The Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers
New Music. New Life.
The CFAMC...
...seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and help build His kingdom by encouraging Christian fellowship among its members in the context of their work and witness as composers of art music. We pray that believers will embrace our musical integrity because of our Christian witness, and that our commitment to musical excellence will allow us to bring our Christian witness to the wider art music world....
To keep up with all the opportunities and goings-on within the CFAMC and its members, bookmark this page and check back often!
News
- It’s not too early to start thinking about and planning to attend the biennial CFAMC international conference! As with the past conference, this year’s conference will take place at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, in mid-October. It would be wonderful to see YOU there. Stay tuned and check back often: More information is coming soon!
- The February 2012 CFAMC Devotional and March 2012 CFAMC Devotional are both now out on the Website. In these issues, CFAMC member Deeann Mathews shares some intimate and profound thoughts about the influence of three influential black women (February); and continuing thoughts on God's faithfulness and grace in the midst of adversity (March). If you haven’t already read them, you can download or view them here.
- CFAMC member Jerry Casey learned recently via email that, in February, seven of the thirteen tracks of her CD, Yet, I Will Rejoice, were played on Radio Horizons 93.9 FM in Johannesburg, South Africa. Let’s rejoice with her at how God is using our members’ music around the world!
- The Listening Pages for February 2012 (featuring Onie by Jan Mittelstaedt) and March 2012 (featuring “Tree of Anguish – Tree of Hope” by Bonnie Johansen-Werner) are now available from the The CFAMC Listening Page Archives.
Upcoming Events
- CFAMC member Adam Sovkoplas recently announced that he has won the Magnum Opus Competition. His recent work “Tom Bombadil” for orchestra (this is one-half of his dissertation composition) will be performed in the “World Premiere Concert” of the Symphony of the Mountains. His composition will open the concert, followed by the world premiere of Mark Harrell’s Euphonium Concerto and the Sibelius Symphony No. 1, on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. in the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center located in Kingsport, Tennessee. Those of you who are in the area, maybe you could plan to attend to support and encourage our brother Adam?
- Have an upcoming event to share with the other CFAMC members?
Opportunities
- CFAMC member David Canfield recently passed along a great new opportunity he is offering to the CFAMC membership:
“As many of you know, I have a small CD company called Enharmonic Records. For years, I did very little to promote my releases, which are up to 22 by now, but last year, I finally began to promote my label, and obtained national distribution. The thrust of my releases has been to record worthwhile music by under-recorded composers. Only 2 or 3 of my issues to date have been performer-oriented.
“I would like to propose that Enharmonic Records issue one CD per year by a member of CFAMC. This represents about ¼ of our current total number of annual releases. Unlike many companies, I will not charge the person whose music I issue any money whatever (more and more the norm among smaller companies). On the other hand, given the unlikelihood that I would recoup the ca. $2000 in production costs, I will not be able to pay royalties for sales, or mechanical rights for the music that I issue.
“Here are more details of my proposal:
- Interested CFAMC members would submit a proposal for a project, including recordings of the music to be issued, to me for a CD devoted exclusively to the member’s music.
- Lengths of works are completely up to the composer. Normally, though, I will consider only complete works, rather than one movement from a work. I will give equal consideration to one long work, or a number of shorter ones. The only stipulation is that the total timing of the CD will come out to between 55 & 80 minutes.
- I would use recordings of performances to which the member has rights of issuance (i.e., the performers have given/would give consent for such use without payment of royalties to them). These recordings should be good quality, both in sonics and in performance quality.
- I will provide 30 copies (at no charge) of the published CD to the CFAMC member whose music is recorded, to distribute to the performers, or family/friends.
- Further copies could be purchased from me at my cost ($3.00/CD), and copies would be available to other CFAMC members for ½ the regular retail price.
- The composer will supply all program notes for the music, biographical information of him/herself and any performers desired, in electronic form, for a booklet length of 8 pages (including cover and back page, which will be in color), and a color photo in digital form for use on the cover. The design for cover, booklet, tray card, and label will be done by Enharmonic’s regular designer.
- I will select each year’s project from the proposals that I receive from however many members wish to submit one. My selection each year will be based primarily on salability factors that I know from my 35 years in the record business (certain genres of classical music sell better than others), and my impression of the quality of the music, recording and performance(s). Given the fact that I have wide tastes in types/styles of music, and the fact that virtually everything that I’ve heard by our membership on the Listening Pages and elsewhere has impressed me greatly, I would expect that I’ll have an embarrassment of riches offered to me. I will likely have enough projects to keep me going for several years, but if God blesses the project, I’m willing to put any monies received through the sales of these CDs into future projects. Consequently, it is possible that I can eventually do more than one such project per year.
- I can guarantee that any CDs released will be reviewed in magazines such as Fanfare and American Record Guide (I review for the former publication), although I cannot guarantee what the reviewer will say, obviously. Further, the CD in question will receive national distribution through Albany Music Distribution. I am currently working on international distribution, as well.
- There is no real deadline for this project. I’ll probably see what arrives by April 1st, and assuming that a few members will submit something by then, make my 2012 choice. However, it’s also likely that I’ll receive more than one proposal that I’ll want to follow through with, which means that I may make a tentative choice for 2013’s issue as well. However, my offer is open-ended, so that any CFAMC member will be able submit any proposal for any project at any time. If it comes after I’ve made my decision for a given year (I will announce my decision to the organization, once I’ve made it), I will save it for consideration for the next year’s project. Thus, there will be essentially about a year for me to collect ideas for the CFAMC issue for the following year.
- Either live performances or studio recordings are acceptable, as long as the audience is reasonably quite in the former.
- I mentioned earlier that certain genres of music sell better than others, so all things being equal, I’d give priority (in the order listed) to the following categories (this is not my own preference, as I like all genres, but that of the general classical music-buying public):
- Orchestra music
- Solo instrument (or voice) with orchestra
- Chamber music with strings (even a violin & piano work)
- Chamber music without strings
- Opera
- Band music
- Solo piano
- Other instrumental solo works (e.g., unaccompanied clarinet)
- Vocal chamber music (voice with small ensemble, or with piano)
- Choral (either a capella, or accompanied by piano or organ)
- Organ
“Note that any combination of the above genres will be perfectly acceptable, and if you have, for instance, a choral piece in your proposal, it would be “balanced out” in prioritization by the inclusion of an orchestra or string chamber work (for instance).
“I hope some of you will be motivated by the above to send me [David Canfield] your project ideas. One CD/year is not a lot to do, considering the number of such talented composers we have in our midst, but it’s better—I hope—than doing nothing. I would like to issue the first CD in this project in 2012.”
Anyone interested in submitting work for David’s proposal can find his contact information in the Members’ Directory.
- CFAMC member Jesse Ayers recently put out the word that Malone University has formally announced a search to fill their vacant position of Director of Bands. If you know of well-qualified individuals with a strong faith commitment, please call their attention to this position and pass along the contact address:
http://www.malone.edu/offices-and-services/human-resources/faculty/band-director.php
- CFAMC member David Davies has passed along word that Houghton Collge in New York is looking for a new dean for the Greatbatch School of Music. David would love to see some composers apply.
Interested? Then direct your browser to:
http://www.houghton.edu/human_resources/Greatbatch%20Associate%20Dean.htm
- Know of an upcoming opportunity that you would particularly like to let your fellow CFAMC members know about? Please, submit them, and they will be posted.
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