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Composer of the Month - June, 2005
Moses Hogan, 1957 - 2003 Updated by
Daryl Lee
The first-ever Michael O'Neal Summer Singers will include a wonderful
selection from a wonderful composer/arranger, Moses Hogan. In his last years, he was widely recognized as the most authoritative composer and arranger of African American spirituals. One of his last public
appearances before his untimely death was his concert as guest conductor of the MOS in 2002. For the Summer concert of 2005, the Summer Singers will be performing
several of his best-loved pieces, including, for example, The Battle of Jericho, I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, and My Soul's Been Anchored.
Hogan, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 13, 1957, was a
pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he also studied at New York's Juilliard
School of Music and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mr. Hogan's many accomplishments as a concert pianist included winning first place in the prestigious 28th annual Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin
Competition in New York. In January, 2000, Hogan was appointed Artist In Residence at Loyola University in New Orleans. He began his exploration of the
choral music idiom in 1980. Hogan's former New Orleans based Moses Hogan Chorale received international acclaim.
The Moses Hogan Singers made their debut in 1998 on the EMI record label with the acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks. Hogan was commissioned to arrange and perform several
compositions for the 1995 PBS Documentary, THE AMERICAN PROMISE, whose soundtrack was released separately by Windham Hill records under the title VOICES.
His discography includes a recording of arrangements of spirituals for the acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks, sung by the Moses Hogan Singers entitled Give Me Jesus, produced by
EMI Virgin Records; An American Heritage of Spirituals, sung by the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir, conducted by Moses Hogan and Albert McNeil; Two recordings of spirituals with renowned countertenor Derek Lee Ragin on Aria Records and on
Channel Classic Records; The Moses Hogan Choral Series 2002, features a collection of thirty-nine spirituals and songs of faith, sung by the Moses Hogan Chorale and Moses Hogan Singers,
produced and arranged by Moses Hogan on MGH Records; Lift Every Voice For Freedom, a collection of American folk songs, hymns, songs of faith and patriotic songs. Hogan served as editor of the new Oxford Book of Spirituals, an expansive
collection of spirituals, published by Oxford University Press.
Hogan's contemporary settings of spirituals, original compositions and other works have been revered by audiences and praised by critics, including Gramophone magazine. They
have become staples in the repertoires of high school, college, church, community and professional choirs worldwide. Hogan's choral style, high musical standards and unique repertoire have
consistently elicited praise from critics worldwide. Hogan was an exclusive arranger and composer for Hal Leonard Music Corporation and a member of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity and
ASCAP. Mr. Hogan was in great demand internationally as an arranger, conductor and clinician. Hogan's choral series is published by Hal Leonard Corporation and by Alliance Music.
For further reading on Moses Hogan: - http://www.singers.com/choral/moseshogan.html
- http://www.moseshogan.com/about_moses_hogan.htm - http://www.mosingers.com/composers/hogan_bio.html
- http://www.npr.org/programs/pt/features/hogan.html - http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/01jan/moses_hogan_singers.html
Click here for more information about the MOS Composer of the Month feature.
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