In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Abbie Betinis.
Abbie Betinis
b. 1980
The music of Abbie Betinis has been heard in some of the finest concert halls in the United States, and is enjoying growing acclaim abroad. Praised for its melodic line and unfolding dramatic impulse, her music delights audiences with rhythmic vigor and playfulness. A language enthusiast and something of a musical anthropologist, Betinis often delves into ancient and modern texts in hopes of inspiring greater cultural literacy and exchange. She holds degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota, and has done post-graduate work at the European American Musical Alliance in Paris, France, where she studied harmony and counterpoint in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger. A 2009 McKnight Artist Fellow, she has also received grants and awards from the American Composers Forum, ASCAP, the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota Music Educators Association, and NPR Music, among others. She has written over 80 commissioned pieces for world-class organizations, including the American Choral Directors Association, Cantus, Chorus Pro Musica, Dale Warland Singers, The Schubert Club, St. Olaf Choir, and Zeitgeist. She currently lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she is an adjunct professor of composition at Concordia University-St Paul and co-founding executive director of Justice Choir.
Suggested choral pieces:
- Hail, Christmas Day! (Fred Bock F2354)
- Prayer for Peace (Fred Bock F2358)
- In the Bleak Midwinter (Abbie Betinis Music Co. AB-047-02)
For more information on Betinis and her works, visit: www.abbiebetinis.com