Dan Balmer rocks Jacoby Auditorium with the Umpqua Singers
Guitarist Dan Balmer premiered two new arrangements for vocal jazz ensemble of his instrumental compositions, “Knowhere to Go” and “Googie” at Umpqua Community College on March 8, 2024. Performed by the Umpqua Singers with lyrics and vocals arranged by Jason Heald, the collaboration was enthusiastically received, and the new arrangements will be featured in the upcoming Umpqua Singers Alaska tour. View “Googie” here!
Concerto Grosso combines the old and new in its premiere performance.
Concerto Grosso for violin, viola, and string orchestra premeired at First Presbyterian Church of Roseburg on March 5, 2024. Performed by the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra and featuring violinist Ben Dorsey and violist Hannah LaGassey, Concerto Grosso has many of the earmarks of the Baroque era combined with modern rhythms and harmony. View Concerto Grosso here!
Four Poems by Edgar Allan Poe premieres in Chicago
Guitarist Peter Argondizza and mezzo-soprano Ruth Ginelle Heald performed Four Settings by Edgar Allan Poe at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church on September 22, 2023. Four Settings by Edgar Allan Poe is a dramatic musical journey from the lively and playful to the dark and foreboding. The settings include “The Lake”, “(Lines on Ale)”, “Evening Star”, and “Eldorado”. View Four Settings by Edgar Allan Poe here!
A new secular oratorio, Daughter of Heaven, is given its first flight.
Aviatrix Jean Batten is the subject of a new musical drama premiered at the First Presbyterian Church of Roseburg on March 12, 2023. The 50 minute oratorio, Daughter of Heaven, featured soprano Julie Cherry performing with the UCC Chamber Choir and pianist Tamara Finch Johnson with Bart McHenry as the narrator. Watch Daughter of Heaven here!
Portland violinist Andrew Ehrlich performs “Prayers and Dances” with the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra.
A new work for violin and string orchestra, “Prayers and Dances” received its premiere performance on February 28, 2023 in Centerstage Theatre in Roseburg, Oregon. The klezmer-influenced composition featured violinist Andrew Ehrlich with the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra in a performance conducted by Dr. Heald. Watch “Prayers and Dances” here!
Guitarists Cameron O’Conner and James Bishop-Edwards perform a new guitar concerto.
Award-winning guitarists Cameron O’Conner and James Bishop-Edwards teamed up for the premiere performance with the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra of a newly commissioned work, Concerto for Two Guitars, in Centerstage Theatre in Roseburg, Oregon on November 18, 2022. View Concerto for Two Guitars here!
Roseburg celebrates its 150th anniversary with two new choral works.
The city of Roseburg Oregon commissioned two new choral works for its sesquicentennial celebration that were premiered by the Roseburg Concert Chorale on October 22, 2022. “The Voice” is a bold SATB setting of an inspirational poem by Scottish poet Charles Mackay, (1814-1889), and “Timberjack Medley” is an SATB arrangement that includes the theme song from the 1955 movie “Timberjack” and the Leon Payne song made famous by Johnny Cash, “Lumberjack”. View “The Voice” here! View “Timberjack Medley here!
Janet Mecham premieres piano miniatures.
Pianist Janet Mecham performed several new selections from Evocative Piano Miniatures, including “Quiet Preoccupation”. The concert was at Umpqua Community College on July 14, 2022 in Centerstage Theatre. View “Quiet Preoccupation” here!
Umpqua Singers tour includes new a cappella selections.
Umpqua Singers, a premiere vocal jazz/a cappella ensemble from Umpqua Community College, recently concluded an 7-stop tour of college and secondary schools in southern Oregon. The tour featured brand new a cappella arrangements of classic pop tunes including “Lovely Day”, “Love Potion Number Nine”,”Runaway”, and a rollicking rendition of the theme for the cartoon “Phineas and Ferb”, all of which are now available in the A CAPPELLA COLLECTION. View the A CAPPELLA COLLECTION here!
Umpqua Chamber Orchestra premieres PRELUDE AND DANCE.
Jason Heald’s most recent composition for string orchestra, PRELUDE AND DANCE, received its first performance on March 8, 2022 in Centerstage Theatre. This lively contemporary classical work opens with a bold, dramatic introduction and blooms into a rollicking jig. View PRELUDE AND DANCE here!
The Roseburg Concert Chorale presents a choral tribute to Colin Powell.
“General Advice”, a choral tribute to Colin Powell, was premiered on Veterans Day, 2021 by the Roseburg Concert Chorale. With a text crafted from quotes attributed to the American statesman and diplomat, this majestic setting is accessible for most mixed choirs and an inspiring selection for school and community choirs. View GENERAL ADVICE here!
NIGHT SONGS premieres at the 2021 College Music Society National Convention
Guitarist Peter Argondizza and mezzo-soprano Ruth Ginelle Heald presented “Night Songs” at the 2021 College Music Society National Convention at the Riverside Event Center in Rochester New York on October 7, 2021. “Night Songs” is a lovely setting of three poems by Hwang Chin-i for mezzo-soprano and guitar. Hwang Chin-i (1520 -1560), is the most legendary gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, and extraordinary intellect. Due to her renowned assertive and independent nature, she has become a modern popular cultural icon of Korea. View NIGHT SONGS here!
TWO FOR TWO for vibraphone and violoncello featured at the Swanson Amphitheater.
Vibraphonist Branden Hansen and cellist Justus Mackintosh performed TWO FOR TWO at Umpqua Community College on September 19, 2021. TWO FOR TWO is a two-part selection that begins with a lyrical, meditative movement that is followed by a bouncy, edgy swing groove. View TWO FOR TWO here!
The new Star Trek musical, ARENA GORN SUPERSTAR takes the stage.
ARENA GORN SUPERSTAR is a new musical based on an episode from the original Star Trek series, ARENA. With music and lyrics by Jason Heald, director Christina Allaback has produced a fast-paced musical that is innovative and entertaining. It opened on May 21st on the outdoor stage at the Umpqua Valley Arts Center for a two week run. View ARENA GORN SUPERSTAR here!
The new musical, FRONTIER FAMILY FEUD, premieres on YouTube
In commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the League of Women Voters of Umpqua Valley commissioned Frontier Family Feud, a musical based on the relationship between the “mother of equal suffrage”, Abigail Scott Duniway, and her brother, Oregonian editor Harvey Scott. With the music, lyrics, and book written by Jason Heald, this 40 minute musical breathes life into these dynamic historical figures and reveals some of the complexity of their sibling relationship. The musical was created for live public and school performances to bring both history and music to audiences of all ages. View FRONTIER FAMILY FEUD here!
FIVE SETTINGS BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI for mezzo-soprano now available.
“Five Settings by Christina Rossetti” is a set of art songs for mezzo-soprano and piano. The selections include “Who has Seen the Wind”, “When I am dead, my dearest”, “Sleeping at Last”, “A Daughter of Eve”, and “A Better Resurrection” . Purchase FIVE SETTINGS BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI here!
New chamber music for double bass now available at Score Exchange!
Classical double bassists love to play in small ensembles, but finding chamber repertoire that includes double bass can be difficult. Fortunately, Score Exchange is now carrying many of Jason Heald’s compositions for chamber ensembles that feature double bass, including string trios comprised of two violins and double bass, and violin, viola, and double bass. An excellent opportunity for double bass players to expand their opportunities to play exciting new repertoire with small chamber ensembles! Purchase new chamber music for double bass here!
The Bone Dawgs premiere holiday music for four trombones.
The trombone quartet, Bone Dawgs, performed two new arrangements of traditional Christmas carols. “I Heard the Bones on Christmas Day” is a delightful medley of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and “Deck the Halls” which opens with a lush chorale, then shifts into an up-tempo swing groove and then into a jazz waltz, concluding with a blazing finale. “O Come, All Ye Bones” is a swinging arrangement of “O Come All Ye Faithful”.
Purchase “I Heard the Bones on Christmas Day” here!
Purchase “O Come, All Ye Bones” here!
Now is the time to purchases new holiday choral music!
Call of the Wild Publishing is featuring Christmas choral music, both sacred and secular selections, through J. W. Pepper and Sheet Music Plus. Included are traditional favorites and new original works in a variety of musical styles. Check it out!
Purchase your Christmas choral music at JW Pepper!
Purchase your Christmas choral music at Sheet Music Plus!
Purchase your Christmas choral music here!
“Heroes” now available through JW Pepper.
One of Jason Heald’s most popular songs, “Heroes”, can now be purchased though JW Pepper. A beautiful tribute to all those that sacrifice to serve others, this SAB arrangement is also available for solo/unison voices.
Purchase “Heroes” at JW Pepper!
Thirty titles from the A Cappella Collection now on sale through Sheet Music Plus!
Sheet Music Plus is now carrying over thirty a cappella selections by Jason Heald including many evergreen favorites like “Kiss from a Rose”, “Lady Marmalade”, “Shining Star”, and “Count Your Blessings”.
Browse Jason Heald’s a cappella selections at Sheet Music Plus!
Mezzo-soprano Ruth Ginelle Heald premieres Settings of Katherine Mansfield in Chicago.
2/13/20 Ruth Ginelle Heald presented Settings of Katherine Mansfield in its premiere performance in Ganz Hall at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. New Zealand poet, Katherine Mansfield, (1888-1923), was the subject of sabbatical research by Jason Heald in Spring of 2019. Settings of Katherine Mansfield was one of several compositions that were inspired by Heald’s travels in New Zealand.
Here Ruth Ginelle Heald perform selections from Settings of Katherine Mansfield!
New Easter Anthem, “Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven”, now available through Augsburg Fortress.
Jason Heald’s setting of the Christopher Wordsworth text, “Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven”, has recently been published by Augsburg Fortress. The composition is for SAB voices and trumpet, and is perfect as an Easter anthem or general use.
Check out “Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven”!
Guitarists Cameron O’Conner and James Bishop-Edwards premiere a new work, Dos Guitarras.
Award-winning guitarist Cameron O’Conner joined forces with James Bishop-Edwards to perform a newly commissioned work, Dos Guitarras, at the Corvallis Guitar Society on February 16, 2019. In addition, they performed the work at Centerstage Theatre in Roseburg, Oregon.
See DOS GUITARRAS!
The Umpqua Singers return to Spain to perform in Aranda de Duero.
The Umpqua Singers performed a program that featured vocal arrangements by Jason Heald, including several new arrangements of Spanish and Latin American jazz standards. The Spanish audiences were enthusiastic in their response, prompting several encores. The tour schedule also included a performance in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the Umpqua Singers’ music was also met with a very warm reception.
See the Umpqua Singers perform MAMBO #5!
Triptych for Guitar and Viola, is featured at the Corvallis Guitar Society and Jefferson Classical Guitar Society.
A new three movement suite for guitar and viola, Triptych, was performed by guitarist James Bishop-Edwards and violist Kimberly Fitch at two recent concerts. The duo performed at the Corvallis Guitar Society on March 5, 2018, and the following night at the Jefferson Classical Guitar Society at the Pachal Winery in Talent, Oregon.
See TRIPTYCH video!
Nancy Rumbel performs two new works by Jason Heald on her recent tour.
Grammy award-winning multi-instrumentalist Nancy Rumbel premiered two new compositions on her February, 2018 performances in southern Oregon. The new works included “Meditation”, a piece or oboe and string orchestra, and “Tropical Sunrise”, a lively composition for ocarina and choir.
Fiddle phenom Alex DePue set to perform with the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra
Violinist Alex DePue will perform with the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra and Umpqua Singers on November 14, 2017 at the First Presbyterian Church of Roseburg. The program will include a wide mix of musical styles, ranging from Bach’s A Minor Violin Concerto to a Michael Jackson/Yes Medley. The performance will also include the premiere performance of Jason Heald’s “Entr’acte” for solo violin and chamber orchestra.
See ENTR’ACTE video
Contralto Samantha Stiner features “Lighting the Blue Lantern” on concert series, Hot Off the Press.
Samantha Stiner premiered Jason Heald’s “Lighting the Blue Lantern”, a setting of a poem by Ho Nansorhon, at University of Wyoming in September, 2016, and included the song in a recent performance at Immaculata University in Pennsylvania on September 9, 2017. Stiner’s program, “Hot Off the Press” featured new works from prominent international composers.
James Bishop-Edwards premieres Four Pieces for Guitar on recent tour.
Ashland guitarist, James Bishop-Edwards, featured a new Heald composition, Four Pieces for Guitar, on an Oregon Coast tour in September, 2017. Bishop-Edwards is a professor at Southern Oregon University and renown touring artist.
The Umpqua Singers perform at the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival!
The Umpqua Singers made multiple appearances at the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival on a recent tour of Alaska. Among the crowd favorites was an inspiring arrangement of the state song, “Alaska’s Flag”. Alaska’s Flag
The Roseburg Concert Chorale performs Three Settings by Robert Louis Stevenson on their 2017 Scotland Tour.
The Roseburg Concert Chorale returned to the British Isles for a third time, touring Scotland in March, 2017. The tour included performances in Edinburgh, Roslin, and Inverness. Three Settings by Robert Louis Stevenson feature some of the author’s most quintessentially Scottish poems, “Where Go the Boats”, “In a Railway Carriage”, and “I Know Not How”.
The Delgani String Quartet, featuring James Bishop-Edwards, perform Five Brief Conversations in Roseburg.
Five Brief Conversations for Twenty-Two Strings received a warm reception on a hot Tuesday night in First Presbyterian Church of Roseburg on May 23, 2017. The piece was performed by the Delgani String Quartet with special guest, James Bishop-Edwards, guitarist and music faculty member at Southern Oregon University.
The Tesla Quartet performs String Quartet 5 on recent Northwest Tour
The Tesla Quartet performed “Moll Roone” for String Quartet #5 as its encore selection on its tour in March 2017. The Tesla Quartet is Quartet-in-Residence at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick as well as Artists-in-Residence in Hickory, North Carolina.
Soprano Laura Wayte performs Passwords for Songs at Tsunami!
Eugene soprano Laura Wayte, accompanied by pianist Nathalie Fortin, performed Passwords, three settings by William Stafford, for a packed house at the opening night of the performance series, Songs at Tsunami, on October 22, 2016. The Stafford selections were part of a diverse and emotionally charged program that displayed Ms. Wayte’s amazing technical and interpretive skills.
Kirk and Spock sing in Pon Farr: A Green-Blooded Love Story. The Trek Theatre in Eugene Oregon premiered a new musical, Pon Farr: a Green-Blooded Love Story in August and September of 2016. The musical is based on the Star Trek episode, Amok Time, with original musical selections.
Choir Girls: On the Road comes to the stage at the 2015 Oregon Musical Theatre Festival
Choir Girls: On the Road premiered at the 2015 Oregon Musical Theatre Festival. Directed by Troy Pennington, the sequel to the 2012 production, Choir Girls, features the original cast quartet of Tonnie Bernhardsen, Debra Gaddis, Donna Priestly, and Donna Spicer in a hilarious and sometimes poignant musical.
See CHOIR GIRLS: ON THE ROAD!
Prometheus rocks high school audiences in Douglas County!
The Umpqua Singers featured Prometheus – An Epic A Cappella Operetta on a recent tour of Douglas County High Schools. The 30 minute musical comedy is a funny, bizarre take on the Aeschylus play, Prometheus Bound.
PROMETHEUS VIDEO
Consonare Chorale commissions new work for choir and harp.
Sonnet XVII (Te Amo) was premiered by the Consonare Chorale, under the direction of Georgina Phillipson, on March 12, 2016, at the First Congregational Church in Portland, Oregon. The performance featured harpist Dr. Rachel Brandwein, faculty member at Luther College. Sonnet XVII is a setting of a poem by Pablo Neruda.
See SONNET XVII video!
The new musical, Constance, premiered at the Oregon Musical Theatre Festival!
Constance Lloyd and Oscar Wilde, scandalous celebrities of the Victorian Era, are the personalities, both real and imagined at the center of the original musical production in Center Stage during the Oregon Musical Theatre Festival’s 2013 summer production. This original musical, brought to life by the book of Troy Pennington, and the music and lyrics of Jason Heald is an absurdist depiction of this heartbreaking, tough and yet vibrant couple. An explosion of imagination and relentless churn of intellect and wit!
The Umpqua Singers perform in Rio de Janeiro!
The Umpqua Singers, the vocal jazz ensemble from Umpqua Community College, received a warm Brazilian welcome during their recent tour which included performances in Rio de Janeiro. Their repertoire included Brazilian favorites by Dorival Caymii and Antonio Carlos Jobim arranged by Jason Heald, and several new a cappella arrangements.
Daughter of Erin is performed on the Emerald Isle
The Roseburg Concert Chorale featured Daughter of Erin, a new cantata by Jason Heald, on its tour of Ireland in March 2013. The cantata tells the story of Maud Gonne, the fiery Irish revolutionary, through original lyrics and settings of poems by William Butler Yeats. Mezzo-soprano Donna Spicer was featured as the voice of Maud Gonne. The Roseburg Concert Chorale tour included performances in Dublin, Kilkenny, and Cork.
Choir Girls, a new comic musical, is featured at the 2012 Oregon Musical Theatre Festival
The 2012 Oregon Musical Theatre Festival presented eight performances af Jason Heald’s new music, Choir Girls. Choir Girls is a sneak peek into a rehearsal of a women’s quartet, the Sabbath Serenaders, from the Church of Saint Paul in the Mall. We follow the four women and their male accompanist through a rollicking Thursday night rehearsal where more time is spent discussing their personal lives then actually rehearsing the Sunday anthem.
Vocal Jazz selections featured
on 2012 Umpqua Singers Tour to Ukraine:
Червона Рута (Chervona Ruta) …………………………..VIEW
Chervona Ruta (Червона рута in Ukrainian) is a popular Ukrainian song written
by Volodymyr Ivasyuk in 1968 and performed by many singers. The song was
never copyrighted and therefore is considered the Ukrainian folk song.
Гуцулка Ксеня (Gutsulka Ksenia) …………….. VIEW
Ukrainian folk song
Portland Taiko and Consonare Chorale collaborate on the premiere performance of Sakura
Sakura was premiered in Spring, 2011 by Consonare Chorale and Portland Taiko at the First Congregational Chuch in Portland. The rousing work included not only the traditional Japanese folksong, “Sakura”, but a lush reharmonization of the National Anthem of Japan, “Kimigayo”.
SAKURA VIDEO
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