New recording of "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" (and an update!)

Added on by Patrick Greene.

Hey there! As you can probably tell, it’s been awhile. I have been focusing on a pretty major career overhaul for the past couple of years, so I’ve had to shift professional priorities a bit.

I’m absolutely not giving up on music, though. I’m actually writing music almost every single day—even more than I used to! But I’m just doing it for my own mental health and happiness, as I don’t have the bandwidth at the moment to pursue larger commissions etc.

I will be back, though. I miss working with singers, orchestras, conductors. I miss working on huge new projects with amazing people. Once I’m back to a phase of my life where I can bring my full self to those sorts of things again, I will.

Anyway, the Chapel Singers of Trinity College just released an exquisite album that features my setting of The Lord Bless You and Keep You alongside tons of other wonderful music. You should give it a listen! It’s available on Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.

Emergence: Program Note

Added on by Patrick Greene.

Emergence premieres on Zoom on April 11! Stay tuned for more details on my Performances page as it gets closer. Here’s the program note!

Like so many others living through this bizarre COVID-19 period, I’ve spent much of the past year inside a sort of cocoon. So much changed so quickly. We shifted our lives to make sure our children were safe, our livelihoods secure, our parents protected. And music, that lifeblood so many of us rely on, felt like it vanished for awhile. This commission, from my friend and collaborator Ann Bobo for her gifted student Alicia Kim, was a personal emergence for me: the first project I worked on since COVID-19 changed everything.

But the title also refers to something Ms. Kim wanted the piece to express: self discovery. The ending of Emergence is unwritten; I’ve supplied some colors for her palette, but other than that the ending is completely up to the performer. It is my hope that this act of spontaneous composition gives Ms. Kim an opportunity to end the piece on her terms each time she plays it.
— Patrick Greene, 2021