Ep. 138 - Composing a Living - Dale Trumbore & Brandon Elliott

“Going into high school, I did everything possible to avoid the performing arts. My vice principal called me into the office and said, ‘you can’t have an open period. I’m gonig to put you in choir.’ Within weeks, it became a life-changing experience for me – I discovered a community, a way to express myself. I knew by the end of my junior year in high school that this is what I wanted to do.” - Brandon Elliott

“If you are coming as a conductor to composing, you already have a resource that a lot of composers lack. You know what your singers need. You have already identified a lack in the repertoire that you’re looking for, something that you might fill as a composer. If you can get into that mindset with your own ensemble, you’ll be so ready, so prepared to take that on for other groups.” - Dale Trumbore

Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been called “devastatingly beautiful” (The Washington Post) and praised for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies deployed with finesse” (The New York Times). Trumbore's compositions have been performed widely in the U.S. and internationally by Atlanta Master Chorale, the Chicago Symphony's MusicNOW ensemble, Conspirare and the Miró Quartet, Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Youth Choir of Scotland, Pasadena Symphony, Phoenix Chorale, and Seraphic Fire.

Trumbore is the recipient of ACDA’s inaugural Raymond W. Brock Competition for Professional Composers, an ASCAP Morton Gould Award, and a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant. She has written extensively about working through creative blocks and establishing a career in music in essays and in two books, Composing a Living (cowritten with Brandon Elliott) and Staying Composed. Learn more about Trumbore’s music and writing at daletrumbore.com.

Dr. Brandon Elliott is a conductor, educator, and consultant specializing in creative and strategic leadership in the arts and entertainment industry. He is a Professor of Music at Saddleback College and Founder & Artistic Director of Choral Arts Initiative, an award-winning ensemble dedicated to contemporary choral music. A sought-after consultant and Fulbright Specialist, he advises on artist management, organizational change, career development, and the evolving music industry.

To get in touch with Dale, you can visit her website, daletrumbore.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter. To get in touch with Brandon, visit his website, brandon-elliott.com, which also provides links to his social media accounts.

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Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson