Marilyn Mason New Organ Music Competition

I am pleased to announce that my Partita on "For All the Saints" won 2nd place in the Marilyn Mason New Organ Music Competition, sponsored by the Detroit chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The finalists were selected sometime in March, and the winners were announced following a performance (and audience vote!) on June 28, with Lynne Davis playing the finalists' compositions. The winning entries may be published, but (in the meantime) please contact me if you would like to obtain a copy: tshaw@pbu.edu.

New Commission for Children's Choir

Choristers Guild has commissioned me to write a setting of Psalm 121 for unison children's choir, which will be released in the fall 2010. This text, one of the "Songs of Ascent," is a favorite of many people (myself included!), and I'm looking forward to working on this project.

Publishing (Augsburg Fortress) update 07.07.09

Augsburg Fortress has accepted for publication my most recent portfolio of hymn settings for organ. This volume includes preludes, postludes, meditations, improvisations, hymn introductions, and free-harmonizations on the following 17 tunes:

Blantyre
Blott en Dag
Crusader's Hymn
Dix
Foundation
Hanson Place
Holy Manna
Lyons
Nettleton
Nicea
Nun danket alle Gott
Quelle est cette odeur agreable
Rustington
Soli Deo Gloria
Sufferer
Unser Herrscher
Wer nun den lieben Gott (Neumark)

Partita on "Savior of the Nations, Come" released by Concordia

Concordia now has in stock my Partita on "Savior of the Nations, Come" for organ solo. This partita is ideal for use during the Advent season, and the movements include: Chorale, Aria, Duo, Variation, Canon, Major. Click here to go to the product page on Concordia's website, where you can view a sample page and hear a demo mp3 of selected movements.

"Amazing Grace" released by Concordia

Concordia now has in stock my setting of "Amazing Grace" for SSA (a cappella). Click here to view the product page on Concordia's website, where you can see sample pages and hear a demo mp3. It is also available for sale through J. W. Pepper.

"We're Marching to Zion" released by Augsburg Fortress

Augsburg Fortress now has in stock my choral anthem "We're Marching to Zion" (SATB, a cappella, with optional snare drum and triangle). I wrote this piece at the request of one of my choir members. And then, the choir at the Presbyterian Church of Coventry, CT sang the premiere on May 25, 2008. Several people in the congregation spoke of how much they enjoyed it -- I think the choir liked it, too! In addition to Augsburg Fortress's store, the piece is available for sale through J. W. Pepper.

Best Selling Anthems at Choristers Guild

Choristers Guild has released a list of their best selling anthems for 2008, and "Blessed Be the Lord" (unison/2-part, keyboard, treble instrument) is among them. To listen to an mp3 of the piece, click here.

Piano Intros & Alternate Accompaniments

Volume 9 and Volume 10 of Introductions & Alternate Accompaniments for Piano are now available from Augsburg Fortress. This new resource is meant to accompany the hymnal Evangelical Lutheran Worship, though pianists of many denominations will find this collection to be invaluable. Four of my settings are included in Volume 9: So nimm denn meine Hande, Brother James' Air, Ist Gott fur mich, Love Unknown. Six of my settings are included in Volume 10: Hamburg, Lasst uns erfreuen, Nun danket alle Gott, Dundee, Marion, Old Hundredth.

Anne Williams CD complete

The CD Sacred Music for Cello, featuring Anne Martindale Williams (cello) and Paul Jones (piano) is complete. The recording includes hymns and spirituals as well as 4 classical pieces by J. S. Bach, Mendelssohn, and Faure. The CD is available for purchase through CD Baby, where you can also listen to samples of all the tracks.

Oklahoma Children's Choir Festival

The Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church will host a Children's Choir Festival on April 25, 2009. My anthem "Teach Me Your Way" is one of the selections on the repertoire list. This will be the 3rd time that the piece has been used at a children's choir festival.