Art Songs/Song Cycles

(Mezzo-Soprano Bb3 to Ab5) 

Duration 3:00 

Commissioned by Julia S. Carey for the    “Let Freedom Ring!”concert held on the newly-recognized holiday “Massachusetts Emancipation Day".

(Baritone D3 to G4) 

Duration 8:00

 Commissioned by the Cincinnati Song Initiative to compose a piece in the Inaugural National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Composer Mentorship Program.

(Mezzo-Soprano Bb3 to F#5) 

Duration 8:00 

Commissioned for the Master's Recital of Hailey Cohen through the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance Eileen Weiser EXCEL Fund. 

(High Voice, Female-F4 to A#5, Male-F3 to A#4) 

Duration 6:00

1st place winner of the  2020 George Shirley Composers Competition

Serenity Prayer (Medium Voice, Female-Eb4 to G#5, Male-Eb3 to G#4) 

Duration 6:00

1st place winner of the  2020 George Shirley Composers Competition

Serenity Prayer (Low Voice, Female-C4 to F5, Male-C3 to F4) 

Duration 6:00 

1st place winner of the  2020 George Shirley Composers Competition

A refreshing doxology for your year-round choral literature! An ideal selection for festivals, honor choirs, funerals or worship settings. 

A Spiritual setting with lush modal harmonies with the feel of trumpets that is a perfect selection for festivals, honor choirs, concerts, recitals and funerals!

In this setting, the soloists are Watchmen at the dock and the TTBB Choir represents the bent and battered ship. Though King Jesus is The Captain of this ship, you, the conductor, are the ship pilot who navigates the incoming ship through local waters as it approaches the dock. When the ship becomes visible in the distance, the Baritone Watchman and Tenor Watchman urge all listeners to "Get on board!" This piece is a perfect selection for festivals, honor choirs, concerts and recitals. 

During the era that the Old Testament was written, a name was an identity. Names had, among other purposes, an explanatory purpose. Throughout scripture God reveals Himself to us through His Names. The meaning behind the Names of God were used to describe the Attributes of God in the affairs of mankind. This Anthem provides the Hebrew names of God as well as the meanings in intricate polyphonic texture with full piano and organ accompaniment. 

This contemporary composition enhances the original “lined-spiritual” with great rhythmic drive, text painting and lush harmonies. It is a great addition to Christmas literature, though it could easily find its way into programs year-round. An ideal selection for festivals, honor choirs or worship settings. 

A thoughtful arrangement of this well-known spiritual that highlights the historical integrity of the song. A sense of urgency is apparent through the build-up of textures and harmonies. An ideal selection for festivals, honor choirs, funerals or worship settings. 

This spiritual, as with most, finds its origin in Scripture that emphasizes liberation from a life filled with hard trials and death, such as 1 Corinthians 15:42–44; 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18; and Revelation 21:1–4, 10–27. For believing slaves, the eschatology of spirituals (e.g., “The Holy City,” “The Promised Land,” “The New Jerusalem”) emphasizes heaven as the goal at the end of their arduous journey. An ideal selection for festivals, honor choirs, funerals or worship settings. 

A refreshing setting that introduces a new melodic and harmonious thought to this well known hymn. An ideal selection for festivals and honor choirs; it is also appropriate for funerals or worship settings. 

The lush harmonies and modulations of “No Dyin’ There” provide an excitement that make it an ideal selection for festivals and honor choirs; it is also appropriate for funerals or worship settings. The articulations, spontaneous modulations, and dotted slurs indicating “no breath” are intentional and vital.

—Jerrell R. Gray

A refreshing setting that introduces a new melodic and harmonious thought to this well known hymn. An ideal selection for festivals and honor choirs; it is also appropriate for funerals or  worship settings. 

A thoughtful arrangement of this well-known spiritual. An ideal selection for festivals and honor choirs; it is also appropriate for funerals or worship settings. 

A refreshing arrangement that introduces a new melodic and harmonious thought to this well known hymn. An ideal selection for festivals and honor choirs; it is also appropriate for funerals or  worship settings. Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Good Friday, Palm Sunday

Topical: Cross, Hope