Ethan McGrath is a composer, pianist, and organist based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For his compositions he has received awards from the Instytut Musica Sacra (Poland), Alfred Music, and the Southeastern Composers League, as well as commissions from the American Choral Directors Association, the New Consort (NYC), and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. A selection of his choral works is available in print from Oxford University Press, Schott Music, and Beckenhorst Press, among others. Also active as a collaborative pianist, Ethan completed the lieder course at AIMS in 2023 and maintains an active schedule of performances, including the recent Chattanooga Art Song Series, in which he worked with local singers in performances of such works as Schubert’s Winterreise and Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel. Ethan holds a BMus in Composition from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an MMus in Choral Studies from the University of Cambridge.
As is often the case with my work, this music seemed to naturally grow out of the text—a haunting medieval poem about the death of Jesus Christ. The poem’s enigmatic symbolism and otherworldly affect resulted in what was for me an unusually mysterious and ethereal composition. Some of the inspiration for the work came from […]
As is often the case with my work, this music seemed to naturally grow out of the text—a haunting medieval poem about the death of Jesus Christ. The poem’s enigmatic symbolism and otherworldly affect resulted in what was for me an unusually mysterious and ethereal composition. Some of the inspiration for the work came from […]
A short, meditative setting of the familiar Latin hymn text, particularly suitable for use as an introit during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Scored for 4-part SATB voices, this motet is simple enough to be enjoyed by volunteer church choirs and professional/collegiate choirs alike.
A short, meditative setting of the familiar Latin hymn text, particularly suitable for use as an introit during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Scored for 4-part SATB voices, this motet is simple enough to be enjoyed by volunteer church choirs and professional/collegiate choirs alike.
An effective way to close a service or concert during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, this short choral benediction is easy to learn and will be an enjoyable addition to the repertoire of choirs of varying sizes and skill levels.
An effective way to close a service or concert during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, this short choral benediction is easy to learn and will be an enjoyable addition to the repertoire of choirs of varying sizes and skill levels.
The impetus for this anthem was the Music in Worship event at the 2016 ACDA Southern Division conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Conductor Gerald Peel asked me if I would write something that his choir could sing for the event, which was to consist entirely of works featuring the word “alleluia.” In my search for texts, […]
The impetus for this anthem was the Music in Worship event at the 2016 ACDA Southern Division conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Conductor Gerald Peel asked me if I would write something that his choir could sing for the event, which was to consist entirely of works featuring the word “alleluia.” In my search for texts, […]
The text comes from Whitman’s “When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,” a lengthy elegy in memory of Abraham Lincoln. My choral setting of another part of this poem has been my most popular work to date. I composed “Sing on there in the swamp” just a few months later and it is in a […]
The text comes from Whitman’s “When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,” a lengthy elegy in memory of Abraham Lincoln. My choral setting of another part of this poem has been my most popular work to date. I composed “Sing on there in the swamp” just a few months later and it is in a […]
A set of 12 waltzes for the intermediate pianist, inspired by the waltzes of Schubert and Chopin, but with an American twist—featuring original melodies alongside an array of American hymns, Shaker songs, and a creative version of Stephen Foster’s immortal “Gentle Annie.” This collection includes upbeat, energetic pieces as well as soft, tender ones—evoking the […]
A set of 12 waltzes for the intermediate pianist, inspired by the waltzes of Schubert and Chopin, but with an American twist—featuring original melodies alongside an array of American hymns, Shaker songs, and a creative version of Stephen Foster’s immortal “Gentle Annie.” This collection includes upbeat, energetic pieces as well as soft, tender ones—evoking the […]
