Jay Weigel
Encyclopedia
Jay Weigel is a composer, producer, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, and contractor for film, television, recordings, and concerts.
From 1998 to 2001, he worked as an orchestrator, assistant conductor, and head music preparatory for composer Terence Blanchard
. From 1985 to 1991 he was Lecturer of Composition and Orchestration at Xavier University in New Orleans. Weigel helped organize the Louisiana Composers Guild, and served as the co-chairman of the Louisiana Music Commission from 1998-2004.
Weigel has served as Executive Director of the Contemporary Arts Center, CAC, in New Orleans since 1996. Prior to this appointment, Weigel was Music Director of the CAC for eleven years.
in 2002. The opera examines the dialogue between the communities that make up the culture of New Orleans. For his third opera, 7 Days in Paradise, Weigel collaborated with Harold Sylvester
. This work was premiered in 2007 and was based on the Hurricane Katrina experiences of artist Jeffery Cook.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
commissioned his fourth opera, The River May Cry, featuring a successful integration of European classical music with blues, gospel, jazz and African music, and utilizing a diverse array of musicians to perform this original work. An oratorio derived from the opera was recorded and released in 2004. In 2004, the St. Louis Cathedral commissioned Weigel’s Mass of Pope John Paul II, who died two weeks before the premiere of the work in 2005. In 2008, the University of Southern Mississippi commissioned and performed his work Renaissance for orchestra and choir.
From 1998 to 2001, he worked as an orchestrator, assistant conductor, and head music preparatory for composer Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and film score composer. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz...
. From 1985 to 1991 he was Lecturer of Composition and Orchestration at Xavier University in New Orleans. Weigel helped organize the Louisiana Composers Guild, and served as the co-chairman of the Louisiana Music Commission from 1998-2004.
Weigel has served as Executive Director of the Contemporary Arts Center, CAC, in New Orleans since 1996. Prior to this appointment, Weigel was Music Director of the CAC for eleven years.
Operas
In 1998 Weigel premiered his contemporary opera Ash Wednesday to New Orleans audiences at the opening event of the Faulkner Festival. Weigel’s post-modern opera, Dawn in the Floating City, was presented at the New Orleans Center for Creative ArtsNew Orleans Center for Creative Arts
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. NOCCA is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school offers instruction in creative writing, dance, media arts, music, theatre arts, and visual arts, with a summer culinary...
in 2002. The opera examines the dialogue between the communities that make up the culture of New Orleans. For his third opera, 7 Days in Paradise, Weigel collaborated with Harold Sylvester
Harold Sylvester
Harold Sylvester is an American film and television actor.Sylvester was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. A graduate of New Orleans' St. Augustine High School and Tulane University, Sylvester is best known for his role on the TV series Married... with Children as Griff, the co-worker and friend of...
. This work was premiered in 2007 and was based on the Hurricane Katrina experiences of artist Jeffery Cook.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is located in New Orleans, within the Central Business District adjacent to Lee Circle. It is associated with the University of New Orleans...
commissioned his fourth opera, The River May Cry, featuring a successful integration of European classical music with blues, gospel, jazz and African music, and utilizing a diverse array of musicians to perform this original work. An oratorio derived from the opera was recorded and released in 2004. In 2004, the St. Louis Cathedral commissioned Weigel’s Mass of Pope John Paul II, who died two weeks before the premiere of the work in 2005. In 2008, the University of Southern Mississippi commissioned and performed his work Renaissance for orchestra and choir.