Many exciting commissions and projects are in the works, with performances and premieres from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.
If you would like to inquire about a commission or the possibility of a territorial premiere, please click here to contact my manager Libby Percival.
Here is some of what’s been keeping me occupied!
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I created this arrangement in the absolute bleakest time of Covid. The ultra slow tempo, the shadowy orchestration, all felt right as I thought about where we were and how that aligned with the pleading nature of the ancient text. When I figured out the key change on the downbeat of the first refrain, I was a happy boy.
Magnificat: 1. Magnificat anima mea
Like many commissions, the Magnificat started as a very standard project…only it is now on the Decca Classics album A Choral Christmas. This track is the first of five movements. Since its 2016 premiere in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has enjoyed performances all over the world in some of the most hallowed concert halls.
Cantique de Jean Racine (Faure)
Contact Libby Percival for purchase
The limitations of Covid unlocked a lot of creativity for me. In early 2021 when Barnaby Smith called to see if I could re-orchestrate several pieces, including Faure’s Requiem and his beloved Cantique de Jean Racine, I couldn’t negotiate with the parameters the British government had put in place; I had to whittle down to what was necessary. While I don’t remember the exact numbers, the equation looked something like this: VOCES8 + 19 instrumentalists from the English Chamber Orchestra + Barnaby on the podium + any tech crew = the maximum number of people in a room.
It, of course, all feels like a dream now.
To Sing of Love – a Triptych: III. Generously
Publishing in 2026!
After writing Effortlessly, I sent that text to my friend, Milton Brasher-Cunningham, and asked if he could build around it to create a triptych. It was his idea that movements two and three would be called Perilously and Generously, as he wrote these beautiful and evocative poems about what love is and does. The end result was a sort of modern concerto, featuring violinist Jack Liebeck and the VOCES8 Foundation Choir and orchestra. I love these tranquil closing moments of the third movement.
Here’s the text, including a few lines just prior to where this recording picks up:
“nothing is stronger than love, so say the stars, so says the sky, so say I to you generously.”
Effortlessly
Effortlessly, was written for the 2022 wedding of Barnaby and Libby Smith. The words of 13th century mystic, Mechthild of Magdeburg, caught my attention as I scoured for texts and I could immediately hear the arc of the piece. Of all the music I’ve written, I’m probably the most proud of how I treated the text “like a bird who rivers the air without moving her wings,” as the sopranos hold fast to the A natural and the violin floats upward.
And because I happened to know one of Barney’s favorite pieces is Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2, I tucked in a little nod to that melody so he knew I was thinking about him while he stood at the altar. Originally for choir and violin, a second version will be out in the near future that allows the violin part to be optional.
Say Something
Not in print
I made this arrangement for the 2021 Good Friday service at St. Andrew. From the moment it was released, I thought the song by A Great Big World was perfect for a service of darkness. Because we were still masking and distancing, all parts were recorded separately…which made it extra challenging. The soloist, my dear friend Nate Lucena, captured his vocals in St. Louis, while the rest of us were in Plano.
Use Somebody
Not in print
Just like Say Something, I created this arrangement for the 2021 Good Friday service at St. Andrew. The song by Kings of Leon isn’t inherently sacred, but it feels like it could be, and I love that ambiguity. Again, thanks to the strict rules in place for Covid, all parts were recorded separately.
Long Sleep
Not in print
Grace Pettis is a folk/Americana artist I was introduced to somewhere around 2011. I fell in love with how real and raw her song Long Sleep is. It’s bold to quote the Lord’s Prayer and flip it on its head, but there’s so much truth in that opening line. This rehearsal recording was made with the 2021 VOCES8 US Scholars.
She Walks in Beauty
In the months leading up to my mother’s 70th birthday, I knew I wanted to write something to commemorate the milestone. What I hadn’t figured out was which text to use. As I combed through poetry, it seemed as though I was standing at a picked-over greeting card display the morning of Mother’s Day…nothing I found sounded like my mom or me.
Taylor and his mom at the Barbican, June 2025
Rapture Rejects
I wrote the music for Cyanide and Happiness’s 2018 video game, Rapture Rejects. The main theme features mostly virtual instruments with the exception of the electric guitar, played by my good friend, Paul Eason, and some choir friends singing the melody of C&H’s theme but using the Greek words ‘kyrie eleison,’ or ‘Lord have mercy.’
Sunday Rush
I was hired by a church to create this theme for their church broadcast during Covid. Using exclusively virtual instruments, the melodies, tempo, and brightness were an attempt to make it sound like people eagerly getting ready for a service.
