Music Background
Donald Skirvin served as composer-in-residence with the a cappella vocal ensemble, The Esoterics, from 1997 through 2003, and returned to that position in 2006. He has written twenty-eight new pieces for The Esoterics, eleven of which appear on CDs released by this group. Mr. Skirvin has also served as conductor, organist and accompanist with various churches and musical organizations. He studied music at the Jordan Conservatory of Music, Indianapolis, and at Indiana University, Bloomington, and is a member of ASCAP and the Washington Composers Forum.
Discography
Works recorded on CDs issued by The Esoterics include a three-movement work, Echoes from the heart, written for double chorus, and presented on their Antiphonia CD, a four-movement work, Songs of the Equinox and Solstice, released on their Elementia CD and a recording of the four-movement work, Alchemy, on their Immaginosa CD.
The Seattle Men's Chorus commissioned the work, Do not weep, and recorded this work on their Pink album. Conspirare's (www.conspirare.org) recording of Alchemy on their recent CD release, Through the Green Fuse, garnered critical acclaim, with David Vernier, reviewer for Classics Today, writing:
"...A fine set of four pieces by Donald Skirvin titled Alchemy–individual titles are Living Gold, Cups of Fire, Jewelled Blaze, and O Beauty--is rich in imagery wrought by imaginative use of harmony and apt, sensitive text-setting. And it's also just plain gorgeous music that speaks well for this composer's facility with voices; I only wish I knew more about him and about this work. (Actually I checked the Yelton Rhodes website–www.yrmusic.com–and found a very interesting catalog of Skirvin's choral music that revealed Alchemy was composed in 2002, and that indeed the texts are all by Sara Teasdale, not just the last one, as suggested by the booklet layout.)..." See the complete review of this CD on Classics Today: www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=8499
Recent Commissions
Mr. Skirvin was commissioned by The Esoterics to write a major choral work, Songs of Enlightenment, based on Buddhist texts for its December 2005 concert, Haramita. The group Ædonis commissioned a set of pieces titled, Yet, Love Endures, based on poetry by Hart Crane for its Amore concert in 2006. The Seattle Women's Chorus commissioned a work, Winter Reverie, for its 2006 winter concert.
The 2004-2005 Esoterics' concert series was awarded an NEA grant to fund the commissioning of new a cappella choral compositions by four composers, three of whom are local: Diane Thome, Bern Herbolsheimer, and Donald Skirvin.
Local Performances
Local performances of his works include The Seattle Choral Company's seasonal concert in 2002 which featured Only the Heart Will Hear, the fourth movement of his larger work, The Seasons, scored for chorus, alto soloist and chamber orchestra. Two works, Sonata for Violin and Piano and Habañera Variations for Clarinet and Piano, were presented at a Sound Currents concert in October 2003 (www.soundcurrents.org). The violin and piano duo of Karen Bentley and Dmitriy Cogan reprised the Sonata for Violin and Piano at the Frye Art Museum in February 2004, under the auspices of the Washington Composers Forum (www.kbentley.com/recent.htm - 2004-02-06).
In May 2004, The Esoterics performed Alchemy, a work they commissioned and premiered in 2002. The recently-formed ensemble, Ædonis, a sub-group of the Seattle Men's Chorus, commissioned and performed Songs of the Nightingale in their debut concert in March 2005. Mr. Skirvin's works have been broadcast locally, most recently on The Classical Edge, KSER-FM. The Kirkland Choral Society performed Triumphant Light Fanfare and Hymn for the Winter Solstice, scored for trumpets, percussion, piano and mixed chorus, in their 2005 holiday concert in Bastyr University Chapel on November 20th, 2005.
Other local performances include Do Not Weep, a commission by the Seattle Men's Chorus for men's chorus, Bass solo, Trombone and Piano which appears on their Pink Album CD (www.seattlemenschorus.org/music.html); Earth Chants, also a commission by the Seattle Men's Chorus and performed in St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral as part of the theatre piece, Fool's Passion, scored for men's voices, piano, organ, didgeridoo, percussion, and wine glasses. Other works have been premiered by local groups including The Bainbridge Chorale (On Earth, Bring Peace, and Festival Alleluia) and the Northwest Chamber Chorus (Epistle To Be Left in the Earth).
Publisher and Google™ search parameters
Since 1996 Yelton Rhodes Music Publishing Company (www.yrmusic.com) has published his choral music, and choruses have performed those works around the United States and abroad. Additional background via the internet is available through a Google™ search using "Donald Skirvin" music as search parameters.