Happy New Year!

I hope y’all have had a restful winter break and are ready to come back to your ensembles with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I know I was happy to take a break after the chaos of winter and holiday performances, but I’m excited about what we have lined up for 2015.

Most notably, of course, is the approaching ACDA National Convention in February. We’ll be among the exhibitors with a booth displaying scores and recordings of every piece in our catalog. In addition, I’m hosting a publisher reading session with guest conductor David Harris that I think will be an educational new music experience (info below). I’ll also be sitting on a panel discussing the growing trend of conductors who double as composers, a great topic for anyone curious about writing for their own ensemble.

If you’re at the convention, please do take the time to stop by and say hello. While I enjoy the correspondence I have with many of you, it’s always great to put a face to a name and learn more about your choirs in person.

Best,
Fahad Siadat
Director, See-A-Dot Music Publishing

Upcoming Events

See-A-Dot Music Reading Session At ACDA Convention, February 26 @ 5pm (Salt Lake City)
Join us for a reading session of top notch selections from our catalog. This won’t be your typical reading session where we try and cram as much music into your heads as possible. Instead, we are curating a small selection of pieces that we think you’ll love.

Conductors who Compose, Composers Who Conduct, ACDA Convention, Feb. 28 @ 9:45am
I have the honor of presenting with a number of distinguished composer/conductors on this growing role in the choral world. Among the presenters will be Eric Banks, David Conte, Karen Thomas, and Steven Sametz and we will discuss the paths conductors have taken in writing for their own groups, some of the obstacles, and the benefits.

Catalog Release Concert/Party, April 19th @ 3pm – Judson Memorial Hall (New York, NY)
Save the date! This spring we are announcing the official release of our 2015 catalog with a special concert of new pieces. The event is free and includes a collection of perusal scores for all conductors in attendance. After the concert we will have a reception where conductors can meet the composers, many of whom will be in attendance. I hope to see you there!

Feature Composer and Piece

Martha Sullivan is a staple of the New York choral community. You can find her in opera choruses, experimental music shows, churches and just about anywhere else singing happens. She has both performed with and written for some of the finest vocal ensembles on the east coast including The Gregg Smith Singers, Voices of Ascension, The Dale Warland Singers, and Toby Twining Music. More than this, Martha has a warm, sensitive, and deeply passionate personality that is evident in both her performing and music.

I had the opportunity to participate in the premiere performance of Besh Besh, Besh-m Sh’mo a few years ago, and right away it struck me as the kind of piece choirs across the country would love to perform. Martha based the piece on stylistic elements from Bulgarian choral music including mixed meters, dancing rhythms, and a bright and prominent singing quality. There are no words to the piece, all the ‘lyrics’ are entirely made up, but the work evokes a sense of folky celebration that is a joy for singers to perform and audiences to hear.

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