What Others Have To Say About Me

Bravissimo, Dr. Hope and Dr. Soebbing! That was a lovely premiere. Gorgeous composition and scoring, with deft invocations of early 19th-century music and current tonalitites and much in between all brought together effectively and movingly. Smart adaptation and storytelling, especially when working with a sometimes unwieldy—but powerful—source; the resolution here hinges on Bronte’s radical theology and works so well—but other themes are not neglected.

—Dr. Stephen Buehler, Aaron Douglas Professor and Professor of English

I sure love the writing. The musical development of the characters was wonderful. The interludes were masterful in their story telling and evolution. The vocal writing allowed for such powerful expression from the singers (I kept thinking I want to sing your music!). The score was both sophisticated and accessible. Each scene clicked so well, yet the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. Thanks to you AND [librettist] Steven Soebbing for the powerful ending. It has a wallop I wasn’t ready for. A lot of humanity there… and throughout. THANK YOU!

—Dr. William Shomos, Richard H. Larson Distinguished Professor of Music (Voice), Director of Opera

I really enjoyed the piece you had written for Jeni Houser, Beth Deutmeyer, and string quartet, so I knew whatever you wrote for me was going to be good. I had never worked with a composer on a piece from the very beginning all the way to the final product, so seeing the piece evolve from ideas into an entire work was a unique experience. I found how the ideas changed over time interesting as well. I felt working with you was very easy. You were open to ideas, altering things to better fit the instrument, and most importantly, I really enjoyed the final product. I thought it was modern, yet accessible and as a result, it was received well. I would definitely recommend other performers and ensembles to commission pieces from you.

—David Boese, cellistdavidboeseheadcircle

I’ve collaborated with Garrett two times, and both were enormously positive. I love the passion that Garrett puts into his pieces, and the care he puts into his work—he respects himself and his work, and does a great job. I love how he follows through, even being as busy as he is. And, when I see what he creates with my words, I am awestruck. I feel like we work really well together and are very respectful and challenging for each other. I learn a lot from him and gain so much from the experience of working with him—I hope to collaborate with him many times in the future. I find Garrett’s professionalism a model to imitate, and work with other people as well as he works with others. Garrett has such a wide range and palette as a composer that he is uniquely qualified to write music for many different performers and ensembles. I recommend Garrett to all my contacts. He is one of the best people to collaborate with since he is so professional, nice, and considerate. When you add that to the fact that he is a great composer, you have the perfect combination for a great collaborative experience.

—Dr. Steven Soebbing, baritone, librettist, and Adjunct Instructor at Frostburg State University

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