News

Buchanan work Malleus wins Macht Composition Competition

Douglas Buchanan's orchestral work Malleus was chosen by a panel of judges to be the winner of the 2011 Macht Composition Competition for Best Orchestral Score. The work will be premiered by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hajime Teri Murai on October 22 at 8:00 in the Friedberg Hall of the Peabody Conservatory, 1 E Mt. Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students.

Malleus was also selected to be read by the Batlimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop, along with works by Baltimore composers Michael Rickelton and Chen Zhangyi.


Commissioned Work to be Premiered at North Central College

Midwestern Trilogy, commissioned by Naperville, IL poet Jamie Smith and set to text of her authorship, will be premiered on October 21st, 2011 at North Central College. You can read the Naperville Sun Times article about the work and the performance here. 


Buchanan named Director of Music Ministries at Old St. Paul's

This August, Douglas began serving as Director of Music Ministries at Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Baltimore, MD. The historic church is one of the oldest parishes in Baltimore, founded in 1692, and also boasts the second oldest Choir of Men and Boys in the United States. Douglas directs the choirs of Old St. Paul's each Sunday, including the Mixed Chorus, the Camerata, the Choir of Men and Boys, and the Treble Chorus. You can also follow the music program on Facebook.



Rhymes with Opera

The Baltimore-based experimental opera troupe Rhymes with Opera has commissioned a new operatic work from Douglas, based on Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market. Performances will take place on December 2nd in Baltimore, MD at Liam Flynn's Ale House, and on December 3rd at the Honfleur Gallery in Washington, DC, 1241 Good Hope Road SE.


The Tempest

The Peabody Opera Outreach Program, in conjunction with the Annapolis Opera, has commissioned an operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, with music by Douglas Buchanan, and libretto by Roger Brunyate. The opera will be performed at area schools as part of the Opera Outreach's mission to provide high-quality music and musical education experiences for area children and youth. A preview performance will take place on Saturday November 5th in the Peabody Opera Studio.


The Buchanan Brothers

Pianists Douglas and Benjamin Buchanan will give several performances in the 2011-2012 season featuring works of their own composition, including BuKanon and Prayers of Our Father, by Douglas, and Suite for Brothers, by Benjamin. Concert dates and times are available here.


Past Events

The Figaro Project

After the success of his Colonnades  tour, Douglas was commissioned by the Figaro Project to participate in their Contemporary Opera Trio along with composers Joshua Bornfield and Paul Mathews. Douglas' opera, Lux et Tenebrae, was premiered on April 1 and 2, 2011, at the University of Baltimore's Performing Arts Theatre. Lux et Tenebrae was featured on Tom Hall's segment of Maryland Morning; an interview with Douglas Buchanan and Figaro Project Director Caitlin Vincent, as well as a snippet of the opera, is available here.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko's Corrida

In October 2010, Douglas performed with world-renowned poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko as part Corrida, an evening of poetry and music featuring themes of love and protest. The performance, under the auspices of music director Benjamin Buchanan, included the world premiere of Douglas' setting of Yevtushenko's poem Even when you are swimming alone.


Colonnades

In 2009, Douglas was named the recipient of the Presser Music Award by the Peabody Institute. The award is made possible by the generosity of the Presser Foundation and was used to fund a concert tour of Douglas' work for piano solo, Colonnades, which encompassed eleven concerts throughout the East Coast, the Midwest and the Southwest. Colonnades is a concert-length composition linked with poetry and paintings by the composer.

The first five movements of Colonnades, along with the accompanying texts,
are available here.

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