PHILIP OREM
Composer
I compose music that explores what it means to be human; the joys and the aches of being, the diversity of experience and our place in the natural world. My music directly appeals to the heart, and in so doing challenges the listener to discover a new experience of their own humanity.
BIOGRAPHY
Philip Orem’s music has been performed across the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. He is noted for his emotional directness, lyricism, varied textures, distinctive harmony, colorful orchestrations and imaginative text settings.
He has been awarded an NEA Meet the Composer/Midwest grant by Arts Midwest and in 2014 he was winner of Best Choral Work in Labor of Love Composition Contest for Composers and Songwriters for his setting of Langston Hughes’ I Dream a World. He was recently commissioned to write It Is As Simple As Breathing by the Verona Area Concert Band in memory of Ed Senechal, a dear friend and one of the VACB’s founders. He also was commissioned to write From Darkness to Light, A Tribute to Nelson Mandela by the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band.
Orem’s varied catalog includes music for orchestra, with concerti for flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon and horn as well as works with solo voice and choir. His music for wind ensembles ranges in difficulty from college wind ensemble to Jr. High concert band. Chamber music includes a string quartet, an oboe quartet, brass quintets, a brass sextet, wind quintets, a woodwind septet, a saxophone quartet, several pieces for violin, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone with piano or organ as well as solo pieces for piano, organ, harp, and marimba. He has written extensively for voice including sixteen song cycles and collections including texts by Wendell Berry, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, Paul Dunbar, Warren Fremling, Elizabeth Gaskell, Langston Hughes, Sidney Lanier, Herman Melville, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Sara Teasdale and John Greenleaf Whittier. His large choral output includes music for both church and synagogue. His Requiem incorporates texts from many different religious traditions and Ashira, A Musical Service for Cantor and Choir, written for Cantor Vicky Glikin, is appropriate for a Shabbat evening service. He has also written the scores for three musicals for young audiences; The Emperor's New Clothes, Just Too Cool and Alice in Wonderland.
He is currently published by GIA Publications, Inc., Gentry Publications, Dorn Publications, Inc., Pan Press, oySongs, Transcontinental Music Publications and Sheet Music Plus.
After receiving his B.M. and M.M. in piano performance from Northwestern University he relocated to Los Angeles where he earned a diploma in Composition and Arranging from the Grove School of Music. His composition and orchestration teachers have included M. William Karlins, Alan Stout, John P. Paynter, Dick Grove, David Angel, Will Schaefer and Don Owens. Now back in the Chicago area, he is actively involved in musical theater and church and synagogue and is a much sought after arranger.
“I am often asked to describe my music or to give it a stylistic label. I have had many diverse influences and I tend to let the circumstances surrounding a piece dictate the style. I think the best description is “emotionally direct”. My musical ideas while varied, are generally simple, though I’d like to think I do interesting things with them. I do come from a tradition however. A tradition that made quilts out of scraps of cloth that others might throw away, a tradition that fixed machinery with baling wire, a tradition where one would take the time to repair something oneself, (probably without the best tools for the job), a tradition where well crafted items were valued, a tradition that placed an emphasis on self reliance, on making do with what one had and being grateful and content with that. A very American tradition.”
NEWS
I seem to have slowed down a bit this year. After a break I have recently finished for Highland Park, a piece for orchestra, which is my response to the shooting there last Independence Day. There is movement afoot to try and get this performed at Ravinia. Wish me good luck with that!
I have finished Six for Seven, a suite for woodwind septet, and a new choral piece, for our time. I am also trying to make my attempt at a double bass concerto work for tuba and/or viola.
I added another John Williams score concert screening with the CSO to my resume at the end of March 2022. I played synthesizer and celesta for Jurassic Park and had a couple of nice solos on the celesta. I have also subbed on The Prom, My Fair Lady, and as a last minute emergency on The Devil Wears Prada and Wicked for Broadway in Chicago last year. I also subbed on Les Miserables and Company this year. I played in the orchestra for the Andrea Bocelli concert at the Allstate Arena in May and two concert screenings of Elf in November.
The bassoon concerto is finished and got a thumbs up from CSO bassoonist Dennis Michel! I've also gotten good reviews on the Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra from Alex Klein and Eugene Izotov, formerly of the CSO, and for Ed from Jennifer Gunn, current principal piccolo with the CSO.
My new clarinet concerto, A Dream Deferred, is finished. Clarinetist John Yeh of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is eager to perform it when I can find an orchestra to program it.
The solo version of Every Blade of Grass has been selected by Transcontinental Publications for inclusion in their next anthology coming out in 2022! I also did some piano arranging for several other tunes in that anthology.
Dance Suite for oboe quartet was premiered by the Metropolis Oboe Quartet in January and was received well and My Heart Aches was premiered by the Chicago City Wide Symphony Orchestra in March to an audience of about 200.
I am currently contemplating what I might do with some poetry by Stephen Crane (1871-1900). You might remember reading his The Red Badge of Courage in high school. These are short, wonderfully colorful, thoughtful poems that aren't Victorian in the least.
I have also started a new piece, Children in Cages. I'm needing some help constructing the Spanish text.
GOOD NEWS!
My new CD, Concerto, is available from Roven Records. It includes my Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, Fantasy for Horn and Orchestra and for Ed, my flute/piccolo concerto.You can hear it for free on YouTube and as I have not received any royalties from RR since Glen died, don't buy it thinking you're helping me. His sister has been unresponsive and I've heard from others she has not paid anyone royalties.
There are links below to preview church and synagogue music. Contact me for purchase information!
COMMISSIONING
There are four ways in which a composer earns income; by selling sheet music; by licensing performances of their work; by licensing their work for recordings; and by receiving commissions. I always look forward to commissions because I know a performance of something new is coming!
Things to consider when commissioning a new work
1) Listen to some of my music and ask for samples. What things move you?
2) When are the score and/or parts needed? Allow time for preparation of both part copying and rehearsal.
3) For what ensemble is the new work to be scored and what length will it be?
4) If the work is to include text, is the text Public Domain or copyrighted? Publishers and authors generally want a fee up front and then will want a percentage of publishing and performance royalties for copyrighted material, so this isn’t always as lucrative for me
5) Is the new work for a special occasion or to honor someone? If so, are there special requirements?
6) On completion of a contract and payment of 50% of the commission composing commences. The remaining 50% is due on delivery of the score and parts.
7) Part copying for larger works may be an additional cost.
8) If my presence at the premiere is requested those are further expenses to be negotiated separately.
9) Sending me recordings of rehearsals or having me attend a rehearsal are encouraged to help with bringing the music to its final form.
The composer’s rights include the right to retain the copyright and the right to offer the work for publication.
The commissioner’s rights include the right to be credited as such in the score, the right to receive a copy of the score, the right to the first performance, the right to make the first commercial recording and exclusive performance rights for one year after completion.
VOCAL MUSIC
Bird Songs (26 poems of Wendell Berry)
Christina Rossetti Songs (5 poems of Christina Rossetti)
Civil War Songs (7 poems of Herman Melville)
Emily Dickinson Songs (19 poems of Emily Dickinson)
An Old Man and His Dog (3 poems of Wendell Berry for baritone)
On the Banks of the Kentucky (25 poems of Wendell Berry for baritone)
Paul Dunbar Songs (4 poems of Paul Dunbar)
Praying (6 poems of Mary Oliver, currently unavailable)
Sacred Songs (10 songs with texts of Sidney Lanier, John Greenleaf Whittier, Shaker hymns, The Bay Psalm Book and spirituals)
Sara Teasdale Songs (22 poems of Sara Teasdale)
Seasons (4 poems of Warren Fremling)
Shiru Shir Chadash (32 songs)
Six Shakespeare Songs (6 poems of William Shakespeare)
Songs to Throw at the Sun vol. I (17 poems of Langston Hughes)
Songs to Throw at the Sun vol. II (22 poems of Langston Hughes, currently unavailable, please inquire)
Three American Hymn Tunes arr. (My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, Nearer My God to Thee and How Firm a Foundation for baritone)
Three Christmas Carols (How Far Is It?, Holy Innocents and Gabriel's Message)
Three Elegies (John Donne and William Shakespeare for medium voice)
William Blake Songs (15 poems of William Blake)
A Wonder Is What It Is (23 poems of Wendell Berry for baritone)
Autumn
Because They Know They Can (Mary Garripoli)
Benjamin's Song ( Benjamin Giroux, currently unavailable)
Can You?
Dodi Li (for Sascha Recht)
for my brothers and sisters in Orlando (Wendell Berry)
Gabriel's Message arr. (Basque song)
Holy Innocents (Christina Rossetti)
How Far Is It to Bethlehem? (Francis Chesterton)
In Blackwater Wood (Mary Oliver, currently unavailable)
I Want Jesus to Walk With Me arr. (American spiritual)
Meeting Wolf (Mary Oliver, currently unavailable)
Mi Shebeirach for Ellen Glikin
My Song
On Visiting the Grave of My Stillborn Little Girl (Elizabeth Gaskell)
Oseh Shalom from Ashira Transcontinental Music Publications' Shabbat Anthology VIII
Somewhere Far Away
Starlight, Star Bright (solo and duet versions)
There Is a Sacredness in Tears (Washington Irving)
The Valley of Unrest (Edgar Allan Poe)
CHORAL MUSIC
Absalom, Absalom - SATB, speakers, piano (2 Samuel 18:33, Wendell Berry)
Advent - SATB (Christina Rossetti)
The Ancients - SATB, piano (Marilyn Biery)
And It Is Good - SATB, narrator, piano
Ashira, A Musical Service for Cantor and Choir - unison choir, cantor, piano
Ashira - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Barter - SATB (Sara Teasdale)
Be Still - SATB, solo, piano
Be Thou My Vision - SATB, piano
By the Waters of Babylon - SATB, soprano solo, piano
A Christmas Carol - TTBB, English horn (Christina Rossetti)
Create in Me - SATB
Creator of the Stars of Night - SATB, piano GIA Publications
Do Not Weep - TTBB, piano (Stephen Crane)
Dona nobis pacem - SSAATTBB
Easter - SATB, brass quintet, organ, timpani, percussion (George Herbert)
Easter Anthem - SATB, 4 horns, timpani, organ (William Billings)
Easter the Song - SATB with divisi (George Herbert)
Eitz Chayim and Hashiveinu - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Elohai - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Epiphany - SATB, SATB solos, piano (Christina Rossetti)
Epiphanytide - SATB (Christina Rossetti)
Esai Einai - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Every Blade of Grass - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Feed My Sheep - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Five Christmas Motets - SATB (Middle English texts)
for our time - SATB, piano, organ
Hal'lu - SATB, cantor, piano
Hashiveinu - SATB, cantor, piano (traditional arr.)
Hava Nashira - SATB, piano
Hineih Mah Tov - SATB, cantor, piano
Heiveinu Shalom Aleichem - SATB, cantor, piano
How Far Is It to Bethlehem? - SATB, soprano solo, piano (Francis Chesterton)
A Hymn for Peace - SATB, soprano solo, piano
I Can't Breathe - SATB divisi
I Dream a World - SATB (Langston Hughes)
Introit, Offertory and Benediction - SATB, piano (Gayle Tucker)
I've Got Peace Like a River - SATB, alto solo, piano (American spiritual arr. ) GIA Publications
I Want Jesus to Walk With Me - SATB, baritone solo, piano (American spiritual arr.)
I Want Jesus to Walk With Me - SA, piano (American spiritual arr.)
I Will Bow and Be Simple - SATB, piano (Shaker hymn text)
I Will Sing a New Song - SATB, cantor, piano
The Lamb - SATB (William Blake) GIA Publications
L'dor Vador - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Let Your Justice Roll On Down - SATB, mezzo soprano solo, piano
The Lowest Place - SATB (Christina Rossetti)
Lux aeterna - SATB with divisi, SSTT solos, 2 vibraphones and orchestra bells
Mah Yafeh Hayom - SATB, cantor, piano
Make a Joyful Noise! - SATB, soprano solo, piano and congregational participation
Mass in G - SATB with divisi, SATB solos, organ
Mass Fragments - SATB with divisi
Mi Chamochah - SATB, cantor, piano
Mi Shebeirach - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Mi Shebeirach for Ellen Glikin - SATB, solo and piano
My God, My God - SATB, soprano and bass solos, piano
My Lord, What a Morning - SATB, soprano solo, piano (American spiritual arr.)
Nunc dimittis - SATB with divisi
O magnum mysterium - SATB, soprano solo, harp
Or Zarua - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Oseh Shalom - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Peace for Ed - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Pray With My Feet - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Prayer of St. Teresa - SATB, alto solo, piano
Psalm 150 - children's choir, piano (Marilyn Biery)
The Quiet Hour - SATB, solo, piano
Remember -SATB with divisi (Christina Rossetti)
Requiem - SATB, treble and SATB solos, flute, clarinet, horn, cello, harp, organ, percussion
Return and Rest - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Rise Up Shepherd - SATB with divisi (American spiritual arr.)
Seek a Place of Breathless Beauty - SATB, flute, piano (Marilyn Biery)
Shehecheyanu - SATB, piano
Shiru l'Adonai - SATB, cantor, piano
Shiru Shir Chadash - SATB, cantor, piano
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child - SATB, soprano solo (American spiritual arr.)
Steal Away - SATB (American spiritual arr.)
T'filat Haderech - SATB, cantor, piano
T'filat Haderech (for Lindsay Schoenberger) - SATB, solo, piano
There is One - SATB, soprano and baritone solos, piano (currently unavailable)
Three Christmas Motets - SATB, string trio (Christina Rossetti)
Tzadik Katamar - SATB, cantor, piano
Ubi caritas - SATB
Ufros Aleinu - SATB, cantor, piano
V'taheir Libeinu - SATB, soprano solo, piano
Walk Softly - SATB, soprano and tenor solos (Shaker hymn text)
We Remember Them - SATB, solo and piano (currently unavailable)
What Cha Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby? - SATB, solos (American spiritual arr.) Hal Leonard
The Wise - children's choir and piano
Yih'yu and Oseh Shalom - SATB, soprano solo, piano (American folk tune arr.)
Your Heavenly Father Feedeth Them - SATB, flute, piano
KEYBOARD MUSIC
for Brigitta (piano)
for Val (piano)
Hymns for Piano arr.
Meditations (piano)
Nine Preludes for Piano
Sascha's Piano Book
Two Lullabies (piano)
Chorale and Night Bells (organ)
Meditation (organ)
Starry Night (organ)
Three Organ Fantasies (organ)
CHAMBER MUSIC
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A Bit of Fun (oboe, alto saxophone, vibraphone, harp, violin and cello)
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A Trifle (oboe, bassoon, vibraphone, harp, violin and cello)
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after reading James Kavanaugh (string quartet)
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after reading Mary Oliver (oboe and organ)
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Butterflies in My Garden (flute and piano)
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Butterflies in My Garden (marimba and piano)
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Christmas Music (violin and bassoon) arr.
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Dance Suite (oboe quartet)
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Dialogues and Fancies (flute and harp)
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Doodles (7 duets for clarinet, oboe, bassoon or saxophone)
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Findings (saxophone quartet)
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Five (alto saxophone)
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for the kittens - in memory of Elijah McClain (violin and piano)
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for the kittens - in memory of Elijah McClain (soprano saxophone and piano)
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for Sasha (brass sextet)
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from Emily (mezzo, oboe, cello and piano - poetry of Emily Anne Strange)
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Little Symphony (brass quintet)
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Lullaby for a Bull Moose (english horn and organ)
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Musings (harp)
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Nightmares (marimba)
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Nocturnes (brass quintet)
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Petite Suite (flute and Bb trumpet)
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Prelude and Fugue (string quartet)
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Proverbs of Hell (wind quintet)
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Rhapsody (violin and piano)
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Salsa Caliente (oboe, alto saxophone, vibraphone, harp, violin and cello)
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Six for Seven (flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, alto saxophone, bassoon and bass clarinet)
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Six Song Suite (oboe, bassoon, vibraphone, harp violin and cello)
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Summer Suite (alto saxophone and piano)
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Summer Suite (clarinet and piano)
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Swans in the Moonlight (cello and piano)
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Three Ditties for Oboe and Piano
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Three Ditties for Soprano Saxophone and Piano
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Three Pieces for Alto Saxophone Dorn Publications Inc.
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Three Psalms for Clarinet and Piano
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Trunk Songs (wind quintet)
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Two Moods (vibraphone)
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Two Trifles and a Wedding Present (clarinet and piano)
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Two Trifles and a Wedding Present (oboe and piano)
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Two Trifles and a Wedding Present (soprano saxophone and piano)
BRASS ENSEMBLE MUSIC
Fanfare for a Ceremony
Fanfare for Pete
Invocation and Dance for a Pagan God (trombone choir)
Labour and Love, arranged and edited (Percy E. Fletcher)
WIND ENSEMBLE MUSIC
Air and Dance
Autumn Dances
From Darkness to Light, A Tribute to Nelson Mandela (with choir)
A Hollywood Overture
Intrada
It Is as Simple as Breathing
King and Queen March (Jr. High)
Meditation
1978 San Francisco Pride March (arr.)
Nocturno Op. 7, arranged for solo horn and band (Franz Strauss)
Panama Pacific, arranged and edited (Harry L. Alford) Freedom Band Press
Pan-Pacific Expo, arranged and edited (Al Pinard) Freedom Band Press
Response to a Dilettante
Reverie, transcribed (Alexander Scriabin)
San Fran Pan American March, arranged and edited (Joel P. Corin) Freedom Band Press
ORCHESTRA MUSIC
after reading Henry Dumas
And We Have Learned Nothing (baritone solo and choir, poetry of Wendell Berry)
Close Your Eyes and Dream of Peace - A Lullaby for the Children of Ukraine
Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra
Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra
Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra
A Dream Deferred (clarinet concerto)
El Malei Rachamim (medium voice, English horn, harp and strings)
Emily Dickinson Songs (medium voice)
Fantasy for Horn and Orchestra
for Brigitta
for Ed (flute concerto)
for Highland Park
for Larry (trumpet solo)
for Sasha (string orchestra)
for a Squirrel
Gone Fishin'
How Great Thou Art arr.
In That Time (choir, snare drum and string orchestra, poetry of Michael O'Donnell - currently unavailable)
Lullaby and March
My Heart Aches - A Prayer for the Realization of Oneness (cello solo)
Morning on the Prairie
Poems for Orchestra
A Short Overture for a Small Orchestra
Starry Night
Syria
Three Elegies (texts of John Donne and William Shakespeare - for medium voice)
Three for Choir and Orchestra (poetry of Wendell Berry, Chaim Stern and Mary Oliver - last mvt is currently unavailable )
The Valley of Unrest (soprano solo, poetry of Edgar Alan Poe)
Variations (string orchestra)
Where Should a Baby Rest? (alto solo)
JAZZ ENSEMBLE MUSIC
Blue Berries (bari sax feature)
Salsa con brio
Sorta Ciel (alto sax feature)
Wednesday, Wednesday (trombone feature)
THE "FOR" SERIES MUSIC
music written for friends and family who have lost pets
for Buddha (horn and piano)
for Dizzy (harp)
for Jennie (violin and piano)
for Kirby (flute and piano)
for Maggie (violin and piano)
for Mo (bassoon and piano)
for Nicholas (piano)
for Rhum (flute and piano)
for Smokey (mezzo and piano)
for Sponge (voice and piano)
ACCOLADES
I find these pieces very well written and most successful all around. No wonder the sax concerto was a hit with the Navy Band. I find the flute concerto first movement very moving and the rest quite exciting. I like all three concertos...
Samuel Adler
Professor Emeritus - Eastman School of Music; Professor Emeritus - The Julliard School
Wow--what a great piece! Great piccolo scoring! (for Ed)
Walfrid Kujala
principle piccolo emeritus - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
I love the piece. It's beautiful, ... we need to find an orchestra to play it with. (Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra)
Alex Klein
principal oboe emeritus - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
... a major classical composer. (But user friendly!)
Glen Roven
four-time Emmy Award winner; CEO/Artistic Director - Roven Records
I have known Phil for over thirty years, and have found him to be an exceptional musician - his compositions are expressive, exhibit supreme craftsmanship, sensitivity to text, and while singable and playable, nearly always contain challenges for the performer. I urge colleagues around the globe to take a good look at Phil's work - it deserves to be played and sung!
Stephen Gothold
Music Director - Chorale Bel Canto, Los Angeles CA; Professor of Conducting - Claremont Graduate University; Professor of Music Emeritus - Whittier College
Phil Orem is a fresh voice as a composer for band. His works are sensitive, artistic, intellectual, and brilliantly scored. His works are also playable as he completely understands the band medium.
Michael Golemo, D.M.A.
Professor of Music, Director of Bands- Iowa State University
I so appreciate the music of Phil Orem, having performed both his band and choral music. His eclectic voice and deft touch lead him to create works that are both accessible and fresh, and his choices of text are inspired and inspiring.
Pete Nowlen
Director of Bands - University of California Davis; Artistic Director and Conductor - San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band; Artistic Director and Conductor - Camerata California Chamber Choir and Orchestra; Artistic Director - Music in the Mountains; Professor Emeritus of Horn and Chamber Music - Sacramento State University
... he certainly knows something about how to pace time, melody and harmony in an interesting and still emotionally 'present' way. Some passages clearly have the immediacy of theater and are generously direct/emotional, but there are lots of other things that show him to be a really knowledgeable musician and composer. (Requiem)
Stephen Blackwelder
Music Director and Conductor - Waukegan Symphony; Director - DePaul Community Chorus
I have found Phil Orem's music to be interesting, innovative, and very musical. He is a highly talented musician and I recommend his works without reservation.
Ralph Wilder
Professor of Clarinet and Saxophone - North Park University, Chicago; Founder and Director - Northwest Concert Band; Principal Clarinet - Evanston Symphony Orchestra
My 7/8 grade band thoroughly enjoyed this march! They related easily to the regal theme and made many connections to other artistic mediums and to their imaginations. Phil Orem does a splendid job of carefully crafting melodic ranges and orchestrations that enhance the mid-level group. I found this work (King and Queen March) to be a wonderful resource for teaching music through performance! The band learned this quickly and easily, which, for junior high, equals fun!
Sara McGovern
Instrumental Music Educator - Georgetown-Ridge Farm Schools, Georgetown, Illinois
Phil Orem's "I've Got Peace Like a River" is a regular part of our choral repertoire at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church. He has taken a simple spiritual and made a remarkable extended anthem from it. Particularly fine is the word-painting of each verse (especially "I've got pain like an arrow") and the way the piece takes you on an emotional journey. Phil Orem's writing has craft, sensitivity, creativity, and style!
James Biery
Minister of Music and Organist, Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
Mr. Phil Orem is a talented composer with a unique ability to bring the emotional content of a text - whether poetry, prose, or liturgy - to light. He writes music that is emotionally direct and honest; accessible, yet sophisticated; deep, yet unpretentious. His original settings pay homage to the words in a sensitive fashion and lift up their message in the way that music can and should. An accomplished musician and arranger, Mr. Orem's settings are written with a knowledge of the instrument's range, color, and tone. As a singer, I appreciate Mr. Orem's settings for their singability and musicality.
Vicky Glikin
Senior Cantor - Temple Emanu-El, Dallas, Texas
Phil Orem has written a gloriously original work for oboe and organ that is innovative and creative as well as idiomatic and listenable. It was well received at our 2016 premiere and we will definitely play it again.
Marilyn Perkins Biery, DMA, AAGO
Music Director at Fort Street Presbyterian Church, Detroit, Michigan
Orem, whose solo works for saxophone I've had the privilege to perform, represents a unique and refreshing voice in contemporary composition. While inventive and direct, his voice reflects an innocence and optimism sorely needed in the 21st century.
Dr. Jessica Maxfield
Artist-Teacher of Classical Saxophone - University of Southern California
Philip Orem writes intelligent and engaging music featuring jaunty rhythms, surprising harmonies, and Sondheim-like melodies, all interspersed with a wry humor.
Stephen Caplan
Professor of Oboe- University of Nevada Las Vegas; Principal Oboist -Las Vegas Philharmonic; Buffet Group USA Performing Artist
I was privileged to give the first public performance of "Three Psalms for Clarinet and Piano" at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL in October, 2015. It is a very enjoyable and audience-friendly work, with interesting rhythms and some not-too-scary extended techniques and special effects. "Out of the Depths" begins in a dark and moody place, but becomes more active and angular. The second movement includes a setting of Isaac Watt's hymn "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need", and could be suitable as a stand-alone piece for liturgical use, perhaps as a prelude. The third movement, "Make a Joyful Noise", includes many musical quotations, a taste of klezmer, some bluesy jazz, a couple of multiphonics, and some improvised sound effects, and is a ton of fun!
Susan D. Schwaegler
Instructor of Clarinet - Augustana College; Charter Member - Quad City Wind Ensemble
I have sung much of Philip Orem's music: The premier of a major song cycle with texts by Wendell Berry, an encore piece (again with text by Mr. Berry, which has consistently delighted audiences); I've conducted Mr. Orem's choral compositions and have been involved in the world premiere of his Ashira, A Musical Service for Cantor and Choir
The outstanding feature of Phil's vocal music is its singability -he knows the voice and writes excellently for it. His melodic lines are well crafted and always lyrical. He has a true sense of text and the drama thereof, never mis-setting the rhythm and stresses of the word, never failing to bring out its meaning and always honoring the poet in this way. His accompaniments are done with a true sense of humor (when humor is appropriate) and a serious flow when a serious flow is appropriate to the text. They never obscure the singer, rather compliment the singer and text regardless of tone and of the text. As with other fine vocal composers, Mr. Orem's accompaniments form a trio between the pianist, singer and the author.
Philip Orem is a most theatrical composer, sensitive to the voice, the poetry, and the poet's sense of what he has written and why.
Dr. Warren Fremling
baritone; Choir Director Emeritus
When the Caramoor Festival asked me to program and perform a holiday concert, I wanted to bring in some fresh repertoire and Orem delivered big time. I put together a set of his songs that included "How Far Is It?", "Holy Innocents" and "Gabriel's Message" to close. "Holy Innocents" is a magical addition to anyone's program. The vocal line is simply gorgeous and provides ample opportunity to present a spinning legato line and mezza voce. The melody is both soothing and dreamlike, the accompaniment like a running stream spinning the exquisite poetry. This is one of my favorite pieces to sing.
Wes Mason
baritone
AUDIO LINKS
Oseh Shalom from Ashira
CONTACT ME
Inquiries regarding commissions and purchases of compositions can be made through this site.
Published compositions can be accessed by clicking the links of the publishers listed after the piece. You may also find most of these compositions at Sheet Music Plus.com.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Email: