I truly enjoy collaborating with performers to create and present new works, whether they are for professional, educational or amateur groups. Professional ensembles for whom I have composed works include Eight Strings & a Whistle, Atlantic Sinfonietta and The Bowery Ensemble (New York), Monday Evening Concerts (Los Angeles), Enid Symphony Orchestra (Oklahoma), Resinosa Ensemble and Songs From Here (Maine). I have also composed works for community and church choirs.

Often a commission is intended to honor a particular individual associated with the group or the local musical community. A commission can also be a great source of pride if the work goes on to be widely performed. It is now quite common for different ensembles (e.g. choral groups and orchestras) to collaborate in commissioning a new work.

My commission fees are negotiable, keeping in mind the situation of the commissioning party. Included in my fee will be the costs of engraving and part extraction, the objective being to assure the highest quality score for your ensemble. Travel expenses or fees for assistance in rehearsing or presenting a new work will be negotiated separately in advance.

It is best for all concerned to plan well in advance of the intended first performance. In order to proceed, we will need to address the following:

–  Instrumentation and/or voicing

–  Proposed length of the piece

–  Size of the ensemble

–  Desired difficulty level and other ensemble considerations (e.g. soloists and, for amateur groups, a description of particular strengths

and challenges)

–  Deadline for receipt of the score, based on adequate preparation and rehearsal time

–  Date, time, and place of premiere

–  How the commissioning information and/or dedication should read

–  Projected plans for recording and future performances

For vocal or choral works the choice of text is a critical issue. I will collaborate with you to identify appropriate texts for musical setting. In all cases we must obtain permission to use a copyrighted text before proceeding. This aspect often requires additional time and expenditures, especially for well-known contemporary writers — another reason to plan well in advance.

Once an agreement is reached I will have a contract drawn up to specify everyone’s commitments and rights. I will be glad to provide a sample contract for reference. To begin a conversation you can go to my Contact page.

Note: A good resource, especially for professional ensembles, can be found at:

https://newmusicusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Commissioning-Music-A-Basic-Guide.pdf.