Collaboration
“Ann has this magic quality that somehow makes composers want to write for her, because not only does she perform their songs, she invests in them, physically, emotionally, personally. ”
COVID COLLABORATIONS
Here are some of the collaborative projects I’ve engaged in during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The majority are self-produced projects that rely on crowdfunding revenue.
Some projects are facilitated by an Artist to Artist Exchange wherein collaborators donate artistic services to one another in order to achieve a shared creative goal.
VIDEO RELEASE
JOHN HARBISON: The Rewaking
Live Recording with the Hausmann Quartet
Release Date: November 12-15, 2020
Produced and financed by the Hausmann Quartet Foundation
Soundtrack recording
SUNDANCE DOCUMENTARY — USERS
with KRONOS QUARTET & CLAIRE CHASE
A Sundance Film Festival world premiere and recipient of the U.S. Documentary Directing Award, Natalia Almada’s Users is a deeply ruminative work that ponders the omnipresence of technology and its relationship to both developing brains and our broader connection to the world around us.
Dave Cerf – Sound Design
Soundtrack Featuring: Kronos Quartet, Claire Chase, Ann Moss
Release Date: February, 2021
VIdeo release
RICKY IAN GORDON: Too Few the Mornings Be
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
Featuring Jennifer Reason, piano
Sound Design: Alberto Hernandez
Cinematography: Marlon Aldana
Release Date: April 25, 2021
Self-Produced, Crowdfunded
NPR BROADCAST
CapRADIO SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
with JUSTIN OUELLET & JENNIFER REASON
An eclectic program spanning from Grieg to Ricky Ian Gordon to Ouellet’s own music. Vignettes of the Pandemic from the artist’s perspective: what challenged us, what inspired us, what we lost and what we learned and what we will take forward into an uncertain future, with a sense of hope.
Release Date: July 23, 2021
Click on the image above to listen to the Radio Broadcast, complete with artist interviews. Or watch video selections from the performance below.
ALBUM RELEASE
Lifeline – MUSIC OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN
Full length album, recorded in isolation, featuring an array of long-distance collaborators
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Self-Produced, Crowdfunded
ALBUM RELEASE
Some Women’s Voices - SONGS BY DON WALKER
Full length album of settings of American women poets.
Release Date: Summer, 2022
Karen Rosenak, Piano; Jeff Kolhede, Producer/Engineer, 25th Street Studios in Oakland
Artist to Artist exchange
SINGLE RELEASE
with JUSTIN OUELLET & KEV CHOICE
Motivation - String and Piano Version
Release Date: Aug 25, 2022
Self-Produced, Crowdfunded
Single Release
with KEV CHOICE
The Distance - written to commemorate the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing
Projected Release Date: April 15, 2023
Self-Produced, Crowdfunded
TEACHING-ARTIST
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT
Online seminars, workshops and final performance of new student works
Spring Semester, 2021
Supported by the University of Michigan and composer Griffin Candey
TEACHING-ARTIST
FRESNO STATE UNIVERSITY COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT
Online seminars, workshops and final performance of new student works
Fall 2020 and Spring 2021
Supported by the Student Composers’ Guild at CSU Fresno
TEACHING ARTIST
SAN DIEGO STATE VOICE & OPERA DEPARTMENT
Online coaching, seminars and masterclasses culminating in performances of songs and duets by Ricky Ian Gordon.
Spring Semester, 2021
TEACHING ARTIST
DHS OVATION THEATER PROGRAM
Online and in-person coaching sessions, workshops, seminars and group share-sessions focused on embodied singing, cultivating physical self-awareness during performance, and developing stage presence for young performers.
Winter 2021 – Spring 2022
“Ann Moss is a superb artist. Every phrase she sings is imbued with expression and character. Her musicianship is rock-solid. Her enthusiasm and generosity toward living composers is a shining example of musical citizenship. It is a privilege for me to count her as a frequent collaborator.”
PODCASTs & INTERVIEWS
S2:E1 of 1 Track Podcast — Host Anthony Joseph Lanman asks composers and performers of new music: “If someone was interested in getting to know your music and you only had ONE track to play for them, what track would that be?” In S2:E1 we discuss FULL FATHOM FIVE by Liam Wade from my album Love Life.
Garrett Hope started The Portfolio Composer to help creative artists achieve their goals and thrive in their art form. Interviews serve as masterclasses on building a career and achieving success as a composer. In Episode 55, we discuss the importance of meeting deadlines and providing value through partnerships.
In the inaugural episode of exCHANGE, the official podcast of CMASH, John Grimmett speaks with me and Isaac Allen, of the Hausmann Quartet, about my debut album Currents.
“As someone who mostly writes vocal music from the text outwards, Ann’s instrument is a gift - for a voice so high, it is astonishingly clear.”
NEW WORKS
…what’s happening?
A work for unaccompanied voice by David Howell. An aural depiction of anxiety. There is a fragile build-up of fear that ultimately bursts unto the sound of a full-fledged panic attack, as imagined for the coloratura soprano voice. And then... it stops, and then comes the process of getting grounded again, tentatively, uncertainly piecing together what just happened.
David Howell (b. 1986) is a British writer of vocal melodies and accompanying text. Guided by the distinct perspective of his autistic perception, he aims to make creative and respectful use of individual voices, an ethos that has inspired collaborations with multiple singers across the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE: February 7, 2019 in Cleveland, OH as part of the Cleveland Opera Theater New Opera Works {NOW} Festival
WEST COAST PREMIERE: March 1, 2020 in San Francisco as part of the Hot Air Festival
Fox Songs
Song cycle by Griffin Candey on texts by Jane Hirshfield, Caki Wilkinson, and Anastasia Pennington-Flax. Written for & co-premiered by Alex Nowakowski and Ann Moss.
WORLD CO-PREMIERES:
February 7, 2019 in Berea, OH as part of Cleveland Opera Theater’s [NOW] Festival; Ann Moss, soprano with pianist Jake Heggie
April, 2019 as part of Vocal Arts DC; Alex Nowakowski, soprano with pianist Rob Ainsley
THE DISTANCE
Launching on April 15, 2023 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, THE DISTANCE celebrates long-distance runners and the inspiration we all gain from witnessing their trials and triumphs.
https://annmoss.bandcamp.com/track/the-distance
Proceeds from sales will go to support the ongoing work of LIMBS FOR LIFE FOUNDATION, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to providing fully-functional prosthetic care for individuals who cannot otherwise afford it and raising awareness of the challenges facing amputees.
Written to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, THE DISTANCE was composed and performed by Oakland-based pianist/emcee Kev Choice with vocals co-conceived and performed by soprano Ann Moss.
WORLD PREMIERE: April 15, 2018 in Oakland, CA
SINGLE RELEASE: April 15, 2023 Worldwide
Hard Stones
A song cycle for soprano and piano by Griffin Candey on poems by Lisa DeSiro, composed to commemorate the 5-year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. DeSiro’s poetry was written during the events of the bombing and subsequent manhunt. Initiated during a 2017 summer residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute, the cycle was completed in February, 2018.
WORLD PREMIERE: April 6, 2018 in Weston, MA with pianist Lois Shapiro
WEST COAST PREMIERE: April 15, 2018 in Oakland, CA with pianist Steven Bailey
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES: April 27, 2019 in Somerville, MA with pianist Lois Shapiro
“If freelance gigs are the bread and butter of my performance output, collaboration and co-commission projects are the meat of my artistic life. Creating new works, presenting innovative concert programs — THIS is what I’m in it for.”
MADRIGALS FOR THE SEASONS
A song cycle for soprano and piano by David Conte with texts by Emily Dickinson, John Clare, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Blake.
WORLD PREMIERE: April 2, 2018 in San Francisco with pianist Steven Bailey
EAST COAST PREMIERE: April 6, 2018 in Weston, MA with pianist Lois Shapiro
"Though I am a long-time happy resident of California, I am a transplanted Midwesterner, so I have vivid memories of the sharp contrast of character that each season brings. These musical settings were inspired by these memories, which are sharper and more poignant when one lives in a climate without strongly demarcated seasons." —David Conte
alcosser song — Lament: Verse III
A song cycle for soprano and string quartet by Bay Area composer Garrett Shatzer with bespoke poetry by Sandra Alcosser, in collaboration with the Hausmann Quartet.
WORLD PREMIERE: September 25, 2018 at San Diego State University
Finite Differences
A long-form narrative song cycle for soprano & string quartet based on the life and work of Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer. Composed by Kenneth D. Froelich with libretto by John Grimmett for Ann Moss and the Hausmann Quartet.
WORLD PREMIERE: October 29, 2016 at California State University Fresno. A professional recording is anticipated.
To listen and learn more visit this link: FINITE DIFFERENCES
“Our shared vision is for this work to serve as a platform to raise awareness of the need for greater gender inclusivity in STEM subjects, and to support civic activism that advocates empowerment of women and girls through access to science education.”
“Ann’s innate sense of bringing music and text to life makes her a true master of her craft”
Regrets Only
A song cycle for soprano and cello by composer/librettist John Grimmett in collaboration with cellist Emil Miland.
WORLD PREMIERE: February 27, 2016 in Brisbane, CA. A professional recording is anticipated.
To listen and learn more visit this link: REGRETS ONLY
"One morning over breakfast, Ann and I found ourselves mulling on the myriad forms of written exchanges we circulate, preserve, or perhaps will ourselves to forget, over the course of a lifetime. How do we ever expect to capture human sentiment? REGRETS ONLY is a collection of ten vignettes that coalesce into a larger experience in an attempt to answer that question. I hope this cycle allows you, the listener, to laugh, to cry, to think, to stand in wonder at what it means to be human." —John Grimmett
Down the Deep Stair
A monodrama for soprano and string quartet incorporating stage lighting and movement, based on the late theater and prose writings of Samuel Beckett, composed by Jared Redmond in collaboration with the Lydian Quartet. WORLD PREMIERE: May 7, 2017 at Brandeis University. To listen visit: DOWN THE DEEP STAIR
Jacob and Rachel
A full-scale oratorio for solo vocal quartet, chorus and orchestra by composer Miriam Miller, with original Hebrew text from the Tanakh. A demo recording was made of select movements in November 2016. Next stages involve securing grant funding and other resources to launch a full-scale professional performance.
ERBSENSUPPENLIEDER
A song cycle on texts of Heinrich Heine by Vartan Aghababian in collaboration with pianist Steven Bailey.
WORLD PREMIERE: October 16, 2015 in Cambridge, MA as part of the Longy School of Music Gessner-Schocken Recital Series
MAME LOSHN
A cycle of five songs for soprano, viola, and piano by Miriam Miller on Yiddish poetry written by the composer’s grandmother, Sarah Traister Moskovitz, an acclaimed Yiddish poet and translator. The Yiddish-language poems in Mame Loshn reflect the pioneering work Sarah did as a psychologist treating trauma and PTSD in child survivors of the Holocaust.
WORLD PREMIERE: 2010 in Port Townsend, WA
To learn more visit: MAME LOSHN
SILVER APPLES
“Silver Apples traces the energetic journey of one full cycle of the moon, from the innocence of a new moon through the lunacy and gravity of the waxing and full moon, returning again to the clarity of the new moon. Wade’s eclectic settings incorporate elements of blues, rag-time, Boulanger piano exercises, and even the sound of a cat walking on the keyboard, while his writing for Moss allows her to explore every corner and color of her varied vocal palette, from high-flying coloratura fireworks to Swedish-Chef inspired scat singing to a dog’s mournful howl, and even a hint of Vincent Price style narration.”
4 POEMS OF EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
A song cycle for coloratura soprano and string quartet by Liam Wade on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
WORLD PREMIERE: 2008 in San Francisco, CA
To listen and learn more visit this link: EDNA SONGS
PRACTICE YOUR FLAMENCO
A song for voice and guitar by composer/songwriter/lyricist Weslie Brown in collaboration with flamenco specialist Jeremy Garcia.
WORLD PREMIERE: 2008 in Fresno, CA
COMMERCIAL RELEASE: 2013, CURRENTS (Angels Share Records)
SEVEN SONGS
A song cycle for soprano and string quartet by Vartan Aghababian on poetry of Wilfrid Wilson Gibson.
WORLD PREMIERE: 2003 in Cambridge, MA
WEST COAST PREMIERE: 2008 in San Francisco, CA with the Yeager Quartet
COMMERCIAL RELEASE: 2013, CURRENTS (Angels Share Records) with the Hausmann Quartet
“Vartan and I began work on Seven Songs in the early winter of 2002, as our country was entering into armed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. With imagery ranging from soldiers in trenches, to wives and mothers on the home front, to the plight of veterans returning home to broken lives, this powerful work evokes compassion for those who have given their lives or lost loved ones in the past, and challenges us to question our modern military actions and motivations.“ —Ann Moss
To listen and learn more visit this link: SEVEN SONGS
“The good fortune of having Ann Moss sing my compositions is like that of a violinist who has been given a Stradivarius to perform on.”