A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC: Moses George Hogan Was A Renowned Arranger of Spirituals

Moses George Hogan

About The Composer: Moses George Hogan

Moses George Hogan, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 13, 1957, was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he also studied at New York’s Juilliard School of Music and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mr. Hogan’s many accomplishments as a concert pianist included winning first place in the prestigious 28th annual Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in New York. Hogan was appointed Artist In Residence at Loyola University in New Orleans. Hogan began his exploration of the choral music idiom in 1980. Hogan’s former New Orleans based Moses Hogan Chorale received international acclaim.

The Moses Hogan Singers made their debut in 1998 on the EMI record label with the acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks. Hogan was commissioned to arrange and perform several compositions for the 1995 PBS Documentary, THE AMERICAN PROMISE, whose soundtrack was released separately by Windham Hill records under the title VOICES.

His discography includes a recording of arrangements of spirituals for the acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks, sung by the Moses Hogan Singers entitled Give Me Jesus, produced by EMI Virgin Records; An American Heritage of Spirituals, sung by the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir, conducted by Moses Hogan and Albert McNeil; Two recordings of spirituals with renowned countertenor Derek Lee Ragin on Aria Records and on Channel Classic Records; This Little Light of Mine, featuring Hogan’s most recent commissions and dedications, with excerpts from the Oxford Book of Spirituals, MGH Records: The Moses Hogan Choral Series 2002, features a collection of thirty-nine spirituals and songs of faith, sung by the Moses Hogan Chorale and Moses Hogan Singers, with excerpts from the Oxford Book of Spirituals, produced and arranged by Moses Hogan, MGH Records; Lift Every Voice For Freedom, a collection of American folk songs, poems, hymns, songs of faith and patriotic songs.

Hogan served as editor of the new Oxford Book of Spirituals, an expansive collection of spirituals, published by Oxford University Press. Hogan’s contemporary settings of spirituals, original compositions and other works have been revered by audiences and praised by critics including Gramophone magazine. With over 70 published works, Hogan’s arrangements have become staples in the repertoires of high school, college, church, community and professional choirs worldwide. Hogan’s choral style, high musical standards and unique repertoire consistently elicited praise from critics worldwide. Hogan was an exclusive arranger and composer for Hal Leonard Music Corporation and a member of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity and ASCAP. Mr. Hogan was in demand internationally as an arranger, conductor and clinician. Hogan’s choral series is published by Hal Leonard Corporation and by Alliance Music Publishers. Moses George Hogan died February 11, 2003.