MICHAEL T ROBERTS
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This Friday: a Virtual Mass for Freedom

12/2/2020

 
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Dr. Lynne Morrow, conductor extraordinaire
Hey all, Happy December!

​Please join me and Dr. Lynne Morrow for a free Oakland Symphony virtual event this Friday, December 4, 3:00-3:45pm Pacific Time.

Lynne and I will discuss the Mass for Freedom, my five-movement work for chorus and orchestra that Lynne commissioned and directed with the Oakland Symphony Chorus last year. I'll play some original recordings of the five spirituals that form the core of the work, and talk about why I was inspired by these particular songs. 

We’ll end with a video showing of the full premiere performance, so if you weren’t able to make the concert, I especially hope you'll check it out! There will be some Q&A afterward. 

Just RSVP here for a link to the Zoom. 

​I'm excited to relive the awesome experience of writing and premiering this work. Hope to see you there! 

Mike

Zoom-a Zoom Zoom Zoom

10/6/2020

 
There’s too much going on right now. What this world needs is a video of singers meeting virtually to sing about virtual meetings. 

Please enjoy Zoom, my first official piece as composer-in-residence with San Francisco’s International Orange Chorale. (It’s three-and-a-half minutes long, and there are lyrics in the video description.)

The planned June concerts did not happen, obviously. But I did have a nice Zoom chat with the choir (and two other composers on the program) about the music they had been planning to perform. And in the ensuing conversation I found myself talking about how it can be tough for us as choral composers to write music that really speaks to the moment, because for legal reasons we tend to use public domain text that is, by necessity, old. 

As I signed off the call, I thought: well, of course we can always write our own text. I could do that again. But what to write about...?

You never know what's going to bubble up. I must have needed some levity in my life; at a time when everything feels really, super serious, Zoom is not. But there is a genuine message here: we are getting through all of this together, one day at a time. We couldn’t possibly do it alone. So isn’t it really, really amazing that we have some tools to help us carry on with our business and be with our loved ones whenever we want, even if we are far away? My twice-weekly Zoom chats (and online card games) with my brother in Tennessee and my dad in Florida have helped keep me afloat these past seven months. That’s something to sing about. And I’m really lucky to have this amazing choir to do the singing for me. 

Hurrah for International Orange Chorale, and hurrah for all of you. Hope everybody’s staying safe in these uncertain times. 

Lots of love,
Mike
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...and I've got one of the Golden Girls.

Listen to this: Mass for Freedom premiere

7/12/2019

 
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Warming up for the big game. Note chorus member stretching.
Happy summer, friends! 

I'm excited to share some audio with you from the world premiere of Mass for Freedom, this past April 13 in Oakland: 
Listen
I've included the first and last movements (Kyrie and Agnus Dei), along with the text. While you're there, check out the great sneak-peek video if you haven't seen it already.

This is a live recording of a first performance, so there are some inevitable bobbles along the way. But these 120-or-so musicians pulled together some pretty tricky music pretty beautifully, thanks to a lot of hard work and the firm direction of Maestra Lynne Morrow. 

I miss working on it and hanging out with all those great musicians. The good news is that Lynne has big plans for the piece in 2020: the Mass is slated to go on tour with the Oakland Symphony Chorus next summer, with plans for performances in southern cities that were significant to the Civil Rights movement (think Selma) as well as Washington, D.C. 

In upcoming posts I'll be sharing other recent premieres: Accord Treble Choir ("New England Song") and International Orange Chorale ("O Child"). 

Support Accord's Release of "To Soar" on CD

3/20/2019

 
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Accord Treble Choir (NYC) is releasing a new album, and it will feature my piece "To Soar in Freedom and in Fullness of Power" (text by Walt Whitman), which Accord beautifully premiered this past June. 

You can help support this very worthy endeavor by pre-ordering the album in digital download or CD via their IndieGogo campaign.  Donations of any amount are also accepted, and if you live in the New York area, you can also get tickets to their June concert (where I may have another new piece on the program—TBD), and other in-person perks. 

This will be the first-ever "official" recording of one of my choral pieces. Exciting, needless to say, and I hope you will join me in giving Accord some love as they launch this project in celebration of their 10th anniversary! 

Meanwhile, back in Oakland...

Only three-and-a-half weeks until the Oakland Symphony Chorus premieres Mass for Freedom!
Saturday April 13, 8:00pm at the First Congregational Church of Oakland. 
Buy tickets

​Hope to see you there. 

Tickets on sale for Oakland Symphony premiere

2/22/2019

 
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Lynne Morrow, OSC director
At long last! You can now buy advance tickets for the Oakland Symphony Chorus' April 13 world premiere of my new five-movement work for chorus and chamber orchestra,
​
Mass for Freedom
Buy tickets
Mass for Freedom re-explores the sacred roots of five African-American spirituals that became anthems of protest during the Civil Rights movement. Scored for large mixed chorus and a 24-piece chamber orchestra, the work combines the spirituals with text from the Latin Mass Ordinary (in English translation) and additional words by a certain Michael T. Roberts, M.M., A.B., D.A. 

Advance tickets are $20. All seating is general admission. 

Oakland Symphony Chorus Spring Concert
Lynne Morrow, director
Saturday, April 13, 2019, 8:00pm
First Congregational Church
2501 Harrison St.
 
Oakland, CA 

Read More

'To Soar' on video, and more premieres

6/21/2018

 
Check out Accord Treble Choir premiering my setting of Walt Whitman's "To Soar in Freedom and in Fullness of Power," June 9 in New York City. (It's less than 3 minutes.)

They nailed it. More premieres below!

'Our Names' premiere recording

6/20/2018

 
[Newsletter readers, view in browser to hear streaming audio, or download here. About 6 min. long]

The Albany (CA) High School vocal department, led by director Mary Stocker, commissioned me to write two pieces for them this year. The first, The Gift to Sing, is a soul-pop tune premiered in March by the AHS "All-Choir" (i.e., all the singers in the dept.—a big group!)

​The second, Our Names, is a whole different animal. Sung by the more select Chamber Singers, in a more classical (but still contemporary) style, the text for 'Our Names' was penned by a student in the ensemble, Harpreet Kaur.

Lucky for me, the Chamber Singers professionally recorded several pieces this spring, and 'Our Names' was one of them. 

You can download the recording for free on the Albany High Vocal Department website. Their work is thoughtful, precise, and profound—far beyond their years. I'm very proud and grateful to have worked with them. 

More on the piece, including text, here.

‘To Soar’ premiering in NYC next month!

5/2/2018

 
Accord Treble Choir will be premiering my a cappella choral piece, “To Soar in Freedom and in Fullness of Power” (poem by Walt Whitman), next month in two NYC performances:

Sunday, June 3, 3:00pm
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
199 Carroll St., Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, June 9, 6:00pm
St. Ignatius of Loyola Episcopal Church
552 West End Ave, New York, NY
(entrance on 87th street)
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Accord’s director, Liz Geisewite, sang soprano in the premiere of “A Prayer in Spring” last summer at the Choral Chameleon Institute. She commissioned me to write this piece for her fantastic ensemble of nine women, and specifically for this concert, titled On Wings. New Yorkers, I hope you can make it to a show! 

The Fruits of Spring

5/2/2018

 
2018 has been a delightfully busy (by my humble standards) year of choral premieres and performances. Here are two for you to enjoy.  (newsletter readers, open in your browser to hear audio)
The Albany High School combined choir successfully premiered “The Gift to Sing” on March 28. I like this recording I made at a late rehearsal, with director Mary banging out the piano part and her very talented students still getting the hang of their parts. It’s raw in a good way. ​​​

Read More

Commission for the Oakland Symphony Chorus

2/27/2018

 
I'm pleased to announce that I've been commissioned by the Oakland Symphony Chorus for a 20-minute work for full chorus and chamber orchestra. The work will premiere on April 13, 2019 (yes, that's next year), at a venue TBD in Oakland, CA. 

The Symphony Chorus is directed by Lynne Morrow, whose name you may recognize as the director of my frequent co-conspirators Pacific Edge Voices. Lynne approached me with a fascinating concept for a multi-movement work: you can read all about it here. 

If you go back with me all the way to my rock opera days, you know I love a good epic. I think this one promises to fall squarely into that category. Please save the date and come join me for the unveiling!
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