Diana Woolner Music

IN PARADISUM by Diana Woolner premieres tonight, 5pm PST / 8pm EST! Here is the concert link on YouTube. Hope you can join us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gnmkc-jXM "INNER SPACE is the newest realization of C3LA's inventive approach to virtual choral performance and unique artist collaborations. This concert will look inward, exploring themes of mental health, loneliness, grief, and prayer, and will be interpreted via live-streamed dance, painting, and puppetry.... Featuring C3LA composers and artist collaborators: Jaco Wong - Niko Alburn, Painter/Movement Artist Vera Lugo - Jasmine Sugar, Dancer/Choreographer Diana Woolner - Miranda Kahn, Experimental Paper Artist Fahad Siadat - André Megerdichian, Choreographer & Catalina Jackson-Urueña, Dancer"

Save the date! Saturday December 12th, 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST @c3lachoir - First of 3 concerts scheduled for this year. Livestreamed, of course (link in bio), until it is safe to perform in person however, we WILL have live performers, interpreting each piece! My new vocal ensemble piece, IN PARADISUM, will have its world premiere, alongside original new works from @fahad.siadat @verafrances and @jaco.wong . It’s an honor to be featured alongside these particular C3LA me...mber composersvast talent in each of them. IN PARADISUM will feature a LIVE PERFORMANCE by shadow puppeteer @mirandaspaperart . The imagery I’ve seen so far and shared on my stories is gorgeous. Livestream concert link in my bio - follow the link and you can set a reminder on YouTube! Don’t miss this unique concert experience and collaboration, between musicians and artists! #newmusic #choir #vocalmusic #vocalensemble #worldpremiere #composer #classicalmusic #artcollaboration #multimedia

CONCERT CHANGE: C3LA is now having its concert, Inner Space, on Sat Dec 12 at 5pm PST, one week later. So my new work, In Paradisum, will be premiered on Dec 12, not Dec 5 as previously mentioned. I’ll update the old post so it’s clear. And now I have the YouTube livestream concert link to share! https://youtu.be/i7gnmkc-jXM... You can hit REMINDER after you follow the link to YouTube, and it will make sure you don’t miss it.

Saturday, December 12th, 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST - livestream on YouTube WORLD PREMIERE of IN PARADISUM by Diana Woolner, for mixed chorus - performed by C3LA: Contemporary Choral Collective of Los Angeles - featuring LIVE SHADOW PUPPETRY by Miranda Kahn. This Fall has simultaneously flown by and been incredibly slow. But here we are, in mid-November already! Phew. 2020, I won't miss you. No offense. ... "In Paradisum" (Into Paradise) is a gorgeous chant that I have sung over 100 times during funeral services. It is typically sung towards the end of the service, when the casket is being taken out of the church. Because I used to sing it a cappella, I thought it would be a unique and challenging experience to arrange it for 8-part harmony. Written over a period of 3 weeks, while my toddler napped, In Paradisum is an emotional rollercoaster. While writing it, I thought back on a rather personal funeral I attended a few years ago, remembering the flip-flopping of emotions during the service. In one moment, you are glad that they are at peace--but at the same time the whole process reminds you of your own mortality. Am I living my life to the fullest? Am I as open and honest as I should be to the people around me? The piece will be pre-recorded and mixed by members of C3LA, but will have a LIVE SHADOW PUPPETEER bringing the music to life visually: Miranda Kahn is an incredibly talented artist, and we are currently flushing out the story. I have seen some of the visuals and I can tell you now that it is going to be a tear-jerker. Check out Miranda's puppetry reel here: https://vimeo.com/287543993?ref=em-share The concert will be live-streamed on C3LA's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1QfrLAwIN-9l_T3e5xqQjA The concert will also feature premieres of original vocal works by C3LA member-composers Vera Lugo, Fahad Siadat, and Jaco Wong. Don't miss this unique concert experience! Save the date - Saturday December 12th at 5:00pm PST!

This beautiful equipment will be my closest confidant the next few months. Due to the pandemic, St. Matthews Church where I am employed will be recording its professional octet remotely. On the one hand, no commute across town, no rehearsals, no babysitter. On the other, no comradery with my fellow Altos in the choir, no intense pleasure of making harmonies together live, no beautiful church acoustics, and much more limited repertoire. The other silver lining of the pandemic... has been my ability to participate more with @c3lachoir but the drawbacks listed above remain the same. It’s been hard for us choir singers. I’m trying to make the best of it by learning more about the audio mixing side of things. How about you? Music remains therapy for me, and even when remote, it provides relief. #vocalrecording #musicistherapy #makemusic #pandemicmusic

"Hearts Beating Separately For Each Other" for solo piano is now available in full on YouTube! The link below takes you to a playlist of the first, second, and fourth movement of REFLECTIONS ON A PANDEMIC, an ongoing series of piano music I am writing during these trying times. Talk about music therapy--there's no doubt writing these pieces is helping me stay sane. I hope it can help others reflect, daydream, or at least get a momentary distraction. I decided not to upload the third movement, "We All Make Choices", since it is simply my baby improvising on an electric keyboard, and was a bit of a joke when it premiered back in May at Salon 412. But if you are curious (it's actually kind of good music-making!), you can watch it on my facebook or instagram stories. https://www.youtube.com/playlist