"Dennis Tobenski is a composer of acoustic new music whose work has been described by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times as “distinctive and engaging”. Dennis’s 20-minute work for high voice and orchestra, Only Air, which memorializes the gay teenagers who have taken their own lives in recent years, was commissioned and premiered by the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra in 2013. A chamber version of the piece was premiered in May 2014 by The Secret Opera in NYC, and then received its West Coast premiere in November 2014 by members of the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony as a part of the American Psychiatric Association’s annual Institute on Psychiatric Services. In 2016, Dennis will begin composing his first opera in collaboration with poet and playwright Barbara Grecki. The hour-long chamber opera, commissioned by The Secret Opera, will explore the harsh realities of sex trafficking in the United States, and is based on a short story written by the composer. Called a “dynamic vocalist” by Mr. Tommasini, Dennis’s focus as a vocalist is primarily on the works of the 21st and late 20th centuries. He has premiered works by David Del Tredici, Chester Biscardi, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Darien Shulman. In November 2014, he and Marc Peloquin recorded their first album together: a disc of 19 art songs by living gay American composers. The album, titled And He’ll Be Mine, will be released by Perfect Enemy Records, and features works by David Del Tredici, Chester Biscardi, Zachary Wadsworth, Darien Shulman, and Dennis Tobenski. Dennis lives in New York City with his husband Darien Scott Shulman and their cats Midget, Pistachio, and Bond. Hear more of Dennis's music at DennisTobenski.com.
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