John Newell Composer

John Newell

Composer

Welcome!

I am a composer of contemporary classical music. My objectives are to create works that reflect my personal sensibility, and that are inspiring and rewarding for performers and listeners alike. Having always pursued an independent creative path, I especially find inspiration in the wonder of nature and my experience of the sacred and secular aspects of life. My recent efforts include works for chorus, solo voice, orchestra and piano trio.

Recent Examples of My Work

Testimonials

With the composer at the piano, Novak did full justice to the sinuous vocal lines that flowed gently with just a hint of near-eastern inflection.

Berkshire Record (Gt. Barrington, MA)
...a motionless beauty...as delicate and as pretty a piece for voice and percussion as I can imagine.

The Reader (Chicago)
Of the newest music given, Newell's piece Knossos was distinguished by very strong rhythms and a quite haunting mood; its characterization both of place and idea was impressive.

The Spectator (Raleigh, NC)
... a powerful and moving work. Starting with the hymn in it's simplest form, it takes the listener through a wide range of styles and sonorities: from gospel textures and bell-like clusters, to the Chopinesque, yet retaining all the while an organic cohesion. It is a worthy work to program, for audiences experienced with new music or not, as it gently bridges readily accessible musical language with new tonal landscapes.

Rorianne Schrade (Soloist in the premiere performance)
A peculiar, haunting timbre... The odds are you’ve never heard this sound before.

Buffalo Evening News
The dissonant and challenging title track (…and nothing remains the same.) was born out of the mind of American contemporary composer Newell, and is a glorious standout on this thought provoking, brilliantly conceived and thrillingly performed recording.

Lesley Mitchell-Clarke The WholeNote