The first version of Fallen Star was written in 2017 during the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio, an intensive laboratory for music-theater collaborations directed by Nautilus Music-Theater.
Mashuq Mushtaq Deen and I created Fallen Star in response to a prompt from baritone Joshua Hinck to write a song with themes from Classical mythology. In doing so, Deen also incorporated our shared love of the American West, and the transcendent night skies of Northern New Mexico, into his brilliant lyric.
Fallen Star was later arranged and incorporated into Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.
Nashua Pride Festival, Melina Jaharis, mezzo-soprano. Nashua Community Music School, Nashua, NH, 6/25/22.
New Dramatists, version for three voices presented as part of music-theater workshop. Blake Friedman, Nicole Mitchell, and Camille Harris, vocalists, with Charity Wicks, piano. New York NY, 4/19/18.
New Dramatists, version for three voices presented as part of public working session at culmination of the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio. Joshua Hinck, Mallory Hawks, and Lucia Rodrique, vocalists, with Roger Ames, piano. New York NY, 02/03/17.
Soprano and piano. 5 mins. Also arranged for piano and cello, and for mezzo-soprano.
Painting by Nell Shaw Cohen
Soprano and piano version commissioned by Laura Strickling for The 40@40 Project.
Mezzo-soprano, cello, and piano version excerpted from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.
Lyrics by Megan Cohen.
The World Premiere recording of Woman Walking is featured on 40@40 released by soprano Laura Strickling (Bright Shiny Things). Available for purchase and for streaming on all major platforms. Nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
A version for piano, cello, and piano (a combination of the above) is also available.
Performance scores available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.
Program Note
A portrait of a solitary woman and present-day flâneuse as she saunters on city streets, taking it all in and going nowhere in particular. Originally commissioned by Laura Strickling in a version for soprano and piano, this song was later arranged and incorporated into Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.
Commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble. Inspired by the flowering of visual art and poetry in Victorian Britain during the 1840s-1870s.
Any of the three movements may be programmed separately as standalone works for performance.
NEW! Skylark Vocal Ensemble’s World Premiere live recording of Transform the World with Beauty (tracks 18-20, paired with Sauntering Songs) is available now on all major streaming music platforms (including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, and Tidal). The CD will be available in October, and may be pre-ordered from Skylark. Read the digital liner notes with essays and lyrics.
Live recording of by Citywater (Cathie Apple, flute; Amy Lindsey, violin; Timothy Stanley, cello):
Live recording by Juventas New Music Ensemble (Nicholas Southwick, flute; Ryan Shannon, violin; and Matthew Smith, cello):
A work inspired by the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, explored through an independent artist residency following the trail from Los Angeles to San Francisco, CA. Retrace was written in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act of 1968, for World Premiere on the Landscape Music: Rivers & Trails concert series. Continue reading “Retrace (2018)”
