robin hancock

BYU music student Christian Orme submitted an original composition to the 2019 Brock Competition for Student Composers and won second runner-up For BYU School of Music student Christian Orme, what began as a challenge from a friend to write an a cappella piece for BYU Singers has turned into an incredible opportunity to explore his identity as a musician and composer. After three days of composing in late April 2019, Orme finished “Hymn to the Night” at about 3:30 a.m. The composition was inspired by the text of the famous poem written by the nineteenth-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. “The melody and subsequent harmonies that serve as the foundational underpinnings of the composition came rather quickly,” said Orme. “I wanted to evoke the beauty of Longellow's words which personify the godly, peaceful and restorative presence that the night brings. As with all the music I compose and arrange, I seek to draw others closer to the divine by merging the various components of composition that I find most compelling and soul-expanding.” After the initial draft of the composition was done, Orme turned to BYU professor Andrew Crane for guidance and feedback because of Crane’s expertise in composing for choral groups. Read the full story at music.byu.edu.

by Marissa Ballantyne The American Piano Quartet, featuring Brigham Young University faculty artists Jeffrey Shumway, Robin Hancock and Scott Holden with guest artist Paul Pollei, will perform on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 or $7 with a BYU or student ID and can be purchased from the Fine Arts Ticket Office, at performances.byu.edu or by calling (801) 422-4322. The quartet will begin its performance with “Sac souci (Galop de bravoura)” by Joseph Ascher, “Five Hungarian Dances” by Johannes Brahms and the 'Suite Algerienne' by Camille Saint-Saens. After the intermission, the concert will conclude with “Daydream and Nightmare,” op. 94 by Lowell Liebermann, “Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune” by Claude Debussy and “Les Preludes” by Franz Liszt. Founded in 1984, the American Piano Quartet has performed several times overseas, including appearances in Japan, Brazil and Europe. For more information, contact Jeffrey Shumway at (801) 422-4922. Source: BYU News