With no money, no musicians, and no venue, two young passionate composers decided one day in May 2007 to create a concert series that could bring the talents of Pacific Northwest composers to the public.
KEVIN A. CORNELIUS, a young gay composer and self-described “techie”, reached out to composer and conductor, Shawn Meloy and the two diligently worked to create the framework of the company’s first major project: Pacific Northwest Composer Project.
Before forming this Project Kevin completed his first stage piece, Consequences, a short operetta in 2 acts in 2006. Consequences set the stage for Kevin to cultivate a more mature sound. Subsequent orchestral compositions included: Overture to Truth, Hoefner Overture, Quiet Desperation, and Dream Sequence.
Currently, Kevin has focused his energies on creating this Composer Project to give young artists an opportunity to have get paid for their performance and seeks to fill the void that exists after the talented composer leaves his/her studies and faces the real world of Art.
 Kevin A. Cornelius |
 Shawn R. Meloy |
SHAWN R. MELOY has that creative personality which lends itself to many forms of art, although music composition is by far the most important to him. At an early age, Shawn began composition informally on his own with little pieces for piano, flute, clarinet, and other instruments and later composed his Fantasy for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble.
Today, he is happy to be working with Kevin on producing this first concert for the Pacific Northwest Composers Project, an event which he hopes will inspire other local composers to dust off their manuscript books and wet their pens.
JEREMIAH OLIVER is a self-taught pianist who began studying classical piano in 1993 and graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 2006. Pieces of his have been premiered by the Saint Helens String Quartet, the Seattle Chamber Players, and Ancora Women’s Choir.
He accompanies for several choirs including the Seattle Girls’ Choir, Ancora Women’s Choir, and Diverse Harmony, a gay-straight alliance youth choir.
 Harlan Glotzer |
 Jeremiah Oliver |
Harlan Glotzer has always been enamored with the inner workings of melody and harmony, which led him to classical theory and composition. During his studies at Cornish he has had the opportunity to have his creations performed by ensembles including the Saint Helens String Quartet and the Seattle Chamber Players.
Currently, Harlan is working on several music projects. Among them, composing for and performing in the Toy-Box Trio – an ensemble consisting of concertina, cello and toy piano, committed to performing new classical music with a carnival flair.
Pacific Northwest Composer Project (PNCP) is at the Broadway Performance Hall the weekend of June 13-15, 2008. Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are just $20 and can be purchased at BrownPaperTickets.com.
Please go see this show, and support my friend Shawn Meloy. He has an incredible gift, and this is his chance to share it with the world.