NEWS

Concerto for Oboe and English Horn and String Orchestra

The concerto will be performed by the University of Tulsa Orchestra on February 24, 2020. A concerto with these two solo instruments is very rare, and this may be among the first (completed originally in 2009).

Every Man’s Land

Every Man’s Land was commissioned by Dr. Kathryn La Fortune to honor WWI Sergeant O. T. McCullough, grandfather of Dr. Kathryn LaFortune, was enlisted in the 345th Infantry Band, 87th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, World War I, from September 19, 1917, to January 9, 1919. He kept a personal diary in which he recounted his military band performances and other experiences during the war. While stationed in Gièvres, France, on November 16, 1918, just after Armistice had been declared on November 11, he copied into his diary the following poem. Until recently, the source and author of this poem were not known. The poem was finally discovered in a rare volume of The Outlook, Volume 117, September 5–December 26, 1917.

Dr. LaFortune commissioned a musical setting of this poem as a benefit to the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, not only to honor the memory of her grandfather, but that of the many brave soldiers who served in World War I.

Elegy for Babi Yar

Elegy for Babi Yar, for violin, viola, cello, and piano, was commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Tulsa for the 21st Annual Yom HaShoah: An Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration. The event featured speaker Father Patrick Desbois, author of The Holocaust of Bullets. Elegy is based on an original melody and harmonic scheme for Eli Male Rachamim, the prayer for the departed.

Notturno for Piano Left Hand

Notturno was given its New York premiere by concert pianist Max Lifchitz for a recital entitled, “Bagatelles Without Tonality” - brief piano pieces from the Americas Inspired by Liszt’s prophetic 1885 masterpiece. The performance took place in New York’s Plácido Domingo Hall at the National Opera Center. Mr Lifchitz played a companion performance at the University of Albany Performing Arts Center sponsored by the University of Albany Department of Music and Theatre.

The work was originally commissioned by the Signature Symphony at TCC in Tulsa and received its world premiere by concert pianist Thomas Lanners, who later included the piece on a concert tour of China.

High Stakes: The Life and Times of E.W. Marland, nominated for an Emmy Award

The story of oilman and governor of Oklahoma during the Depression era, E.W. Marland, and his beautiful wife Lydie Marland, whose life added an element of mystery and poignancy to Marland's story.

Original musical score by Joseph Rivers.

Promotional Trailer for the film's premiere: High Stakes. The Life and Times of E. W. Marland

Will Rogers Self-Portrait

Will Rogers Self-Portrait was recently performed by the Masterworks Chorale and East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra as part of their program, “Out West at the Masterworks ‘Corral’.” Artistic director for the The Masterworks Chorale is Kerry Glann, and the conductor for the East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra is Rachel Eldridge.

Originally commissioned by the Will Rogers Heritage and the Claremore Community Chorus and premiered at the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Will Rogers Self-Portrait is a portrait of the famed rodeo and movie star, humorist and commentator in his own words. The work, for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra, was also included as part of the Oklahoma Centennial celebration in 2007.