Composer, Michael John Trotta is a frequent guest conductor and clinician with a variety of ensembles throughout the country. His compositions are published with Walton, Alliance, Colla Voce, GIA, Kjos, Carl Fischer, Alliance, and MorningStar and are performed all over the world. He earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University, and a Bachelor of Music (Music Education) and a Master of Music (Choral Conducting) from Rowan University. As an educator, he has held positions at the middle school, high school, and university levels. He is currently the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Virginia Wesleyan College. He has been recognized by ASCAP and ACDA for contributions as a composer of choral music. He was honored by the Foundation for Excellence in Education and received the ASCAP Award for significant contributions to the area of Choral Concert Music. For more information, recordings, samples, and a full list of works, visit his website: www.mjtrotta.com
While working in the Philadelphia Metro area, Trotta served as the Artistic Director for Hope Lives On, a concert to benefit the pediatric cancer research at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. After teaching for five years in primary and secondary choral music, he served as an adjunct faculty member at Rowan University, where he had teaching responsibilities in choral music with the Concert Choir, WOCHO (womens chorus) and Statesmen (mens chorus) and in music history.
He has toured Europe three times and has performed in St. Peters Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome), St. Marks (Venice), Casa Verdi (Milan) and the Santa Maria Del Fiore, the Duomo (Florence) and Carnegie Hall (New York). He has worked with Morten Lauridsen, Sir David Wilcocks, and John Rutter.
A noted composer of choral music, his work I Will Keep Still was recently selected as the winner of the Inaugural Composition Contest for the professional eChoir Dayton project. The work is part of a project that is pioneering new methods of recording, performing, and distributing choral music. In 2011, he premiered Dedication to Life a multi-movement work for Soprano and Baritone soloists, Choir, French Horn, Strings, and Harp. Over the next two years, he will release eight new pieces of music throughout the country. His works are frequently performed and recorded nationally and internationally. Plans are underway for a professional CD of his compositions in 2014. He regularly collaborates, as both conductor and composer, with Universities, High Schools, community groups, and churches to write music that fits the needs of each ensemble. His compositions have been called a true choral gem (JW Pepper) and his work as a conductor has been heralded as An Outstanding Example (ChoralNet). In an article on ChoralNet entitled A Gateway to the Present Moment, A Connection to Something Greater Than Ourselves, Michael said: Taking part in choral music, whether as an audience member, singer, conductor, or composer, is an opportunity to slow down time long enough to allow the beauty of life to catch up with you.
Michael lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife Rachel, an artist, singer, writer, painter, and educator, who is a living reminder of the M.C. Richards quote, All of the arts we practice are apprenticeship. The big art is our life.
For more information, a full list of his works, and recorded samples, you can visit his website (www.mjtrotta.com).
2014 Benediction (SATB/Piano) Kjos
2014 Behold, How Good (SATB/unaccompanied) MorningStar
2014 What if you sleep? (3pt/piano) Carl Fischer
2014 Love Song (3pt-mixed/piano/violin) Carl Fischer
2014 Song of Myself (TB/piano) Carl Fischer
2014 In The Bleak Midwinter (SATB/strings/oboe) Colla Voce
2014 In The Bleak Midwinter (TTB/piano/oboe) Colla Voce
2014 In The Bleak Midwinter (SSA/piano/oboe) Colla Voce
2013 Prayer for Peace (SATB/unaccompanied) Morning Star Publications (MSM 50-8515)
2013 And Peace Shall Guard You (SATB/unaccompanied) Morning Star (MSM 50-8515)
2013 Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind (SATB div/unaccomp) Walton
2013 Break of Day (SATB/piano/English horn or oboe) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9296)
2013 Break of Day (SSA/piano/English horn or oboe) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9280)
2013 Make Space for Life to Live (3pt-mixed/piano) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9289)
2013 Make Space for Life to Live (TB/piano)Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9283)
2013 Make Space for Life to Live (SA/piano) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9274)
2013 Walk Forth Securely (SATB/keyboard/oboe) Carl Fischer Publications (SCM-9)
2012 I Will Keep Still (SATB/unaccompanied) Alliance Music Publications AMP 0892
2012 When I Sing to Make You Dance (SATB/piano) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9250)
2012 When I Sing to Make You Dance (SSA/piano) Carl Fischer Publications (CM-9266)
2012 All is Calm (SATB/unaccompanied) Kjos Publications
2012 I Shall See (SATB / unaccompanied) Morning Star Publications (MSM 50-8092)
2011 All Beautiful (SATB/piano) Colla Voce Publications (48-96650)
2010 Veni Creator Spiritus (SATB/unaccompanied) Published with GIA (G-7744)
2009 In The Bleak Midwinter (SATB/piano/oboe) Published with Colla Voce (#48-96680)
- Composition
- Music Education
- The Creative Process
- Choral Music
- Voice
