Awake, debut album from 17-year-old composer Samuel Siskind, to be released on Aug. 29

Fourth Wall Ensemble is thrilled to announce its exciting collaboration with new talent and ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award winner Samuel Siskind on his debut composing album Awake, set to be released by Tiger Turn on all streaming platforms beginning August 29, 2024.

LA-based Siskind is an in-demand young composer and high school senior 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.

An LA Philharmonic Composing Fellow, Siskind's work has been performed by members of the legendary orchestra. This summer he is 1 of 30 students selected by Juilliard Dean of Music and renowned composer, 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® Award-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.

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 during this 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.

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. 

Reflecting on their meeting he says, “I first knew Samuel as a principal singer with a strong baritone voice, but then found out that he composed as well. 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 who together run NYC-based 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 premier of "Soaring Dreams." Also included on the album is an art song written by Samuel 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.”

Track Listing

1. Release I: Soaring Dreams - SATB & Piano
2. Release II: Strident Downpour - SATB & Piano
3. Release III: Out from the Deep - SATB (a cappella)
4. The Forest - SATB & Piano
5. Tranquil Beauty - Baritone & Piano
6. Evolution - Piano Étude

About the Artists

About Samuel Siskind, LA-based composer and baritone, a high school senior whose music has already garnered significant international recognition.  A winner of the 2024 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award after placing as a finalist in 2023, Samuel is also an LA Phil Composing Fellow, under the direction of acclaimed composer Andrew Norman. This summer, Samuel will release his debut album, Awake, recorded in New York shortly after the premiere of “Soaring Dreams,” at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium by the GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus. At age 15, Samuel was the youngest composer to be commissioned by The Golden Bridge, under Artistic Director, Suzi Digby OBE and patron Morton Laurenson. For the commission, Samuel chose to reimagine the a cappella Thomas Tallis Renaissance classic, “Out from the Deep.” Samuel wrote the original text for the piece which completed his choral cycle, “Release” which was recognized as a finalist for the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Young Composer Award. “Out from the Deep” went on to win the award in 2024. An avid hiker, Samuel draws much of his inspiration from the natural sounds and landscapes he encounters. 

About Johnathan McCullough, GRAMMY® nominated baritone and director, recently premiered his production of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs produced by Opera Philadelphia which was nominated by the Recording Academy for Best of Recording, an International Opera Award nomination, and won the Artistic Creation Prize at the inaugural Opera America Awards for Digital Excellence. He made his Canadian directing debut last season with the Atelier lyrique of Opéra de Montréal with a program entitled “Emily” centered around works written by Emily Dickinson, which he co-created with conductor and pianist Christopher Allen. The show went on to be revived as part of the chamber series at Wolf Trap. Other recent appearances include singing the baritone soloist in Britten’s “War Requiem” at Walt Disney Concert Hall and recital with pianist Carol Wong as part of the Carnegie Hall Citywide Series.

He has sung leading roles at Opera Philadelphia, Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Portland Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and many more. Johnathan was selected by Renée Fleming to participate in the Weill Institute Song Studio at Carnegie Hall where he has also performed in concert. Recent and upcoming singing engagements include appearances with Pittsburgh Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Philadelphia as Ophémon in The Anonymous Lover, and Lyric Opera Kansas City as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, and a return to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Dr. Falke in a new production of Die Fledermaus. He serves at the program director of the National Youth Opera Academy and Executive Director of Fourth Wall Ensemble. 

About Christopher Allen Recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, he is featured in Opera News as “one of the fastest-rising podium stars in North America.” He has led acclaimed performances with the Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opéra de Montréal, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Wolf Trap Opera (National Symphony Orchestra), Detroit Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Atlanta Opera, OSESP, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Daegu Opera House in South Korea and China National Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Allen has worked with young artists at Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique, Los Angeles Opera, Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Aspen Music Festival and School, New England Conservatory, and A.J. Fletcher Institute at University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Allen has been heard on NPR speaking about the importance of the arts in American society. Most recently, as a pianist, he was heard in Opera Philadelphia’s film of La voix humaine starring Patricia Racette, and in Emily, a production he created with Johnathan McCullough that premiered at Opéra de Montréal.

Fourth Wall Ensemble is quickly emerging as New York’s premiere vocal ensemble. They are dedicated to storytelling through sound and movement, bringing new works to life while simultaneously exploring the earliest roots of vocal music. Launched in the fall of 2023, Fourth Wall Ensemble’s first season includes performances at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall at The Kaufman Center, a concert with Death of Classical, a series at Power Station at Berklee NYC, and a residency with Avaloch Farm Music Institute. They will release their debut album with GRAMMY Award-winning® trio, Time for Three, and five-time EMMY Award-winning composer of House of Cards, Jeff Beal, as well as a live-recorded album, “Fourth Wall: Live from Power Station,” featuring instrumentalist Stuart Bogie. The ensemble is led by award-winning Artistic and Creative Director, Christopher Allen, and Executive Director and producer Johnathan McCullough. 

For more information, to request a preview of the album, or request interviews, please contact:

Frank Luzi
Luzi Media
215.779.7614
frank@luzi.media