Robert Wendel Explained

Robert Wendel (born 1951) is an American composer of classical music.

Biography

Robert Wendel was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1951. He attended the University of Connecticut,^[1] as a double major in chemistry and music. While in university, Wendel studied with Hale Smith and privately with Leroy Anderson. He also served as assistant conductor of the University of Connecticut Symphony and the New Britain Symphony. After receiving his Master of Arts degree, Wendel worked in musical theater for several years, before he moved to New York City and became an orchestra member and stand-by conductor at Radio City Music Hall, and a conductor/arranger for Carol Channing.^[2]

His work has been featured: every December since 2001 on the annual Flint Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops telecast on WJRT-TV 12;^[3] at a memorial concert for the Challenger astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center; at a concert to honor the Tuskegee Airmen;^[4] on the 2006 National Memorial Day Concert to honor the opening of the National World War II Memorial telecast live nationwide on PBS; in 2009 as part of the Abraham Lincoln tribute; again in 2011 for Colin Powell's home-coming welcome to U.S. troops on the National Mall; and again in 2017 to salute The Tuskegee Airmen and World War 2 veterans.^[5] He has also written for "Cirque de la Symphonie".^[6]

Awards and recognition

In December 2014, Robert Wendel was awarded The American Prize Judge's Special Citation for "Music for Use. Well Crafted, Accessible and Performance-Ready."^[7] Wendel received The American Prize as one of five "Honored Artists" for 2015.^[8]

List of works

Orchestral

• "Fanfare For Freedom" (1994)
  • Premiered by the Atlanta Symphony
• "The Tall Ships" (1999)
  • Premiered by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
• "Commemoration" (2000)
  • Broadcast premiere by the National Symphony Orchestra
• "Parade of the Percussionists" (2000)
  • Premiered by the Hilo Philharmonic
• "Ride of the Headless Horseman" (2001) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"
  • Premiered by The Queensland Symphony Orchestra
• "Take Flight" (2003)
  • Premiered by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
• "The Pit and the Pendulum" (2004) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"
  • Premiered by the Chicago Civic Symphony
• "Towers of Light" (2006)
  • Premiered by The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra
  • Named a finalist in the first "American Prize" in Orchestral Composition^[9]
• "Trick Or Treat" (2006) - from "A Halloween Trilogy"^[10]
  • Premiered by the Hilton Head Orchestra
• "Meditation" (2008)
  • Premiered by the University of Wyoming Symphony
• "Fanfare: Welcome Home" (2010)
  • Premiered by the Gulf Coast Symphony
• "Caribbean Sleigh Ride" (2010)
  • Premiered by The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra^[11]
• "The Wolf Was Framed!" (2011)
  • Premiered by the Cherokee Symphony, Lee Thorson conductor.
• "The Poltergeist Polka" (2011)
  • Premiered by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
• "The Nativity Bells" (After Byrd) (2013)
  • Premiered by The Atlanta Symphony^[12]

Vocal

• "Christmas Through Children's Eyes" (2001)
  • Lyrics by Vince Trani
• "Santa Dear" (2002)
  • Lyrics by Vince Trani and Robert Wendel
• "The Bells of Christmas" (2003)
  • Lyrics by Vince Trani
• "Virginia, 1861" (2011) - For the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
  • for S.A.T.B. choir, boys choir and orchestra from texts by Melville, and Joyce.
• "It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without you" (2011)
  • Lyrics by Vince Trani
  • Premiered by the Arkansas Symphony
• "This Is Chanukah" (2013)
  • Co-Premiered by The Philly Pops and The University of Wyoming Symphony and chorus.^[13]
  • Named a finalist for the 2014 "American Prize for Choral Composition."^[14]
• "Holiday Greetings" (2014)
  • Premiered by David Charles Abell conducting The Philly Pops, Festival Chorus, and Philadelphia Boys Choir.
  • Named a finalist for the 2015 "American Prize in Choral Composition."^[15]
• "Ring Out Bells, Ring!" (2017)
  • Premiered by Jeffrey R. Smith conducting The Philly Pops and Philadelphia Boys Choir.

Arrangements

• "The Armed Forces March" (1998)
• "April Fool Concerto" (1994/2002)
• "Back to the Fifties" (1999)
• "Bali il Tarantella" (2009)
• "Baroque Festival Overture" (2007)
• "The Best Christmas of All" (1997)
• "Carol of the Bells" (1998)
• "Chanukah Overture" (1995)
• "Christmas a la Valse!" (1995)
• "Coventry Carol" (1995)
• "An Evergreen Christmas" (2000)
• "Fiesta Mexicana" (1991)
• "The Flintstones Meets The Jetsons" (1994)
• "From Sea To Shining Sea" (1993/1995)
• "A George M. Cohan Overture." (1994)
• "Good King Wenceslas (After Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony) (2018)
• "In The Manger" (1998)
• "An Irish Trilogy" (1998)
• "Jingle Fourth" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
• "Jonny Quest March" (2005)
• "Little Bolero Boy" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite" Also known as The Little Drummer Boy (Bolero)
• "A Merry Christmas Sing-Along" (2012)
• "Meditation" (2006)
• "An Old Fashioned Summer" (1998)
• "The Orange Blossom Special" (1996)
• "Orfeo's Rockatta" (2001)
• "The Original Ragtime Band" (1995)
• "O Holy Night (After Massenet - Thais)" - (2017)
• "Overture to a Merry Christmas" (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
• "Protest And Hope" (1997)
• "Raymond Scott Music" (1993–1997)^[16]
  • Includes "Powerhouse, Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals, Huckleberry Duck, The Penguin, The Toy Trumpet, Twilight in Turkey." Available through G. Schirmer
• "Rock Around The Clock" (1995)
• "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (2000)
• "Saint Bailey's Rag" (1991)
• "The Saint Louis Blues" (1994)
• "The Smurf's March" (2005)
• "A Stephen Foster Overture" (1992)
• "Still, Still, Still" (2010)
• "Surf's Up!" (1993)
• "Swing Ludwig, Swing!" (1999)
• "That's It, That's All... The End!" (2004)
• "Under The Big Top" (2006)
• "Viva Puccini" (1997)
• "We Need A Little Christmas" (1996)
• "We Three Kings..." (1990) - From "A Classical Christmas Suite"
• "When TV Was Young" (1999)

Discography

• American Reflections Catalog No: RWM001^[17]
• Christmas Old And New Catalog No: RWM002^[18]
• Christmastime Is Here Telarc - "Little Bolero Boy" and "We Need A Little Christmas"^[19]
• Commemoration ABC - Catalog No:4767929^[20]
• Christmas a la Valse Houston Symphony Society - Catalog No: B0000EI98P^[21]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Summer 2010 . UConn Magazine . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721004051/http://uconnmagazine.uconn.edu/smmr2010/feature4.html . 2011-07-21.
2. Web site: North Shore Music Theatre - Carol & Chita 1997 . www.nsmt.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725023702/http://www.nsmt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=389&Itemid=389 . 2011-07-25.
3. Web site: It's a milestone year for the man behind the scenes at Flint's Holiday Pops. Chad . Swiatecki . 18 December 2010. mlive. 14 December 2020.
4. Web site: Dayton Performing Arts Alliance | Ballet | Opera | Philharmonic :: DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA RECEIVES 9th ASCAP AWARD FOR ADVENTUROUS PROGRAMMING . 25 April 2014 . 26 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232707/http://daytonperformingarts.org/content.jsp?articleId=2111 . dead .
5. live. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211209/m7as5RdACck. 2021-12-09. 2017 National Memorial Day Concert - "Commemoration" . YouTube.
6. Web site: Don't Miss It: Cirque de la Symphonie. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215328/www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2013/dec/14/dont-miss-it-cirque-de-la-symphonie/?print=1. 2014-04-26.
7. Web site: The American Prize: SPECIAL JUDGES' CITATIONS to TWO AMERICAN COMPOSERS. 12 December 2014. 14 December 2020.
8. Web site: The American Prize: The American Prize announces five HONORED ARTISTS for 2015. 6 January 2016. 14 December 2020.
9. Web site: The American Prize: FINALISTS in CHORAL & ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION. 26 March 2011. 14 December 2020.
10. Web site: Reviews . www.thewritehag.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100828123805/http://www.thewritehag.com/index2.php?page=Reviews . 2010-08-28.
11. Web site: Concert review: Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's 'Home for the Holidays'.
12. Web site: The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center Hosts The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. 19 December 2013. Morgan County Citizen. 14 December 2020.
13. Web site: Archives | The Philadelphia Inquirer. www.inquirer.com. 14 December 2020.
14. Web site: The American Prize: COMPOSER FINALISTS: Chorus. 27 June 2014. 14 December 2020.
15. Web site: The American Prize: COMPOSER FINALISTS: choral music (professional & student divisions). 2 October 2015. 14 December 2020.
16. Web site: Home. www.wisemusicclassical.com. 14 December 2020.
17. Web site: American Reflections. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111108191655/www.cdbaby.com/cd/wendelrobert. 2011-11-08.
18. Web site: Christmas - Old & New. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022220526/www.cdbaby.com/cd/wendelrobert2. 2012-10-22.
19. Web site: Christmastime Is Here / Kunzel, Erich & Cincinnati Pops. Amazon . 23 January 2024 .
20. Web site: Soliloquy. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20171002030637/itunes.apple.com/us/album/soliloquy/id808836976. 2017-10-02. .
21. Web site: Houston Symphony Christmas Festival. 30 January 2003. Amazon.