Ellen Gilson Voth

Active as a conductor and composer, Dr. Ellen Gilson Voth is proud to be aligned with Graphite Publishing. She credits her years of teaching experience and her performing experience as a keyboard artist as important influences on her composing career, and her passion for writing for the human voice.

Praised for music that is “superbly crafted”, Voth’s commissions include works for CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists), Cantilena: a Women’s Chorale (Arlington, MA), Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choirs (Boston, MA), Central Bucks West High School (Doylestown, PA), New Haven Chorale (New Haven, CT), Children’s Aid Society Chorus (New York, NY), Greater Middletown Chorale (Middletown, CT), Perkiomen Valley High School (Collegeville, PA), Ellington High School Choirs (Ellington, CT) and the Boston Children’s Chorus (Boston, MA). Other works have been premiered or performed by VOCE (Hartford, CT), Novi Cantori (Springfield, MA), The Choral Art Society (Portland, ME), and the Princeton Singers at the Lehigh University choral composers’ forum (Bethlehem, PA). Voth was a finalist in the 2020 ACDA Brock competition for professional composers, and the 2020 winner of the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium. Her opera Owl Moon, based on Jane Yolen’s award-winning book, was premiered by Hartford Opera Theater and later featured at the national Music by Women festival (Columbus, MS) in 2018. Her wide-ranging interest in poetry is reflected in her art song settings championed by professional singers throughout New England.

Currently Voth serves as Artistic Director of the Farmington Valley Chorale based in Simsbury, CT, a symphonic chorale of 80-100 members. For seven years she served as Artistic Director of Novi Cantori, a professional chamber choir of greater Springfield, MA – known for its innovative programming and workshops for composers refining works-in-progress. She has taught at Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT); Westfield State University (Westfield, MA); Western New England University (Springfield, MA); Gordon College (Wenham, MA); and Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY). Active as a guest conductor and adjudicator, she sings regularly with CONCORA, and performs frequently as a pianist and organist.

Voth received her doctoral degree (DMA) from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. She and her family live in West Hartford, CT.

www.ellengilsonvoth.net


Compositions by Ellen Gilson Voth

Across the empty square

Ellen Gilson Voth mixed choir, Difficulty : 4, piano, 3-5 min.

Across the empty square (C inst.)

Ellen Gilson Voth mixed choir, Difficulty : 4, 1-2 instruments, piano, 3-5 min.

Across the empty square (String Orchestra)

Ellen Gilson Voth mixed choir, Difficulty : 4, large ensemble, 3-5 min.

As night and morning meet (high)

Ellen Gilson Voth high voice, Difficulty : 3, piano, 3-5 min.

As night and morning meet (low)

Ellen Gilson Voth low voice, Difficulty : 3, piano, 3-5 min.

As night and morning meet (medium high)

Ellen Gilson Voth medium voice, Difficulty : 3, piano, 3-5 min.

Standing Tall (SA)

Ellen Gilson Voth treble choir, Difficulty : 2, piano

Standing Tall (SAB)

Ellen Gilson Voth 3-part mixed, Difficulty : 2, piano

Standing Tall (SATB)

Ellen Gilson Voth mixed choir, Difficulty : 3, piano

Standing Tall (SSAA)

Ellen Gilson Voth treble choir, Difficulty : 3, piano

The Harbor and the Sea

Ellen Gilson Voth treble choir, Difficulty : 4, piano

The Harbor and the Sea (with Bb clarinet)

Ellen Gilson Voth treble choir, Difficulty : 4, 1-2 instruments, piano

The things which I have seen...

Ellen Gilson Voth tb choir, Difficulty : 2, piano, less than 3 min.

1: (Easy) No divisi in voice parts, accompaniment doubles or supports vocal parts, diatonic, symmetrical phrases, textures mostly homophonic, simple rhythms, stepwise voice leading (conjunct), moderate ranges, no extended techniques, and limited sustained singing.

2: (Medium Easy) Limited divisi, voices somewhat independent from accompaniment, some chromatics, phrases may be longer or more fragmented, mostly homophonic, moderate rhythmic complexity, some difficult intervals (disjunct motion), moderate ranges, extended techniques are simple, limited sustained singing.

3. (Medium) Limited divisi, unaccompanied, or with independent accompaniment (voice parts not doubled), many chromatics, phrases of varying lengths, more contrapuntal textures, moderately complex rhythms, some difficult intervals (disjunct motion), moderately difficult/challenging ranges, extended techniques are potentially challenging, and some sustained singing.

4. (Medium Difficult) Abundant divisi, unaccompanied, or accompanying instruments are fully independent from voice parts, many chromatics and/or key changes, long and/or broken phrases, potentially little homophony, complex rhythms, many difficult intervals (disjunct motion), difficult/challenging ranges, potentially difficult extended techniques, and a demand for sustained singing.

5. (Difficult) Adundant divis, unaccompanied, or accompanying instruments are fully independent from voice parts, many chromatics and/or key changes, long and/or broken phrases, potentially little homophony, complex rhythms, extreme ranges, use of challenging or unusual extended vocal techniques, abundant sustained singing.