2012
January 13, 2012
Apple Orange Pair, comprising Emily Boyer on horn and Colleen Potter Thorburn on harp, gave their second public performance in New Haven of Russell's composition Orchard Sunset. The performance took place at Fellowship Place, a facility that provides services and activities for adults with severe mental illness at Christ Presbyterian Church in New Haven, CT. Apple Orange Pair will also be including Orchard Sunset on their first professionally-produced recording, due out sometime in summer or fall 2012!
January 2, 2012
Russell completed his set of fifteen short compositions for soprano recorders, alto recorders, percussion and guitar, which he titled Grooves and Dances. He also completed detailed teaching suggestions, tips for adapating the material to learners of various ability levels, and other educator-friendly materials to accompany the scores. He will be presenting selections from this new set of pieces for theGreater Baltimore Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association on January 28, 2012 at the Waldorf School of Baltimore.
Sound and score excerpts and detailed program notes will be available on the Compositions for Children section of this website soon.
2011
December 2011
Russell was deeply honored to receive a commission by the outstanding Alturas Duo, consisting of Carlos Boltes on charango and viola and Scott Hill on guitar. The Alturas Duo commissioned Russell to compose an original work for viola and guitar, to be premiered sometime in late 2012 or early 2013 somewhere on the East Coast of the United States. More details on the work, the commission, and the premiere will be posted here when they become available.
December 2011
Russell is asked to present some original compositions for soprano recorders, alto recorders, percussion and guitar at a Chapter Sharing session held by the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. The Chapter Sharing will be held on January 28, 2012, at the Waldorf School of Baltimore.
November 9-12, 2011
Russell attended the American Orff-Schulwerk Association's National Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. He was inspired to begin work on a set of compositions for upper-elementary or older students for soprano recorders, alto recorders, percussion and drums, and began composing immediately after returning home from the Conference.
September 11, 2011
Russell's composition Hashkiveinu was performed by Randal Woodfield, baritone, and Stephen Harouff, piano, as part of the "New Leaf" Sunday service at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5400 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21239. The service was open to the public, and the addition of Russell's music was very well received by the congregation.
September 6, 2011
Russell completed a new work for middle school (6th-8th grade) divisi choir, titled Eldorado, as his commissioned work for the 2012 National Conference of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) OAKE commissioned this composition in July, when they informed Russell that he was the winner of the 2011-2012 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize. The score for Eldorado, which is a setting of the poem of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe, will be sent out to middle schools around the country, where Kodály music educators will help teach it to their best singers. These singers will gather at the National Conference in Phoenix, AZ, from March 15-17, 2012, and will present Eldorado in a formal concert, along with cornerstones of the choral repertoire from multiple centuries. Russell hopes to have the opportunity to attend the premiere, and to work with this special choir in rehearsals before the premiere.
Sound and score excerpts and detailed program notes will be available in the Works section of this website soon.
August 29, 2011
Russell began his first official day of employment as the Middle School Music Specialist at The Potomac School in McLean, VA!
August 11, 2011
The Woodbridge Flute Choir of Woodbridge, VA, perform Russell's composition Butterfly at the National Flute Convention in Charlotte, NC.
August 10, 2011
Russell completed his Level III Intensive studies in "Developing Creative Expression" at the Walden School Teacher Training Institute in Dublin, NH.
July 29, 2011
Russell completed his Level III studies in Orff Schulwerk music pedagogy at George Mason University, and received his Certification in Orff Schulwerk from the program faculty.
July 25, 2011
Russell is thrilled to announce that his Shabbat Cycle has been accepted for publication by Transcontinental Music Publications, the premiere publishing house for Jewish sheet music in America! More information will be posted here when it becomes available.
July 18, 2011
Russell completed a new arrangement of Orchard Sunset for cello and harp, with editorian assistance on the harp markings from Apple Orange Pair member and outstanding musician Colleen Potter Thorburn.
July 12, 2011
Russell was selected by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) as the winner of the 2011-2012 Ruth Boshkoff Composition Prize! This prize, as described by the organization, sought composers whose music "exemplified the spirit of the mission of the composition prize as set forth by Ruth Boshkoff: 'Aspiring non professional composers who are strongly interested in writing for children's choirs are invited to enter this competition. Compositions will be judged as to their appropriateness for Kodály trained choirs.'" The prize came with a cash award, in the form of a commission for a new composition for middle school (6th-8th grade) divisi choir, to be premiered by the National Kodály Middle School Choir at their National Conference in March 2012.
June 24, 2011
Cantor Sharon Steinberg presented the full premiere of Shabbat Cycle, incorporated into Friday evening prayer services and the annual Board Installation at Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, VA. The performance was very positively received. A recording will be available soon.
May 28, 2011
Apple Orange Pair, a contemporary chamber music duo comprising Emily Boyer on horn and Colleen Potter Thorburn on harp, premiered Russell's newest composition, Orchard Sunset, at Christ Presbyterian Church in New Haven, CT. Orchard Sunset was one of the compositions featured on their "Infamous Composers" concert! Please see the Apple Orange Pair website for more information about the premiere, or the Works page for the newly-posted program notes and score excerpts. A recording will be available soon.
May 15, 2011
Russell and accompanist Alice Maxfield performed Russell's Hashkiveinu for bass-baritone and piano in a concert sponsored by the Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon. The concert took place in the Maplewood Park Place Retirement Community in Bethesda, MD. The recording from this performance is now available in excerpted form on the Works page or on the details page for the work.
April 3, 2011
Butterfly was recently purchased for performance by the University of Central Missouri (Warrensburg) Flute Ensemble, Dr. J. Franklin Fenley, conductor.
March 30, 2011
Sixth-grade students from Keene Mill Elementary School, in Springfield, VA, performed the world premiere of Crazy Recorder Jam, under the direction of General Music Specialist Susan Lester. The students also generously donated their recording to this website for public use by other interested schools, students and music educators. Thank you, Keene Mill!
March 27, 2011
The Woodbridge Flute Choir of Woodbridge, VA, performed Butterfly at Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery in Leon, VA, in a private concert for the Culpeper Music Society of Culpeper, VA. Debbie Gilbert conducted the ensemble, and Tara Nadel played the virtuoso solo piccolo part.
March 20, 2011
The Woodbridge Flute Choir of Woodbridge, VA, performed the world premiere of Butterfly at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Burke, VA. Debbie Gilbert conducted the ensemble, and Tara Nadel played the virtuoso solo piccolo part. This concert will also feature the winner of the Woodbridge Flute Choir Concerto Competition, Haina Li, who will perform with the ensemble. Journalist and author Dan Southerland, who wrote the 2007 Washington Post article that inspired the work, attended the premiere, along with his family.
February 26, 2011
Cantor Zev Sonnenstein premiered Hashkiveinu, for bass-baritone and piano, at Temple Beth El at the synagogue's sixtieth anniversary celebration, titled "60 Years: A Celebration of Renewal." A recording is pending, and will be posted on this website once it is available.