Bettina Gray: Music Resume

 

Composition, Orchestration and Arranging



  1. LIGHT: Chorus and bowed vibraphone, (SSAATTB). Initial reading by Princeton Singers, Leigh University Composer's Forum. Patrick Vu, vibraphone. Steven Sametz conductor. June 2023.

 



  1. I Was Singing: SATB with and pre-recorded elements, created during Covid 19 quarantines. Based on the poem "Singing" by Gary Turchin. Vocal quartet: Lauren Carley, Jennifer Ashworth, Kevin Baum, James Monios and added vocal and spoken segments from the Tremolos Parkinson's Singing Group.  2021.


  1. Sunrise: Orchestration of work by Sergei Taneyev performed by Slavyanka Russian Chorus in San Francisco’s Russian Choral Festival, October 22, 2017, November 2019.


  2. Polovetsian Dances: arrangement of the Polovetsian Dances from the Opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. For SATB Chorus, Flute, Violin, Piano, Percussion. Performed by Slavyanka Russian Chorus, January 22, 2017


  3. At The Un-National Monument: Setting of poem by William Stafford for Tenor, Cello, Violin.  First Performance on tour, Costa Rica, August, 2014. 


  4. Contra-Dances: for violin, cello, oboe and piano.  Completed for the 2012 Rapido Composition competition.


  5. Religions, Power & Violence: sound track for DVD of same title, produced for World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland, 2004.


  6. Parliament of Souls: title music for the 27-part public television interview series, 1994.


  7. Memoir of the Century: music composed for Arts Exhibition "Memoir of the Century" by visual artist Feliks Topolski, located at the South Banks Art Centre, Hungerford Arches, London.


  8. in just: commissioned by San Francisco Boys Chorus and based on the poetry of e. e. cummings, first performance in 1990 at the International Choral Music Festival, British Columbia and subsequently taken on tour for the 1990 season.

  9. Birth and Bonding: music for national award winning educational film on childbirth and early parental/infant bonding 1978.


  10. Other works: Orchestrations (Bartok Mikro Kosomos), music for children's theater, solo vocal and instrumental works and arrangements.

   

    Composer-in-Residence, Slavyanka Chorus, San Francisco, CA 2017 - 2023




Teaching:


Private and class instructor in piano, voice, composition, music theory and orchestration.





Recipient of Yamaha Music Corporation's Outstanding Teacher award. Selected by Yamaha Music International to research and develop curriculum for early music education program in the US. 


Music Theory Coach for Oakland Youth Chorus.


Youth Music Director, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Oakland


Guest lecturer - Undergraduate Composer’s Club, University of California, Berkeley


Judge for international composition competitions including “Simply Stunning.”  (77 entries from 24 countries) and “Mosaic” student composition contest for North Carolina chapter of Music Teachers National Association.

   

Judge for Kastalsky International Choral Composers Competition, Moscow Conservatory. 2018, 2020, 2023.




Music Education:


Early music studies and performance in piano from the age of 5, clarinet (age 9), voice (age 14).  Extensive performance experience in both instrumental and choral ensembles.  Undergraduate studies in music and music education, University of Kansas - piano emphasis with additional instructional studies in winds, brass, percussion and strings.


Graduated with B.A. (Voice) from California State University, Hayward.


Post graduate studies in music composition, orchestration and theory with master composer David Sheinfeld, and in piano with Roy Bogus.  Participant in the American Choral Directors Assoc. (ACDA) master class in choral writing under the direction of Ēriks Ešenvalds and Steven Sametz.


Musical performance experience with conductors Seji Ozawa, Harold Carter, Denis DeCoteau, Paul Salamunovich, Ernst Knell. and Irina Shachneva.


Independent study: Student observer with London Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. Electronic compositional techniques and studio production with John Whiting, [sound producer for Electric Phoenix]. Additional instrumental training in flute, oboe, guitar, violin and french horn.



Conducting the Primavera Quartet on Costa Rica tour.