New Compositions in the Style of the Sacred Harp

By Aldo Thomas Ceresa

About Aldo Thomas

A dedicated singer and student of the Sacred Harp tradition, Aldo has been writing music in the style of The Sacred Harp since 2005. Among his greatest influences are the works of Daniel Read, Jeremiah Ingalls, William Walker, J.P. & H.S. Reese, O.A. Parris, A.M. Cagle, and the Denson family. He has also benefited from the instruction of such Sacred Harp composers as Raymond Hamrick, Judy Hauff, and P. Dan Brittain; as well as the ongoing dialogue that he has shared with other contemporary shape note tunewriters, including Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg, Greg Mulkern, Robert Kelley, Fynn Titford-Mock, Ian Quinn, Michael Walker, and others.

Since 2006, Aldo has been active in his efforts to foster greater community among contemporary tunesmiths; and has organized and participated in "Composium" Shape Note Tunewriting Workshops in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois and Alabama. In addition, Aldo has taught singing schools across the U.S. and the U.K., as well as in Ireland, Germany, Poland, France and the Czech Republic. He has also led Sacred Harp tunewriting workshops at Camp Fasola since 2009; and was the guest composer at the Strathmore Center for the Arts Sacred Harp Singing Workshop in April, 2007. His compositions have been published in several shape note songbooks, including: Northern Harmony, fifth edition (2012); The Sacred Harp, revised Cooper edition (2012); and Shenandoah Harmony (2013); as well as in several issues of The Trumpet (2011-2015), a periodical devoted to new music in The Sacred Harp idiom. His tune Edgewood was recorded by Northern Harmony, and appears on the Treasures of Grace album (2014). Northern Harmony have also performed several other songs by Aldo, including Green-Wood, which they included in their 2016 European Tour program, and which they sang on GDS TV in the Republic of Georgia. Aldo's tunes are also regularly performed by The Art Mob, an a cappella ensemble in New York City.

Feedback is always welcome. Please contact Aldo directly if you have any comments or questions about his tunes.

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