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Bio

New York-based composer-keyboardist Forrest Eimold (b. 1999) has been hailed as “incredible” and “fearless” by The Boston Musical Intelligencer, “extremely impressive” by Harmonie, and as having “ably responded to the many virtuosic demands" of today’s compositional vanguard by The Washington Post.

 

Whether writing for the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Ensemble Dal Niente, Fonema Consort, Mivos Quartet, National Sawdust Ensemble, and the Wet Ink Ensemble—or performing with ensembles ranging from the Grammy-nominated Trinity Baroque Orchestra to NOVUS NY—Forrest’s work embraces our quantized environment in the hopes of pointing to the unbound world latent within it.

 

Forrest first gained notice at age 13 as the youngest-ever interpreter of Olivier Messiaen’s longest organ work, the nearly two-hour-long Livre du Saint-Sacrement; by age 16, Forrest had performed all five hours’ worth of the composer’s post-1945 organ music. In the years to follow, Forrest’s committed engagement with the music of living composers has led to performance collaborations with such luminaries as Gerald Barry, Michael Finnissy, John Harbison, Molly Joyce, Paola Prestini, and Judith Weir.

 

Furthermore, Forrest's reputation as a sight-reader and score-reader have led to répétiteuring for world premières by the likes of Du Yun, Huang Ruo, Nico Muhly, Emma O’Halloran, Arvo Pärt, and Tyshawn Sorey, nearly all from full score.

 

Compositional honors include the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Columbia University, a Density Labs Fellowship from the Juilliard School, a Blueprint Fellowship from National Sawdust, and multiple awards from the National YoungArts Foundation. A publication of Forrest’s organ transcription of Gerald Barry’s Chevaux-de-frise is forthcoming from Schott Music.

 

Forrest has studied with pianists like Thomas Adès, Soyeon Kate Lee, Joanna MacGregor, Julian Martin, and Marc Ryser; with organist John Robinson; and with composers such as Larry Thomas Bell, Zosha di Castri, Georg Friedrich Haas, Laura Kaminsky, David Lang, Rodney Lister, and Eric Wubbels.

 

Having graduated in 2022 from the dual program between the Juilliard School and Columbia University, Forrest currently studies composition at the Yale School of Music with Martin Bresnick. Having served as Music and Organ Scholar at Trinity Church Wall Street (2018–22), Forrest now works as Staff Pianist at the Juilliard School (2021–present).

Worklist

Selected works

  • Voice(s) with chamber ensemble
    The One (2023), for two sopranos and two pianos [19'] Antiphon I: The One Song I: Forever Interlude I: The Silent My Songs / Your Songs Interlude II: A Little Pedal Piano Music In Memoriam Louis Schone Song II: My Eyes Antiphon II: The Best musical source material: numerous sources from Johannes Brahms; Hayden Dunham's "The One"; Carly Rae Jepsen's "The One"; "Auf einer Burg" from Robert Schumann's Liederkreis, op. 39; the "Benedictus" from Schumann's Requiem, op. 148 textual source material: poems by Karl August Candidus, Paul Flemming, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; 1 Peter 1:25, translated by Martin Luther You Without a Bodie (2021–22), for treble-range vocalist, 2 string players, and autotuner [12'] Easter Church-musick Easter-wings musical source material: Ralph Vaughan Williams's Five Mystical Songs textual source material: George Herbert's The Temple AGENT (2019–20), for soprano and 3 violins [20'] Unsubscribe [for soprano and 3 violins] the full text [for 3 violins] Share [for soprano and 2 violins] but the text is his and it remains [for 2 violins] This e-mail and its contents [for soprano and violin] the text endures [for solo violin] musical source material: "Cortège et litanie" from Marcel Dupré's 4 pièces, op. 19 textual source material: public correspondence from the Curtis Institute of Music's 2019 scandal 5 Trump Settings (2017–18), for soprano, horn, 2 violins, and piano [7'] I will be nominating [for soprano, 2 violins, and piano] Big wins [for soprano and piano] I am being investigated [for soprano, 2 violins, and piano] TATTOO [for solo horn] #JOBSNOTMOBS [for soprano and 2 violins] ....Mr. Whitaker [for soprano, 2 violins, and piano] musical source material: Erik Satie's Premier prélude du Nazaréen textual source material: Twitter posts by @realDonaldTrump Full Fathom Five III (2016), for alto, clarinet, 2 violas, cello, and piano [4'] musical source material: none textual source material: William Shakespeare's The Tempest
  • Voice(s) with solo instrument
    Toward a Serenade (2023), for SATB choir and piano [4'] musical source material: Ralph Vaughan William's Serenade to Music textual source material: William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice A Palimpsest for St. Ursula (2023), for SATB choir and organ [6'] musical and textual source material: Hildegard of Bingen Sweeter than mine (2019–20), for soprano, tenor, and piano [25'] THE WAY I AM TAKE ME TO DUBAI MY FOREVER PONYBOY sylvie musical source material: Erik Satie's 3 Mélodies (1886) textual source material: the eponymous songs by Sophie Xeon (#1-4), and "Elle est si belle" by Patrice Contamine de Latour (#5) Long live the King, the King is dead (2018–19), for baritone and piano [5'] Apology Complaint musical source material: none textual source material: “The Catholic Church Cares About Gays,” by Christina Mead of Life Teen, and excerpts from Miles Coverdale's translation of Psalm 44 Faithful Cross (2018), for voice(s) and organ [1'] musical source material: none textual source material: St. Venantius Fortunatus, translated by John Mason Neale Vulture (2018), for baritone soloist, 10 voices (SSAATTBarBarBB), and piano [6'] musical source material: none textual source material: Robert Burns's "A Red, Red Rose," Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Magnificat (translated by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer) William Shakespeare's The Tempest, "The Reptile Room" from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, and texts chosen by each of the 10 accompanying voices See, amid the Winter's snow (2017), for choir (with treble soloist) and organ [4'] musical source material: the third movement of Robert Schumann's Piano quartet in E-flat major, op. 47 textual source material: Edward Caswall Requiem (2016–17), for voice, and piano, and tape [73'] musical source material: the Requiems of Johannes Brahms (op. 45), Gabriel Fauré (op. 48), and Robert Schumann (op. 148) textual source material: the Latin Requiem, Revelation 14:13 AKJV Psalm for the End of Ordinary Time (2016–17), for voice and piano [4'] musical source material: none textual source material: Emily Dickinson, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the Ordinary of the Catholic Mass
  • Voice(s) a cappella
    The Breakant of Better Flesh (2019–20), for choir [23'] The Breaking of My Heart [for SAT choir and bass soloist] The Servant of the Lord [for SATB choir and 2 soprano soloists] The Similitude of Sinful Flesh [for soprano solo] The Honour of a Better Work [for SATB choir and soprano soloist] The Rest of Hearing with Our Ears [for eight SSAATTBB soloists] musical source material: none textual source material: the Letter of Ignatius to the Romans (transl. James Donaldson and Alexander Roberts), the Letter of Paul to the Romans (transl. William Tyndale), the Protoevangelium of James (transl. Alexander Walker), Psalm 44 (transl. Miles Coverdale), and the apocryphal Psalm 155 (transl. William Wright as Psalm 153) The Lord's Prayer (2018), for choir [2'] musical source material: none textual source material: Matthew 6:9–13 KJV The Blew Bird (2018), for soprano solo and SATB choir [4'] musical source material: "The Blue Bird," from Charles Villiers Stanford's 8 Part-Songs, op. 119 textual source material: Mary E. Coleridge
  • Orchestra / Ensemble
    Zone (2021), for large ensemble [11'] for 3 clarinets (3rd dbl. bass clarinet), 2 horns, timpani, harp, and strings (1.1.1.1.1) source material: the "Cavatina" from Ludwig van Beethoven's String quartet no. 13 in B-flat major, op. 130 Full Fathom Five (2018), for large ensemble [8'] for flute (dbl. alto flute), 3 violins, 4 violas, and piano 3-hands source material: the first movement of Johannes Brahms's Violin concerto in D major, op. 77
  • Chamber
    Over and Far Away (2023), for B-flat clarinet, tenor saxophone, and tape [7'] source material: Percy Grainger's Children's March: Over the Hills and Far Away (band version) Antares (2023), for violin and 5 percussionists (playing 2 marimbas, 2 vibraphones, and 2 pianos) [10'] source material: Percy Grainger's Dedication (first version), Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21, and Erik Satie's Socrate Transir ad Viitam (2021), for bass clarinet, horn, viola, harp, and conductor obbligato [7'] source material: the first movement of Johannes Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45 Skipping Madonna and Children (2021), for soprano recorder, violin, and organ [6'] source material: "Ray of Light," from Madonna's eponymous album Full Fathom Two (2020), for two violins and electronics [11'] source material: eleven anonymized violin concerti from the 'standard repertoire' Full Fathom Three (2018), for violin, viola, cello, and piano 4-hands [6'] source material: the folk song "Which Side Are You On?" Heart, with neutral country (2018), for keyboardist and (live or recorded) pianist [7'] source material: "Au lac de Wallenstadt" from the first of Franz Liszt's Années de pèlerinage, S. 160 Schumann Rewrite (2018), for viola and piano [6'] source material: the last of Robert Schumann's Mârchenbilder, op. 113 Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist (2018), for piano and organ [2'] source material: the eponymous piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 667, and its piano transcription by Ferruccio Busoni, BV B 27/1 Bloom (2017), for violin and piano [2'] source material: none Et in Arcadia (2016), for violin and piano [10'] source material: none
  • Solo
    Something New (2022), for cello and optional live electronics [15'] source material: the "Sarabande" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello suite no. 2 in d minor, BWV 1008 Density Angels (2022), for flute and live electronics [6'] source material: anonymous 19th-century American military fife tunes, Olivier Messiaen's Le merle noir, and Edgar Varèse's Density 21.5 LAMBO (2021), for double bass and electronics [7'] source material: "Vroom Vroom" from Charli XCX's eponymous EP Paraclete (2021), for violin and live electronics [7'] source material: all violin soli from Gustav Mahler's Symphony no. 8 in E-flat major The Abysses (2018), for piano [7'] source material: "Des Abends" from Robert Schumann's Fantasiestücke, op. 12, and Anton Webern's Variations for piano, op. 27 Heart, with neutral country (2018), for keyboardist and (live or recorded) pianist [7'] source material: "Au lac de Wallenstadt" from the first of Franz Liszt's Années de pèlerinage, S. 160 Babylon (2018), for piano [7 seconds] source material: none
  • Arrangements / Transcriptions
    Gerald Barry's Chevaux-de-frise, arranged for organ (2020) [16'] Percy Grainger's Green Bushes, arranged for organ (2020) [10'] Conlon Nancarrow's Study No. 3c, arranged for organ (2019) [2'] Conlon Nancarrow's Study No. 6, arranged for organ (2019) [4'] Conlon Nancarrow's Study No. 7, arranged for flute (dbl. piccolo), clarinet (dbl. E-flat and bass), violin, cello, piano, and marimba (2016) [8'] Conlon Nancarrow's Study No. 11, arranged for flute (dbl. piccolo), clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (2015) [4']
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