” and their mission is “to connect to one another through choral theater, education and musical excellence.” Under his direction The Choral Project has received worldwide recognition, performing to standing ovation crowds in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, England, Scotland, Wales, and Spain. The ensemble has also received top prizes in international competitions throughout the world. They have recorded nine compact discs available through iTunes, Amazon.com, and CDBaby.

Read more about Daniel Hughes.

2017 David Conte Commission

David Conte | 2017 David Conte Commission

Together with the Danville Community Band and the UC Berkeley Wind Ensemble, and in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we commissioned a new work by David Conte for chorus and band.  The poem that supplied the text and title for the piece was “The Dream of Martin Luther King” by Myra Cohn Livingston.  We gave the world premiere of the piece in February 2018 during our “Awaken the Dream” concert.

2016 Composition Contest

For the first time, the Stockton Chorale conducted a Composition Contest, and both winners were international composers: New Zealander David Hamilton for his “American Triptych” and Italian Bernadino Zanetti for “Jubilate Deo.” Mr.Hamilton’s story had a unique twist, as he was a member of the Aukland Choral Society in 1990 when the Stockton Chorale toured there and both groups performed together in Art Holton Sr. farewell Pacific tour.  Hamilton’s “American Triptych” was set for adult choir while Zanetti’s “Jubilate Deo” was composed for youth choir. Both pieces were premiered on March 25, 2017, at Atherton Auditorium with Mr. Hamilton present for the premiere.

2016 Composition Contest | (l-r) David Hamilton, Bruce Southard, and Joan Calonico following the premiere of American Triptych and Jubilate Deo.
(l-r) David Hamilton, Bruce Southard, and Joan Calonico following the premiere of American Triptych and Jubilate Deo.

2015 Kirke Mechem Commission

Kirke Mechem

For our first commission in this effort, we asked renowned choral composer Kirke Mechem to produce a new work.  We gave the world premiere of “Satan Hates Music” in May 2015 as part of our “Sea to Shining Sea” concert.