June 09, 2023 I Philanthropy
Music & Arts Announces Orchestral Composer for Project Imagine
Victor C. Johnson’s choral work "Awake, My Soul!"
Music & Arts has announced the next phase of Project Imagine, a commissioned composition project aimed at providing underserved music programs the opportunity to perform high-quality pieces free of charge. This program features a series of compositions intended for middle school and high school ensembles. Each piece is accompanied by optional rehearsal suggestions, tips and social-emotional learning curricula, creating a comprehensive nine-week thematic instructional unit that will create a memorable experience for directors and their students.
Following on the heels of the series’ first piece, Kelijah Dunton’s band work “Color in the Grey,” and the second piece, Victor C. Johnson’s choral work “Awake, My Soul!,” the third piece will be an orchestral work created by conductor and composer Soo Han. As director of orchestras at the Baldwin Conservatory, Han is among some of the most preeminent voices in string education and serves as a contributing author for Hal Leonard’s “Essential Elements for Strings.” Han promises to bring not only his 25-plus years of pedagogical expertise to the work, but his cultural heritage, as well. The composition is currently under development and will be ready at the start of the 2023–2024 academic year.
“With Project Imagine, we are doing more than creating opportunities for programs and students in need, we are building and implementing a model that can serve as a blueprint for the future,” said Brian Wilson, Music & Arts vice president of school services. “This is something I am personally proud to be associated with and involved in.”
