Reviews
As a composer of ambitious choral music sometimes it has been difficult to find an ensemble that could accurately perform my work, let alone interpret these pieces with depth and tonal beauty. Even after winning international choral music competitions, I found the idea of recording and sharing my compositions with a broader audience daunting.
When I received an email from Dan’s Composers’ Choir I wasn’t sure what to expect but after listening to some extraordinary samples of their recordings I decided that this was the level of professionalism that I sought.
What I didn’t anticipate was such a high level of musicianship from every single performer and the conductor worked closely with me and an engineer to get every detail right. I am now planning on releasing this work on my upcoming CD and I hope to work with Composers’ Choir again soon!
Justin Ruben
I have been exceedingly impressed by the music performed by Dan’s group. The level of musicianship, sensibility and skill is of the highest standards. As a seasoned composer, I know that in this day and age I can’t just put a score out to performers and expect them to take the time to read it and hear it in their head.
This is new music! It’s never been heard before! It’s a rare person who has the time to read a score, never mind the skill to hear music from a music score. For this reason, you’ve got to offer an audio recording at the start; you’ve got to inspire a group to invest the time to purchase, rehearse and present a new work to the public.
What Dan’s group does is beyond this basic service, more than a basic reading of the music. His is a soup-to-nuts shop: He prepares a budget, gathers the ensemble, directs and rehearses the group, records the audio, then edits and masters it to the satisfaction of the composer. Finally, he helps promote a final product to other performing ensembles. He handles every step and communicates to me, the waiting composer, until the product is done.
Each time he has completed a work for me I have been more than satisfied, more than pleased and more than amazed and impressed by the beauty of the sounds he creates. He is a gift to composers; well worth the investment to have your music presented at its best.
Denise Ondishko
After four years of attempting to produce a recording of my large scale, multi-movement composition (29 minutes) and hitting obstacle after obstacle, I nearly gave up on the project. By chance, I found Composers’ Choir. After I perused the sample recordings, I was quickly convinced that the group would give a very fine performance.
But this is only half the battle. Despite this being an ambitious undertaking, Daniel was upbeat and confident from the start. I was given many options to choose from regarding the number of performers and time allocated. Once these parameters were agreed upon, Daniel went to work scheduling the performers and the recording session.
When the musicians looked over their parts well before the session date, they discovered a few things that I had missed in proofreading. This was invaluable in the process as no time was wasted on the day of the session. In the end, I felt that the excellent recording of an excellent performance was a tremendous value. I hired Composers’ Choir again immediately after receiving my finished product and I look forward to a very productive relationship in the future.”
Richard T. Hill
I have had five choral pieces as well as a string quartet recorded by Dan and his musicians. Somehow he always manages to record my pieces exactly the way I want them performed. My church music tends to be rather traditional but no matter – I have never been less than impressed with the quality of Dan’s work, and I know he does equally well with music in a more contemporary style. Dan and his singers and instrumentalists are a marvelous resource for any composer. When I played his recording of me setting of the Eighth Psalm to two composer friends on two separate occasions they said one word, “beautiful.” What more could I ask for?
Julian Harvey
I have been very impressed with the range of expression which Dan’s choir is able to produce, including the religious and the humorous and the idyllic. It is also a boon that they can perform not only a cappella but also with various instruments including guitar (a rarity since most choirs are used to being accompanied by keyboard). Their blending is superb both in mixed and in all-female combinations, as they have shown in the eight pieces of mine that they have performed to date. I am excited that they have started to make live recordings to video and also that they will eventually perform some of the works they have recorded in live concerts, as they deserve an audience who will show their appreciation.
David Solomons
When I first received the email from Dan’s Composers’ Choir I thought that it was too good to be true. As time passed and we started corresponding and later working on the recording of my pieces, and later on their precise post-production and fine-tuning, I realized that even if requires a lot of detailed work, dreams really can come true. And both Composers’ Choir and Musidream helped them take shape and be realized.
And not less important, the entire process of working with Dan was very open, professional, and pleasant. I would highly recommend other composers to collaborate with Dan and his wonderful colleague musicians and engineer. Thank you very much Dan!
Arye Geiman
Composer’s Choir was an answer to prayer. As a composer of primarily choral music, it is essential to have a recording of real voices performing new music. I have used Composer’s Choir for several pieces both acapella and with various instruments. Not only are the vocals professional and of the highest quality, but also the instrumentalists which Dan uses are of the same extremely high quality. The renditions are true and nuanced in the same manner as a fine performance. The recordings reflect a true professional performance and you can hear the preparation. Additionally, Dan gives clear advice, a complete budget and timely delivery. In short, every aspect of Composer’s Choir is professional and of the highest quality
B. D. Griffin
“Recording with the Composers’ Choir has been such a great experience. Daniel Shaw is a top-notch professional conductor and producer. He knows how to bring out just the right sound for your music. The sessions were well run and the Composers’ Choir was exceptionally well prepared. After my first recording, I received a lot of positive feedback, commissions and a way to sell my music. I returned to work with Dan on a third piece and I’m planning another recording session with organ, brass and choir.
Having a Choir record your music opens up so many possibilities and allows you a significant advantage in promoting your music. Computer midis cannot imitate the human voice well or do words. These recordings with the Composers’ Choir allow you to send out scores with high quality, superior musicianship to potential conductors and ensembles. I’m looking forward to our future projects together and encourage you to consider Composers’ Choir for future recordings.”
Jennifer Tibbetts | Come Away Death
What composer does not want his/her music performed? And has not thought of forming a group to sing it! But which of us has the time, the drive, and access to the needed vocal talent? So, we continue to write, and to promote our offerings as best we can, and to hope that someday, somewhere, that latest work we labored over gets performed.
When I heard about the Composers’ Choir, I had the usual questions about the quality – the vocalists, the choral mix, the recording, the interpretation, etc., but I dipped my toe in the water and asked for a recording, and was pleased beyond my expectations in every way. This has made my work “real” to the friends that I have shared it with, and is a promotional asset on the website where my music is listed.
Bill Sherrill
It was a great pleasure to meet Dan and to entrust him with my Kyrie Elision. Although we separate an ocean and from about 7000 km, we have found a very good understanding. Dan has done the work I proposed with great professionalism and has carefully organized the entire execution process, including the video recording. In Italy the video had a great response and excellent critical acclaim.
Giovanni Claudio Traversi