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Composer Page for Karen P. Thomas

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Karen P. Thomas Karen P. Thomas is a prize-winning composer and conductor, based in Seattle. Her compositions are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and by Karen P Thomas Music (KarenPThomas.com), and performed internationally by groups such as The Hilliard Ensemble, The Vocal Consort of Brussels, NOTUS, and Cathedra of the Washington National Cathedral.

Recipient of the 2018 Mayor’s Arts Award for Seattle, her numerous commissions include works for the Harvard/Radcliffe Choirs, the Grand Jubilee in Rome, the American Guild of Organists, and the Association of Anglican Musicians, and have been praised as “…superb work of the utmost sensitivity and beauty.” She has received grants from the NEA, The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and Meet the Composer, among numerous others, and was awarded the 2015 Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America and the American Composers Forum.

As the Artistic Director and Conductor of Seattle Pro Musica, she has produced 13 critically-acclaimed recordings, and received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP-Chorus America Award. Named the Washington State “Outstanding Choral Director” for 2012, she has been lauded for her “charismatic…magnetic podium presence” and “sweeping vision.” She has conducted at international festivals in Europe and North America, and currently serves on the boards of Chorus America and the American Choral Directors Association.

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The Singer’s Path – Voicing: SSAA  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 15:00  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Sara Teasdale  Language: English  Descriptive Terms: Life, Journey, Song, Freedom  First Performance: May 21, 2016 : Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco, Susan McMane, San Francisco Conservatory of Music    Text SettingComposer’s NotesSource for Scores(P:E 242/1550~2021-Q2)
Birds at Winter Nightfall – Voicing: SATB  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 3:00  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Thomas Hardy  Language: English  Seasonal/Liturgical Use: Winter, Winter Solstice  Descriptive Terms: Birds, Nature, Snow, Winter  First Performance: Dec 07, 2018: Harvard Glee Club and Radcliffe Choral Society, Andrew Clarck, Sanders Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts    Text SettingComposer’s NotesSource for Scores(P:E 242/1110~2020-Q2)
Beauty is before me – Voicing: SATB  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 3:30  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Navajo prayer  Language: English  Descriptive Terms: Affirmation, Hope, Native American, Nature, Prayer  First Performance: Jan 30, 2010: University Unitarian Choir, Karen P. Thomas, University Unitarian Church, Seattle, WA    Text SettingSource for Scores(P:E 242/658~2017-Q2)
Wild Nights – Voicing: SSAA  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 6:30  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Emily Dickinson  Language: English  Seasonal/Liturgical Use: Weddings, Valentine’s Day  Descriptive Terms: Heart, Love, Night, Passion, Sea  First Performance: Feb 02, 2013: Chroma of Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, Richmond Beach Congregational Church, Shoreline, WA    Text SettingSource for Scores(P:E 242/294~2015-Q2)
Lux Lucis – Voicing: SSA  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 10:00  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Hildegard von Bingen  Language: Latin  Seasonal/Liturgical Use: Blessed Virgin Mary  Descriptive Terms: Hildegard, Light, Nature, Spirit, Sun  First Performance: Mar 08, 2003: Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, Town Hall, Seattle, WA, USA    Text SettingSource for Scores(P:E 242/243)
Yonati (O my dove) – Voicing: SATB  Instrumentation: Unaccompanied  Performance Length: 5:00  Notation: Standard  Text Source: Song of Songs  Language: Hebrew  Seasonal/Liturgical Use: Weddings  Descriptive Terms: Dove, Jewish, Love, Romance, Song of Songs  First Performance: May 14, 2010: Seattle Pro Musica, Karen P. Thomas, St. James Cathedral, Seattle, WA    Text SettingSource for Scores(P:E 242/244)
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