An AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope
December 12, 2014
December 12, 2014
The next track, “Her Final Show” (music Drew Hemenger, lyrics Rafael Campo), sung by tenor Anthony Dean Griffey with pianist Thomas Bagwell, shows both the vulnerability of a dying drag queen accustomed to grandiosity, and the compassion of a medical professional.
— huffingtonpost.com
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Sing for Hope's AIDS Quilt Songbook @ TWENTY
on World AIDS Day - Her Final Show, Review
December 12, 2012
on World AIDS Day - Her Final Show, Review
December 12, 2012
"Powerhouse soprano Adrienne Danrich channeled a drag queen's farewell in the premiere of Drew Hemenger's potent Her Final Show..."
— Broadwayworld.com
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"Our First Time"
May 5, 2012
May 5, 2012
"Drew Hemenger's setting of Langston Hughes' Genius Child seemed the most interesting
of the set."
— Voce di Meche blog
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Adrienne Danrich's Harlem Renaissance in Milwaukee
February 2, 2012
February 2, 2012
"These beautiful songs refer to period music the way Hughes himself referred to blues, spirituals and black preaching: He made the language his own."
— Tom Strini, Third Coast Digest (Milwaukee, WI)
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Piano Squared: KeyedUp at Tenri Institute
February 2, 2012
February 2, 2012
"Drew Hemenger's Four Places in New York, inspired by walks around West Side neighborhoods, included a dramatic picture of George Washington Bridge traffic - a real physical test for the pianists."
— Angela Sutton, Feast of Music
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Soprano Adrienne Danrich and the Operatic Journey
June 6, 2011
June 6, 2011
"She has a special affiliation with living composer Drew Hemenger. 'He gets it,' says Danrich. 'He's a classically trained musician who gets all the flavors of America: Black, white, et cetera.'"
— Alicia Hall Moran, New York Amsterdam News
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Song Cycle Given Compelling Premiere by Soprano, Orion Ensemble
November 11, 2009
November 11, 2009
"Which Way Home? is a moving and impressive achievement. Despite the potentially lugubrious subject matter, the songs, set to Anne Sexton's plaintive poetry, offers a variety of expression."
— Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review
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Premiere of Classical Piece Connects Far-Away Places
A German quartet debuts a work by a composer who grew up in Yellow Springs
April 4, 2008
A German quartet debuts a work by a composer who grew up in Yellow Springs
April 4, 2008
"Deceptively simple in its conception, [Three Inner Moments (String Quartet No. 2)] needed an ensemble of the Vogler's musical caliber to bring it to life... But the work of an artist is to take the personal and find the universal, which is what Hemenger – who was in attendance Sunday – has done, finding in each place not only personal significance, but also metaphoric places where both loss and hope intertwine in poignant harmony – a human experience with significance for all."
— Carol Simmons, Dayton Daily News
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Gay Composer's Carnegie Debut
Ohio native presents work with string quartet recruited in Philadelphia, New York
April 4, 2005
Ohio native presents work with string quartet recruited in Philadelphia, New York
April 4, 2005
"In the classical music world, Drew Hemenger, 36, a New Yorker, is making his mark, premiering Four Movements for String Quartet, performed by the Serafin String Quartet, on April 23 at a Weill Recital Hall debut.
An Ohio native, Hemenger received a doctorate in music from the Manhattan School of Music and has completed numerous commissions. In 2002, Hemenger co-founded Chamber Music Now! with composers David Laganella and Richard Belcastro from Philadelphia and the company has performed several concerts in both New York and Philadelphia.
Hemenger recently sat down with Gay City News to discuss his work as a classical musical composer."
An Ohio native, Hemenger received a doctorate in music from the Manhattan School of Music and has completed numerous commissions. In 2002, Hemenger co-founded Chamber Music Now! with composers David Laganella and Richard Belcastro from Philadelphia and the company has performed several concerts in both New York and Philadelphia.
Hemenger recently sat down with Gay City News to discuss his work as a classical musical composer."
— Gay City News
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Washington, D.C.: What's That Racket?
February 2, 2005
February 2, 2005
"Drew Hemenger's string quartet was deceptively simple, with moments that really shone darkened by just a few intonation ouches."
— Gail Wein, NewMusicBox
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Petite Duo, Review
April 4, 2004
April 4, 2004
"In his first piece composed for guitar, New York composer Drew Hemenger's Petite Duo exhibits both the softest and loudest possibilities of the acoustic guitar. Beginning with a single note that augments with each repetition, a phrase is built; inversions and rhythmic variations expand the theme."
— Deborah Kravetz, Sequenza 21
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Rachel Garcia Opens Chamber Music Now Season
November 11, 2003
November 11, 2003
"There is a perfectly "crazy" sense to the blend of music and text [of Which Way Home?], which are in different styles but do well by the colloquial lyrics. . ."
— Deborah Kravetz, Sequenza 21
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Saugerties Pro Musica gaining in stature
December 12, 2002
December 12, 2002
"Offering the world premiere of Drew Hemenger's Songs from America, the pair rocked "Were You There," "Evil Hearted Man," "Three Sailor Songs," and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" from the same, extraterrestrial perspective they brought to the Spanish inflected works. Hemenger, who is 24, had something to do with the way these old songs hang up brand new."
— Kitty Montgomery, Daily Freeman (Hudson Valley, NY)
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