M. Ryan Taylor

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Alias: Meredith Ryan Taylor

Life

Born: 18 April 1972

Biography: "Incredible!" "Beautiful music." "I was deeply touched." . . . were some of the comments from audience members during the workshop run of M. Ryan Taylor’s chamber opera THE OTHER WISE MAN which was produced by Taylor with sponsorships from the American Fork Arts Council and Provo Arts Council, as well as many generous donations from local businesses and individuals. A completely portable production, the chamber opera visited five venues located in Salt Lake City, American Fork and Provo.

Taylor's first opera, ABINADI, was a Brigham Young University mainstage production in 2003. The writing of ABINADI was made possible, in part, through a grant from BYU’s Office of Research and Creative Activities. ABINADI was written in the ‘Grand Opera’ tradition: large cast, chorus and orchestra. The performances were taped with grants from the BYU Film Committee and College of Fine Arts and Communications and have subsequently been aired numerous times on KBYU and BYUTV (a satellite station with an international reach). The production was later made available on DVD through Covenant Communications. Lawrence Vincent, director of BYU opera commented, “[Taylor] is stage aware, he recognizes that the music often plays an important role in helping to describe movements on the stage.”

Vincent subsequently engaged Taylor to write a song cycle for a concert celebrating the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith junior; the work was entitled A LIGHT THAT SHAMES THE NOONDAY SUN and was premiered by Vincent in December of 2005. Other notable song cycles include ALL HEAVEN AND IT WAS ONE HOUR OLD : a Christmas with Katherine Tynan, LEAFS FROM THE DIARY OF AN OLD SOUL based on the poems of George MacDonald and THE MOON SONGS after the moon poems of Vachel Lindsay. THE MOON SONGS won first place in the Vera Hinckley Mayhew Composition Competition in 2000 after it’s premiere by soprano Heather Chipman in 1999.

Taylor’s output is not limited to writing for the solo voice. His original choral music and sacred arrangements are also informed by his university vocal studies. His choral works are available at ChoirWorks.com have been performed across the nation and even in some foreign countries.

As a former brass and wind player, Taylor is equally at home with instrumental chamber and orchestral music and has written works that have been premiered or performed by the Utah Premiere Brass, The Chicago Brass, organists Neil Thornock and Carson Cooman, the Timpanogos Chorale, the American Fork Symphony and more.

Taylor has organized of a number of successful events ranging from classical recitals and benefit concerts to chamber opera productions and composition competitions. A strong believer in and supporter of the future of American chamber opera, Taylor organized the first national “Opera in a Month Challenge” in 2007 through his production company, Vocal Works. He currently directs two choirs: Phoenix Rising (a chamber choir focusing on Renaissance, Modern and Early American repertoire), and the choir for the local church congregation to which he belongs.

Taylor has also written music for three albums of children's music: "Thirteen for Halloween," "Thanksgiving!," and "O Sing a Song of Bethlehem." Songbooks and CDs are available through SongsforTeaching.com.

Taylor is an active member of ASCAP and a founding member and chair for The Salty Cricket Composers Collective in Salt Lake City.

Taylor has been active in community, church and professional music productions from his youth on. He has performed in musicals, bands, orchestras, operas, choirs, reviews, and been the winner of a number of competitions and scholarships. He enjoys photography, gardening, singing, drawing, writing, reading, painting, and playing Tuba . . . among other things.

View the Wikipedia article on M. Ryan Taylor.

List of choral works

Arrangements by M. Ryan Taylor

 
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Publications

External links