Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen is a 2012 documentary film about the American choral composer Morten Lauridsen, (b. February 27, 1943), National Medal of Arts recipient (2007) and most-performed living American choral composer.[1]
The 74-minute Song Without Borders [2] film directed by Michael Stillwater,[3] co-produced with Doris Laesser Stillwater, interweaves footage of the composer's remote island residency in the Pacific Northwest with interviews and performances in America and Scotland. Included in the documentary are perspectives from poet and former National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia, conductor Robert Geary, composer/conductor Paul Mealor, conductor Paul Salamunovich, and composer Alex Shapiro, along with commentaries from other conductors, composers and singers.[4]
Premiered on February 7, 2012 in Palm Springs, California as a prelude event to the 1st American Documentary Film Festival, the screening was followed by a choral performance by the USC Chamber Singers conducted by Jo-Michael Scheibe and accompanied by the composer on piano.
The New York premiere was hosted by Distinguished Concerts International New York on March 30, 2012, introduced by composer/conductor Eric Whitacre and attended by Lauridsen, followed by a Lincoln Center performance of Lux Aeterna and Carnegie Hall performances of Sure On This Shining Night and Dirait-on, conducted by Whitacre and accompanied on piano by Lauridsen.
The San Francisco premiere was hosted by vocal group Volti on June 12, 2012, at the Brava Theater, and the Los Angeles Premiere was hosted by the Visions & Voices Series on November 2, 2012 at USC's Bovard Auditorium [5] The film was also screened at the 2012 Chorus America conference in Minneapolis and the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) national and regional conferences in Dallas, TX, (March 2013) and Santa Barbara, CA, (February 2014), the 50th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (March 2014), and the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia (July, 2014).
Beginning in 2012, the film has premiered in theater, festival and concert hall screenings across America and internationally, including Scotland,[6] Switzerland,[7] Germany,[8] Austria,[9] England,[10] Wales,[11] Denmark,[12] South Africa,[13] Poland,[14] and Canada,[15] often hosted by choral societies.[16] Public television broadcasts via KCET Southern California are scheduled for 2013-2014. A 56-minute version of the film was produced for public television broadcast and conference/university use, included on the DVD beginning in the 2nd edition.
Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal: '"a heartening rarity- a thoroughly intelligent classical-music program that strikes an appropriate balance between words and music."[23]
Kevin Starr, National Humanities Medalist 2006, "Magnificent music, cinematography, and commentary! Thanks to Shining Night, America's premier composer of choral music receives a tribute that underscores the power of his music to elevate the spirit and create community."
Grant Gershon, Music Director, Los Angeles Master Chorale: "Shining Night provides enormous insight into Lauridsen's work capturing much of the essence of both the sound and structure of his art, and why it touches listeners and performers so deeply."
Eric Whitacre, composer/conductor, "Conveys the musical legend and the gentle, introspective genius."
Stephen Levine (author) and Ondrea Levine, 'A Year To Live,' "Shining Night documents the sounds in the atmosphere when the earth was being formed. It is the melody of the spheres discovered in depth consciousness. In the fine net of his art, Stillwater has captured the unnamable. We loved the film and recommend it highly."
Therese Schroeder-Sheker, founder, Chalice of Repose, "One of the most beautiful and uplifting pieces... moved me to tears of gratitude, joy, and more."
Jim Tusty, co-director of the film The Singing Revolution: "Stillwater's filmic style is sympatico with Lauridsen's delivery-a fascinating film to watch."
Tim Sharp, Executive Director, American Choral Directors Association: "Illuminates the person behind the music, giving us a rare glimpse into its creative source."
Jim Garrison (theologian), founder, State of the World Forum, "a masterpiece..the film distills the etheric purity of Lauridsen's music"
Diane Krieger, USC Arts & Culture Oct. 31, 2012: "layers misty vistas...over soul-stirring passages of (Lauridsen's) choral works."
Steve Weiss, Executive Director, No Festival Required, Phoenix Chorale Website"Gorgeous filmmaking and beautiful music from a contemporary genius, Shining Night is a must-see for those who love the performing arts!" (Arizona premiere with Phoenix Chorale, January, 2013)
Jason Becker, composer/guitarist, "An absolutely beautiful movie about a composer whose music is truly the voice of God. I am so inspired, musically, personally and spiritually."
Constance Demby, composer/recording artist, "a gem, a masterpiece; deeply moving, absorbing...a fantastic experience."
DVD Distribution
June, 2012: Hal Leonard Corporation, publisher of sheet music (and largest distributor of Morten Lauridsen's music), began distribution of the DVD with a promotion to choral directors throughout US and Canada.
June, 2012: Faber Music, UK distributor of Morten Lauridsen's music, began UK distribution of the DVD.
June, 2014: Hänssler (hänssler CLASSIC), a German music publishing house, began distribution to Europe and internationally.
Book Publication
GIA Publications, Chicago, released a companion giftbook to the film (2013), entitled Morten Lauridsen's Waldron Island Reflections, containing images and text from the film. Photographed and edited by film director Michael Stillwater.[24]
Background
Originally developed from an interview with the composer at a Volti rehearsal of Nocturnes in San Francisco in May, 2010, Shining Night is a Song Without Borders film co-produced by Michael Stillwater and Doris Laesser Stillwater, the first episode in the documentary series, In Search of The Great Song, exploring and celebrating the transformative dimension of song.
The director, Michael Stillwater, is a songwriter and music educator, developer of the SongSourcing method for spontaneous songmaking, recording artist of a dozen CDs of contemplative songs and inspirational music, co-author of Graceful Passages: A Companion for Living and Dying, published by New World Library, 2002, applying music and spoken word as a palliative care approach, and co-authored Music at the End of Life.[25] In 2005 he received, together with Gary Malkin, Roshi Joan Halifax, and Frank Ostaseski, the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Award for End of Life Service from the Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries in Berkeley, California.
Morten Johannes Lauridsen is an American composer and academic teacher. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007), he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994 to 2001, and is the distinguished professor emeritus of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he taught for fifty-two years until his retirement in 2019.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional chorus in Los Angeles, California, and one of the resident companies of both The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one of the three original resident companies of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. Grant Gershon has been its music director since 2001, replacing Paul Salamunovich.
Eric Edward Whitacre is a Grammy-winning American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music.
Robert Chilcott is a British choral composer, conductor, and singer, based in Oxfordshire, England. He was a member of the King's Singers from 1985 to 1997, singing tenor. He has been a composer since 1997.
The Rhodes Singers are a noted undergraduate choir from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, specializing in smaller, unaccompanied chamber music works. They are directed by Dr. William Skoog.
Charles Bruffy is an American choral conductor. He is artistic director of the Kansas City Chorale in Kansas City, Missouri, and is Chorus Director of the Kansas City Symphony. He lives in Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chorale is a professional 27-voice chorus conducted by Charles Bruffy. They perform a four concert series in Kansas City, tour nationwide, and perform with their sister choir, the Phoenix Chorale, also conducted by Mr. Bruffy. During his tenure as conductor, the chorus has achieved international acclaim. Mr. Bruffy, renowned for his fresh interpretations of both traditional and new music, was noted by The New York Times as a disciple of the late Robert Shaw.
Dale Warland is an American conductor, composer, founder of the Grammy-nominated Dale Warland Singers, scholar, teacher, choral consultant, and renowned champion of contemporary choral composers. Warland is one of only two choral conductors inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
Paul Salamunovich KCSG was a Grammy-nominated, American conductor and educator.
The New York City Master Chorale (NYCMC) is a 60-person non-profit chorus, led by Artistic Director David Recca. NYCMC was founded in 2005 by Dr. Thea Kano, and directed by her until 2019. From 2019 to 2021, the Chorale's Artistic Director and conductor was Dusty Francis. In July 2021, the Chorale announced David Recca as the new Artistic Director with the mission “to connect people through chorale music by presenting high-quality concerts inspired by the distinct energy, diversity, and talent of New York City.”
Masterworks Chorale is a choral ensemble based in San Mateo, California.
Volti is a 16- to 24-person professional vocal ensemble based in San Francisco, focused on the commissioning and performance of new music. In 2018, Volti became the first vocal group ever to have been awarded the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming seven times. Volti has released four CDs on the innova label: "Turn the Page," "House of Voices," "This is what happened," and "the color of there seen from here," released April 26, 2019. Volti also appears with the Kronos Quartet on their Grammy Award winning recording of Sun Rings by American minimalist composer Terry Riley.
Zane Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor. He has published more than 190 works, with: Oxford University Press, Carl Fischer, Alliance Music Publishing, Walton, Colla Voce, and Lorenz.
The Stonewall Chorale, founded in New York City in 1977, is America's first LGBTQIA chorus. The Chorale, a four-part mixed chorus of approximately 60 members, annually performs three subscription concerts at various venues in New York City. Its repertoire ranges from great classical works to contemporary pieces by cutting edge composers like Ricky Ian Gordon, Eric Whitacre, Chris DeBlasio, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and Meredith Monk.
The UP Manila Chorale is the multi-awarded official performing group for choral music of the University of the Philippines Manila. Established in July 1992 by a few BA Behavioral Sciences students, the group aims to embody and represent the University locally and internationally through the art of choral music, serving as ambassadors of cultural goodwill by being the “voice of UP Manila to the world”. Presently, the group is led by their musical director, Emmanuel "Eman" P. de Leon Jr.
Kim André Arnesen is a Norwegian composer. He is mostly known for his choral compositions, both a cappella, accompanied by piano or organ, or large-scale works for chorus and orchestra. His first CD album "Magnificat" was nominated for Grammy Awards 2016 in the category Best Surround Sound Album. He has received wide notice with his choral works that has been performed by choirs all over the world. His "Cradle Hymn" was a part of the regional Emmy Prize winning show "Christmas in Norway". Arnesen is an elected member of the Norwegian Society of Composers.
Jake Runestad is an American composer and conductor of classical music based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has composed music for a wide variety of musical genres and ensembles, but has achieved greatest acclaim for his work in the genres of opera, orchestral music, choral music, and wind ensemble. One of his principal collaborators for musical texts has been Todd Boss.
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is a music entertainment production company that stages concerts for individual performers and performing groups in music venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. Performance repertoire ranges from Handel’s Messiah to contemporary a cappella. DCINY was founded by Iris Derke and Jonathan Griffith in 2007 and is currently headquartered in New York City.
Sioned Nest James was a Welsh musician and conductor, known for founding the successful Cardiff-based choir Côrdydd and contributing to musical programmes on television.
Roy Frederick Wales BEM was a British choral, orchestral and operatic conductor, and a recipient of a British Empire Medal for Services to Choral Music in HM the Queen's 2020 New Year Honours.
References
↑ Strimple, Nick. "Choral Music in the Twentieth Century" Amadeus Press, 2003.
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