| Welcome to the Homepage of Dr. R. Douglas Helvering |
Current News and Upcoming Events Millennium Voices Premiered On Thursday, May 14, the Somerset Hills, NJ school district premiered the major work that they commissioned, Millennium Voices. The concert was attended by almost 1000 people and featured performances by more than 250 students. I am thankful to Stephen Sands, music director, for his support and fine work. I am also thankful to the district's administration and supporting organizations for their dedication to arts education. Check out the pictures in my gallery. New church anthem announced "That The Church May Be One", written for SATB chorus and organ, is designed for traditional ensembles in a church service setting. The piece was composed for John Schaefer, Canon Musician at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City and Mark Ball, Music Director at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS, in honor of their great commitment to church music ministry at the highest level of artistry. The work is assigned to GIA publishing. New work for unaccompanied chorus New in February 2009 is "When The Night Finds You Lonely", an unaccompanied secular benediction for mixed voices. With no divisii, this work is accessible to many levels of choirs but doesn't sacrifice on artistry. With text by poet Deborah Simpson, the work was written for the Octarium composition contest. The work is assigned to Heritage Music. New work for violin/cello duet I am proud to offer a short etude-style work for a single violinist and cellist. "The Short And Winding Road" is a two-part reprise form that has its roots in construction and content in the baroque contrapuntal style. This would be a great recital work for string students. Contact the composer for details. Writing for new online arts journal I am happy to be lending my time and writing to an exciting new online arts journal, covering all of the arts in the Kansas City Metro area. The journal is www.kcmetropolis.org. I will be writing bi-monthly preview columns on choral/vocal offerings in the area. I will also occasionally review choral/vocal concerts. The website went live on October 1, and we have already made a huge mark on arts coverage in our city. We have the biggest and best arts calendar in the region! New church anthem I have completed a commission of a new work for the Raymore Christian Church in Raymore, MO. The song, titled "He Will Supply Your Every Need" is written for two-part choir or duet with piano and uses text adapted from Matthew 6:25- 33. The work is currently available directly from the composer. Announcing Millennium Voices - now completed I am happy to announce the completion of a large scale work for the Somerset Hills School District in New Jersey for their elementary and middle school choral program. This project is not one major piece, but rather a collection of fourteen songs. The texts of the songs were written by the children in the Somerset choral program. This project is called Millennium Voices. If you work with developing voices and emerging ensembles, there are artistically crafted and musically appropriate songs available in this collection. Contact me for more information! Arrangements of popular Stroope works - coming soon I am also working on new arrangements of four works by my teacher and mentor Dr. Z. Randall Stroope. I have finished Homeland (Colla Voce Music) and Ode To Joy (Alliance Music). Omnia Sol (brass quintet) is NOW AVAILABLE from Heritage Music, and Lamentations of Jeremiah for both wind ensemble and orchestra has been completed. Look for all of these titles in the coming months from the various publishers. Serenade To Music re-issued My pastoral work for SSAA chorus, oboe, piano, and soloists will be re-issued this fall by Amber Waves Music Publishing. This work, commissioned by the Milwaukee Choral Artists, uses text by William Shakespeare from The Merchant Of Venice. Contact the publisher for more information. Requiem This work was written as my dissertation at the University of Kansas. The work, which uses the traditional Latin text, is approximately 40 minutes in length. There are two versions, both written for mixed chorus, Mezzo-Soprano soloist, Baritone soloist, and optional children's chorus. One version is scored for organ, and the other is scored for orchestra. For information about scheduling this exciting new work, contact the composer directly. |
www.rdouglashelvering.com
| Dr. Helvering's mission as a composer is to create artistically crafted music for all to enjoy. He believes in the healing and moving power of music, and his goal is to provide musical satisfaction to all that listen. As a specialist in choral/vocal music, Dr. Helvering's composition style is varied, calling on past practices and styles and creatively weaving them into a uniquely communicative sound for the 21st century listener. |
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| copyright 2004-2009 by R. Douglas Helvering, all rights reserved rdh@rdouglashelvering.com |
R. Douglas Helvering (b. 1977) is a highly active composer of music,
specializing in the choral genre. Over the past few years Dr. Helvering's
music has been featured at the national convention of the American
Choral Directors Association, at various MENC Conferences, at the
Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, at ACDA regional
conventions, and at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York. Dr.
Helvering's music has been widely acclaimed by performers, scholars,
and audiences around the world for its artistry and emotional appeal.
specializing in the choral genre. Over the past few years Dr. Helvering's
music has been featured at the national convention of the American
Choral Directors Association, at various MENC Conferences, at the
Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, at ACDA regional
conventions, and at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York. Dr.
Helvering's music has been widely acclaimed by performers, scholars,
and audiences around the world for its artistry and emotional appeal.