Churchill’s War « drewschnurr.com

Drew Schnurr is a composer, sound artist, and performer from Los Angeles whose work blurs traditional lines in music, media, and sound.

As a composer for media, Drew has produced music and sonic branding for numerous world brands and media conglomerates. He is also an active concert composer and sound artist with a diverse range of international commissions and exhibits.

Revered by his peers, industry professionals, and critics, his work has been called both “rare” and “remarkable.”

“This composer bends and stretches rules within his own aesthetic, weaving his musical ideas in harmonious waves that threaten to drown, yet gently tumble the listener forward with intrigue and anticipation.” -Adam Rosenthal review for Persee: Orchestrated Perception

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Churchill’s War

for Orchestra [cat. sc24]

3(III=picc).3(III=corA).3(III=cl,bcl).3(III=dbn) – 4.4(IV=picc.tpt).3(III=btbn).1 – timp.perc(4) – pft-cel – STRINGS

I. We Shall Fight (0:00-5:52)
II. Burgeon of Strength (5:53-9:17)
III. Noble Morn (9:18-14:20)
IV. The March (14:05-19:06)

CHURCHILL’S WAR for Orchestra is the next in my series of works in the realm of music and speech, exploring the inward affect of their shared physical traits (pitch, rhythm, and amplitude). The piece highlights Churchill’s stirring vocal performance during one of his most important World War 2 speeches, using in the composition melodies inspired by Churchill’s vocal inflections. Occasionally, orchestral sonorities are combined with processed recordings of the speech, weaving together sonic textures and illuminations, viscerally re-contextualizing Churchill’s oration while revealing connections between melody and text.

The musical formations evoke what most importantly binds music and speech together; that is, their common ability to powerfully inspire and transform internal states of feeling in listeners. This piece illustrates the strong connection between the two cultural phenomena. At the same time, it is a tribute to a great speech by a great man who stood his ground, a man who changed the course of human history by the power, and music, of his words.

DREW SCHNURR (2013)

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listen to CHURCHILL'S WAR

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Confessions Distribution

05/21/19

Breaking Glass Pictures acquires world rights to Eco-Terrorist: The Battle for our Planet by Peter Jay Brown with music by Drew Schnurr—a follow-up to the 2010 feature documentary Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist.

deadline.com | announcement

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Ascent of Weavers at MACO

05/17/19

Ascent of Weavers, a visual-music film by Rebeca Méndez in collaboration with Drew Schnurr at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Exhibits from November 30, 2018 to May 17, 2019.

info @ rebecamendezstudio.com/Ascent-of-Weavers

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#ARCH1 Prototype

05/15/19

A virtual architecture by Drew Schnurr, the #ARCH1 (Augmented Reality Concert Hall no.1) prototype was completed on May 15, 2019. Research assistants and producers on the project include Rachel Lanik Whelan and Jacob Thede with programming by Ian Afflerbach.

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Assistant Professor of Composition at University of North Texas

04/16/18

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Churchill’s War Premiere

04/02/17

West Coast premiere of Drew Schnurr’s Churchill’s War for orchestra. Performed by OCOC conducted by David Rentz.