By the time Michael Mogensen (b. 1973) arrived at James Madison University in Virginia to begin his college experience, he very quickly discovered his true passion. After 18 years as primarily an afterthought, music suddenly emerged at the forefront of his life. As a French horn player in both the . . . → Read More: Featured Composer – Michael A. Mogensen]]> Chapter Final – Excerpts

By the time Michael Mogensen (b. 1973) arrived at James Madison University in Virginia to begin his college experience, he very quickly discovered his true passion. After 18 years as primarily an afterthought, music suddenly emerged at the forefront of his life. As a French horn player in both the JMU Wind Symphony and the JMU Symphony Orchestra, Michael’s eyes were opened to an enticing, enchanting world – a world of sophisticated, emotion-filled, interesting and extremely passionate music. And as his enthusiasm continued to grow, he was ready and willing to soak up all the wonderful knowledge available to him. Music Theory, Analysis, and Counterpoint courses soon became his top interest.

His total undergraduate experience formed the basis for what would eventually become his signature composing style – a unique fusion primarily influenced by music from the Romantic Period, the 20th Century, Broadway and Hollywood.

After graduating from JMU, Michael enrolled in graduate school at Ithaca College in New York. He decided it was finally time to study composition formally, and at the ripe old age of 24, he became a composition major at last…

…The years since that time have been filled with musical highlights and milestones, but Michael feels he is just now starting to enter his prime as a composer. His compositions for band and orchestra are published through C. L. Barnhouse, Inc. (www.barnhouse.com) and TRN Music Publisher, Inc. (www.trnmusic.com). He has held positions with Warner Brothers Publications as well as Disney Music Publishing, and has served as an adjudicator, clinician, instructor and guest-conductor for many high school and college level events.

Michael’s works have been presented throughout the world, including performances at the Music Center at Strathmore, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. His commissioned work, AERIAL FANTASY, received a Pulitzer Prize nomination and has been recorded professionally in Japan, as well as here in the USA on the Walking Frog Records CD entitled Toward the North Star (www.walkingfrog.com). Michael was also the recipient of a Masterworks Prize for living composers, granted by ERMMedia. His award-winning orchestral composition, CHAPTER FINÁL, will appear on Volume 17 of the CD Series: “Masterworks of the New Era”.

Michael is honored to be part of the “orchestral revolution” presented by the Orchestra Unleashed.

In an effort to bring the music alive, we will be featuring some of our winning composers in the next couple of weeks. Embedded within this article you will find a promo code within brackets {  }. The word that falls within the brackets will be . . . → Read More: Featured Composer – Joseph Carrillo]]> Across an American Sky by Joseph Carrillo (excerpt)

In an effort to bring the music alive, we will be featuring some of our winning composers in the next couple of weeks. Embedded within this article you will find a promo code within brackets {  }. The word that falls within the brackets will be the code. Follow the link, input the promo code, and get 3 regular priced tickets for the price of 2! Bring a friend, child, neighbor, co-worker, or some random person on the street.  This offer is only valid through midnight PST September 2nd. Happy reading and see you in September!     Take your code here for your free ticket: https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/766215

Joseph Carrillo (b 1976) grew up in the small town of Elko, Nevada.  His fascination with music began in elementary school   with a request for piano lessons, which led to eight years of private study with Maestro George Rosenberg.  To encourage Joseph’s development, the Maestro featured him twice with the Ruby Mountain Symphony, at the age of 15 as a piano soloist, and at 17 as a composer.  While participating in high school theatre, Joseph first became aware of the power of music over dramatic situations, and began to compose incidental music for the stage productions.  In addition to his piano study, he played the trumpet and French horn, later switching to oboe.

Joseph pursued a degree in oboe performance under the instruction of Jeanne Belfy, at Boise State University in Idaho.  He was featured as principal oboe and English horn soloist with the Symphonic Winds (Marcellus Brown, conductor) and the University Orchestra (Craig Purdy, conductor).  He also served as a guest performer in regional orchestras, and was named the winner of the 2000 Concerto-Aria competition.

During his time in Boise, Joseph composed original scores for several theatrical productions, collaborating with director Sheri Novak on The Marriage of Bette and Boo,  and Narnia.  He has also worked with student directors at Boise State, and regionally at Nevada’s Great Basin College, writing scores for Twelfth Night, and The Princess Bride.

After graduating Joseph moved to Los Angeles where he has pursued film scoring.  He recently finished work on his first feature length film score, The Hanged Man for director Neil Weiss, which was recently released on DVD.  He has also composed scores for Coach for director Chris Hampel, and Dead Line for director Carolyn Townsend.  Dead Line was a particularly notable experience for {Joseph}, being his first film score recorded with a professional LA orchestra.  He has also had the opportunity to contribute not only as composer, but also as supervising sound editor for Adam Hodge of Up In a Tree Productions, and Jenn Page of Luminave Films, providing the entire sound tracks for the sci-fi thriller The Darkling, and the drama The Beginning of the End, respectively.

Joseph is eternally grateful for the opportunity to bring his music to life through the Orchestra Unleashed.

The poem tells an epic story of a mariner at sea who pays a terrible . . . → Read More: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner]]> One of the works that will contribute to our next concert is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  It is an engrossing work for narrator and orchestra that will include still images projected on a screen above the orchestra.

The poem tells an epic story of a mariner at sea who pays a terrible price for moment of rash action.  It is by English Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  We are pleased to be joined by voice actor Pierre Renoudet who will be providing our narration.  Here is a sample of the poem:

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner excerpt

We’ve posted some of the images below

The mariner is adrift on a lonely ocean

The ocean devours a ship

As each new work has come in, we are struck with the audacity it takes to put one note after another . . . → Read More: The deadline is almost here…]]> We have already received many submissions from around the world.  Each of the works is a different take on the human experience, but they all have one thing in common: filling the silence.

As each new work has come in, we are struck with the audacity it takes to put one note after another on a page with a vision of filling silence.  That may sound strange, but it is remarkable that so many composers continually labor and craft to develop the detailed instructions that will guide skilled players into the a concert of sound.  Really, for all its antiquity and visual beauty, printed music is merely a set of detailed instructions from a creator of a work to the players who are essential collaborators in bringing the sounds to life.  Music, perhaps similar to film, represents a significantly deferred realization of it’s essential form from the time of creation to the time of fulfillment.  Think about the days and days of work it takes to prepare even the simplest orchestral score with the knowledge that it may not be brought to life for a long time. Although computer-generated sounds can provide an approximation, there is no digital analog to the rich wash of sound that overwhelms anyone in the presence of the sublime textures of the orchestra.  And each note for each beat for each player with each articulation and dynamic must be carefully chosen, placed, balanced, and aligned so that the massed group of instruments can work in a finely-tuned interplay of sounds.

But the music is more than an interesting sonic automaton.  It is the cry of human souls to transcend the boundaries of silence and noise that fill a day.  Each note and beat is a shadow of the Supreme creative act in striking a blow against nothingness.  Picture your favorite musical piece.  Now consider for a moment that there was a time that it didn’t exist. Those musical patterns and textures that so enrich your life are by no means eternally pre-existent.  In fact, there are many, many generations of humanity that have passed through this world who never were aware that such a thing would, or perhaps even could, exist.  It is easy to look upon the musical masterpieces in so many genres, and forget that there was a world where they did not yet exist.  And yet, the artists who brought them to life demonstrated the audacity to inscribe notes onto a blank page even at the risk of mediocrity or neglect.  Most art comes and goes, but for those that linger on, they represent a outpost of ’something’ in a vast universe of nothing.

We applaud all those composers who have staked a claim in the frontiers of human creations.  It is always much easier to tear down the work of another, than it is to boldly build, compose, write, play.

HT to Steve!

The deadline is in a few days….stay tuned for more information!