Commissions
In 2015, the Stockton Chorale rededicated itself to supporting the creation of new choral music. This page presents an overview of the results of our efforts so far. We are proud to be fulfilling our mission through this activity.
2022 Daniel Hughes Commission
Daniel Hughes is in constant demand as a conductor, accompanist, coach, and choral clinician. He serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor of The Choral Project — an internationally award-winning mixed-voice ensemble specializing in dramatic, conceptual performance of high-level choral music from the medieval period to the contemporary, as well as ethnic and multicultural repertoire. The choir’s vision is “to transform and heal through music and words,” and their mission is “to connect to one another through choral theater, education and musical excellence.” Under his direction The Choral Project has received worldwide recognition, performing to standing ovation crowds in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, England, Scotland, Wales, and Spain. The ensemble has also received top prizes in international competitions throughout the world. They have recorded nine compact discs available through iTunes, Amazon.com, and CDBaby.
2017 David Conte Commission
Together with the Danville Community Band and the UC Berkeley Wind Ensemble, and in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we commissioned a new work by David Conte for chorus and band. The poem that supplied the text and title for the piece was “The Dream of Martin Luther King” by Myra Cohn Livingston. We gave the world premiere of the piece in February 2018 during our “Awaken the Dream” concert.
2016 Composition Contest
During the second half of 2016, we sponsored a composition contest with two divisions: Adult and Youth, with the winning pieces to be given its world premiere at our concert on March 25, 2017. After much deliberation, David Hamilton (New Zealand) was announced as the winner of the adult division for his piece, American Triptych. Bernardino Zanetti (Italy) was announced as the winner of the youth division for his piece, Jubilate Deo.
2015 Kirke Mechem Commission
For our first commission in this effort, we asked renowned choral composer Kirke Mechem to produce a new work. We gave the world premiere of “Satan Hates Music” in May 2015 as part of our “Sea to Shining Sea” concert.