On Wednesday, September 30, the Lancer Choir hosted a special guest speaker. Robert S. Cohen is a professional composer from New York City. During his visit, Mr. Cohen provided insight and performance suggestions for a piece of music that he wrote. The Lancer Choir performed Cohen’s “I See” on the Band and Choir Fall Preview Concert on October 22. While he was at Loyalsock, Mr. Cohen also discussed the creative process he undergoes when writing music and how most of the music he writes is for new music commissions requested by various organizations.
One of his latest commissions, a piece titled “Alzheimer’s Stories”, was commissioned by the Susquehanna Valley Chorale. The text that Mr. Cohen set to music comes from stories collected from people who live in and around the Lewisburg area whose lives have been affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The Susquehanna Valley Chorale, under the direction of Dr. William Payn, premiered the piece on October 9 at the Weis Center at Bucknell University.
