I am so excited to welcome my friend Eric Barnum as our guest for Episode 10 of the Composer Happy Hour. Eric and I have known each other for a bit, having initially been connected through the University of Washington, where we each studied at different times. I have come to admire Eric greatly as a composer, as a thinker, and as a person. We have spent our fair share of time chatting and debating late into the evening during ACDA conference weekends, and this alone would be reason enough for me to want him on the show. It also helps that I really love the music he writes. If somehow you don't know his music - listen, listen, listen - and I know you will love it too. On today's show, we discuss Starbucks, Minnesota winters, and whether or not Mozart is actually any good.
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A conductor and composer, Eric William Barnum continues to passionately seek new ground in the choral field. Working with choirs of all kinds, his collaborative leitmotif endeavors to provide intensely meaningful experiences for singers and audiences.
Barnum is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and previously, the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. He holds a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA), under the direction of Dr. Geoffrey Boers. He has an advanced degree in conducting from Minnesota State University (Mankato, MN), primary study with Dr. David Dickau, as well as BAs in Composition and Vocal Performance from Bemidji State University (Bemidji, MN). He has appeared as a conductor across the United States and the International stage, and has worked with some of the most innovative minds in the choral field.
His compositional voice and vision continue to gain popularity around the globe with performances from choirs Internationally. He composes for choral ensembles of all types, from professional to youth choirs, and has received numerous awards and prestigious grants such as a Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship and a McKnight Foundation Grant. He has also held residencies with such ensembles as Choral Arts (Seattle, WA), Cantus (Trondheim, Norway), The Rose Ensemble (St. Paul, MN), Kantorei (Denver, CO), Magnum Chorum (Minneapolis, MN), Coro Vocal Artists (Tucson, AZ), as well as with many high schools and collegiate choirs.
All Recordings Used By Permission of the Composer:
"Sing in Dark Times"
University of Washington Chamber Singers
"Launching Into Space"
University of Toledo Chamber Singers
This episode is sponsored by Four Fires Meadery.