[photo credit: Pasadena Chorale]
The initiative aims to celebrate the achievements of young composers and further champion emerging voices in contemporary choral music by connecting students with professional mentors and high-caliber ensembles.
“I am amazed at how far Listening to the Future has come over the past decade,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, Pasadena Chorale’s Founding Artistic Executive Director.
“It has been inspiring to watch the students of our program grow into confident, creative composers. Many of them have gone on to pursue music at top universities and are already finding success as composers in their own right. This new partnership with The Collegiate Choral Composition Community is a natural progression for the program, as it allows us to continue championing emerging voices by now bringing the work of collegiate composers to the stage.”
The partnership launches a nationwide call for choral scores from college composers via The Collegiate Choral Composition Community, the nation’s most extensive catalog of choral music by student composers.
The “Listening to the Future” anniversary concert, scheduled for Saturday, June 20, will feature two acts; the first showcases original works by local high school composers, and the second highlights original works by college composers selected from across the country, along with greatest hits from previous years of the program.
Selected collegiate composers will be invited to Pasadena to hear their music performed live and will each receive a professional recording of their piece.
Since the program’s inception, “Listening to the Future” has offered local high school composers the chance to work with professional composer mentors, write original choral works and hear them performed and recorded by the award-winning Pasadena Chorale.
The program is provided at no cost to students, made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division.
Sammy Strent, founder and CEO of The Collegiate Choral Composition Community, shared, “The Collegiate Choral Composition Community is thrilled to be collaborating with the Pasadena Chorale on Listening to the Future. We are excited to be able to provide collegiate composers with this opportunity to work with such a high-caliber ensemble that is passionate about bringing new music to life.”
Founded in August 2023, The Collegiate Choral Composition Community supports and promotes the creation of choral music by collegiate composers, connecting them with conductors and ensembles to bring their works to performance.
The organization empowers student composers from diverse backgrounds by providing a vibrant platform for innovation in choral music and inspiring conductors to discover and program fresh repertoire.
Additional program information is available at pasadenachorale.org/listening-
