Samuel Siskind and Fourth Wall Ensemble greet the dawn of a new day on their collaborative album Awake — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Awake is the debut album of compositions from new talent and ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award winner Siskind. The L.A. artist is an in-demand young composer who drew inspiration for his anthology of compositions and original text from time spent secluded in nature, away from the busy streets of the city.
When pandemic lock downs went into effect, Samuel found solace in writing pieces which can now be heard on Awake. Having just started high school at the time, he and his peers were coping with the mental health impacts of staying at home. “I found writing the piece during isolation an exhilarating escape,” said Siskind.
An L.A. Philharmonic Composing Fellow, Siskind’s work has been performed by members of the legendary orchestra. This summer he was one of 30 students selected by Juilliard Dean of Music David Serkin Ludwig to participate in their Summer Composition Program, studying with the composers he grew up listening to — including Eric Whitacre, John Corigliano, Reena Esmail and Wynton Marsalis.
As a vocalist and featured soloist in the Grammy-winning National Children’s Chorus, Samuel had the unique experience of singing in the Carnegie Hall premieres of his own compositions Soaring Dreams in 2024 and The Forest in 2019. The latter went on to be performed on a tour of Asia culminating in a live televised performance from the DMZ with youth artists from North and South Korea.
Grammy-nominated baritone Johnathan McCullough, who serves as director of the National Youth Opera Academy, first met Samuel when he was singing in the program’s Vail, Colorado production in 2022. McCullough, who received acclaim for his cinematic production of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs on the topic of mental health and the toll of war, was immediately struck by how frankly his compositions addressed mental health topics.
“I first knew Samuel as a principal singer with a strong baritone voice, but then found out that he composed as well,” McCullough says. “I asked to hear some of his pieces and knew right away that he had a very special talent. It is vitally important that the music we make spreads messages of what we are passionate about and Samuel does just that.”
McCullough shared Siskind’s work with Georg Solti Conducting Award winner Christopher Allen of N.Y.C. vocal group Fourth Wall Ensemble. They began putting the pieces together to get Samuel’s work heard by a larger audience. Fourth Wall Ensemble recorded Samuel’s choral catalog in New York with Allen conducting and playing piano, days after the Carnegie Hall premiere of Soaring Dreams. Also included on the album is an art song written by Samuel and performed by Allen and McCullough. The album concludes with a piano étude performed by Siskind.
Siskind’s mentor, UCLA composition professor and former chair Ian Krouse says, “Samuel is emerging as one of the most promising young composers of his generation. His music is original and rigorous yet always accessible and beautiful.”
Listen to Awake below, and keep up with Samual Siskind on his website, Instagram and Twitter.
