Commission New Works

Deer Creek Chorale has commissioned new works since 2013. A Dedication by John Rutter, Someday is Today by Andre Thomas and Roots by Ola Gjielo were part of a consortium* sponsored by the organization Chorus America*. As a result of our participation, we premiered the works in Maryland and received multiple copies of the pre-published octavi*.

As a part of the Deer Creek Chorale’s 10^th Anniversary, Dr. Daniel McDavitt was invited to compose a new work for choral music about aging, memory loss and the impact of music. The result was Three Memories scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB) adult voices, flute and piano. The piece was debuted in 2017 at Goucher College as part of Deer Creek’s Music and Memory concert highlighting Alzheimer’s Awareness. The collection is now published by Gentry.

Our appreciation of Dr. McDavitt’s music continued with our 2020 plans to celebrate the beauties of nature. He composed an extended work entitled From Mountain to Forest to River. It was scored for SATB voices, treble voices (for the Deer Creek Youth Choir) and orchestra. Though the initial premiere was delayed by Covid, it premiered in Spring 2022.

We’re also very proud that our accomplished accompanist Dr. Roy Belfield arranged the 1934 classic Deep Purple for our fall 2022 concert A Musical Canvas.

For the fall 2023 concert Fabric of Gratitude, we commissioned Robert Cohen to write an extended work for our youth choir and SATB choir that premiered at the concert on November 19, 2023 at St. Ignatius Church in Hickory, MD.

Our most recent commissioned piece “Hands” by Z. Randall Stroope will be premiered at our fall 2024 concert on Sunday, November 24th at St. Joseph Church in Cockeysville.

Nigel Jones is an accomplished clarinetist and composer. He founded the Caerphilly Community Chorus in September 2009 upon his retirement from a career as a high school music teacher with the goal of providing an adult mixed choir for the Caerphilly area in South Wales. He first met Deer Creek Chorale Artistic Director Martha (Marty) Banghart in 1986 during her first choir international tour and continues to collaborate with her today. One of his most notable compositions is Requiem Cambrensis written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Senghenydd Mining Disaster.

Accomplished composer Daniel McDavitt composed an anniversary work supporting Alzheimer’s awareness that premiered at the DCC Music and Memory concert on April 30, 2017 in Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College. He also composed From Mountain to Forest to River that premiered at our Spring 2022 concert Darkness to Light, also held at Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College.

In 2020 –

Roots – Music by Ola Gjeilo, Words by Charles Anthony Silvestri

Contributed by an anonymous donor. In partnership with Classical Movements, as part of the Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program, this piece is jointly commissioned by a consortium of choruses to benefit the program and the services of Chorus America.

In 2012 –

Someday is Today by Andre Thomas

The DCC premiered this new work during the 2013-2014 concert season.

**Chorus America* is a highly recognized national organization supporting choral music activities. A commission consortium is part of an effort to bring similar groups together to sponsor a new musical composition when they otherwise could not afford to do so alone. Octavi (pl.) are separate sections in a composition and are typically provided to the commissioning organization prior to publication.