Rosśa Crean

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy during these chaotic times. Since being in Quarantine, I have been written musical miniatures for several musicians. My friend and collaborator, librettist Bea Goodwin, approached me with several small poems several weeks back, and I decided to create a cycle using those texts called "Nightingale Songs." 

Nightingale songs began as bits of poem pieces extracted from Bea's diaries during the fall of the Kavanaugh hearings. The image of Philomela & birds flew…

Mezzo-Soprano Emily Jaworski, pianist Chris Steele, and cellist Laura Siskin will be performing Rosśa Crean's "For Atticus, the Moonlight's Lover" as part of the lecture series "21st Century Art Song as Political Statement" at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on February 21, 2020 at 11:30 am. Crean wrote the piece as an abstract response to Putin's anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Russia.

Theodore Haddin Arts and Sciences Forum is an ongoing lecture series at UAB's College of Arts and Sciences. It is a venue for…

Rosśa Crean’s operatic monodrama “The Priestess of Morphine” pays homage to Marie-Madeleine, the Jewish lesbian erotic writer whose works were sought to be destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. Born Gertrud Gunther in 1881, Marie-Madeleine published her first novel “Auf Kypros” at the age of 19, and by the end of her life published 46 works. Sapphic themes, as well as her tumultuous relationship with morphine, were the central theme of much of her work. All of this was further complicated by her…

Clarinetist Andy Hudson will give the world premiere of Rosśa's cycle for clarinet and stomp boxes titled "Hellville," inspired by the artwork of Thomas Ott's graphic novel "Greetings from Hellville." This homage to surrealism takes place at 7:30pm on February 13, 2020 at Tew Recital Hall at UNCG. This concert also includes works by Anna Meadors, Sean Mulcahy, and Asher Sizemore.

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Rosśa has announced an open call for scores from composers interested in writing for bass voice, either solo, with a solo instrument, or with experimental prerecorded or live electronics. For anyone interested, please send scores to ross@rosscrean.com with the subject heading "Call for Scores".

Duration of piece is open, though 2-5 minute pieces are preferred.

Any language (or no language) is good!

For information about what Rosśa is looking for vocally, please look here: Rossa_Crean_Voice_Info.pdf

The next installment of Rosśa Crean Presents features the world premiere of their newest opera "The Harbingers" on Halloween Night 2019 at the historic Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago. Created with librettist Kendra Leonard, the acapella opera tells the story of several harbingers of death who convene on Halloween Night to judge the fate of a recently departed soul.

A performance of Crean's "Twilight Lifts the Veil: an unaccompanied song cycle for All Hallows Eve" will open the evening, performed by soprano…

The International Museum of Surgical Science presents the newest work from composer Rosśa Crean and librettist Aiden Kim Feltkamp. “The Priestess of Morphine” informs and pays tribute to Jewish lesbian erotic writer Marie-Madeleine, whose works the Nazis attempted to destroy during World War II. Much of her work was seen as “contrary to societal standards on morality,” including Sapphic themes and odes to her dependence on morphine. Tickets can be bought HERE!

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE:

Marie-Madeleine was a…

Rosśa's commission for The New Consort, an American Prize winning ensemble in Chamber Music, is being premiered April 5th through 7th, 2019 in both Connecticut and New York. "The Watchtower Psalms," a multi-movement work for five voices, was inspired by the Enochian experiments in angelic communication by John Dee and Edward Kelley in the 17th Century. Tickets can be bought HERE!

Rosśa explains the background behind their creation of this piece:

"Since I was 18, I have had a fascination with the 16th…

Rosśa will be a resident artist at Illinois State University this coming March through the Arts Technology and Music Departments. They will premiering three new pieces on March 28th, 2019, at the Center of Performing Arts, and all pieces will involve electro-acoustic elements. They will be sharing this opportunity with baritone Matthan Black!

"Schöne Gespielin" (Exquisite Playmate): From Sonnet 25 of the First Part of Rilke’s “Sonnets to Orpheus.” In memory of young Vera Knoop, who died aged 18. She had…

Audio from Ross' song cycle for unaccompanied voice, "Twilight Lifts the Veil," is now available under the COMPOSER link. Written for All Hallows Eve, and performed by the extraordinary soprano Katherine Bruton, the cycle was recorded and filmed at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, IL on October 31st, 2018. Recorded by Daniel Johanson and directed by Maureen Smith. Sheet music is available HERE!