SEATTLE PRO MUSICA
KAREN P. THOMAS, CONDUCTOR
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The Traveler's Song
New American Composers Series with Nilo Alcala
February 28, 2026 | Seattle First Baptist Church
A message from conductor Karen P. Thomas
Welcome to The Traveler’s Song, the annual continuation of our “New American Composer Series,” which was inaugurated three years ago in our 50th Anniversary Season. We are thrilled that, due to the generosity of our donors and members, Seattle Pro Musica is able to continue re-imagining the future of choral music by commissioning an exciting young American composer each season. Today, we feature Nilo Alcala, with a performance of five of his choral works, complemented with pieces by Paul Mealor, Laura Jēkabsone, and First Nations composer Andrew Balfour.
We’ve enjoyed having Nilo in Seattle this past week to work with the singers of Seattle Pro Musica, and to share his knowledge and talent with students in the Greater Seattle area via our Education and Engagement Program. We are also especially excited to be joined on stage today by students from some of the schools that Nilo worked with this past week.
We are certain you will enjoy hearing Nilo’s music, as well as hearing and reading his insights about his compositional process and the place of new choral music in the world today. Please join us for a meet-and-greet following the concert! Sincerely,
Karen P. Thomas
Karen P. Thomas
Artistic Director and Conductor
Seattle Pro Musica
Trailblazing composer and artist Nilo Alcala is carving a legacy for Philippine Arts internationally. He is the first Philippine-born composer to receive the COPLAND HOUSE Residency Award (2017), as well as to be commissioned by GRAMMY-winner Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Alcala’s works have been hailed as “…[a] marvelously ear-opening experience…” (Musical America Worldwide), “…exuberant and at times hypnotic…” (Cultural Cocktail Hour), and “…scaled peaks of genius” (Asian Journal). His commissions include White Snake Projects (Boston), the National Music Competition for Young Artists; Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival; Korean Ministry of Culture; Asia-Europe Foundation; Metro Manila Community Orchestra; Manila Symphony Orchestra; San Bernardino Symphony; and many others. Alcala was composer-in-residence of the Philippine Madrigal Singers which premiered his works in numerous international concert tours, festivals, symposiums, and conferences. In 2017, this group also released a CD and digital album of Alcala’s choral works entitled ONOMATOPOEIA: The Choral Works of Nilo Alcala.
A versatile composer, Alcala has written music for film and other visual media and has received nominations and awards in the Philippines. He scored White Horse Pictures’ “Candlestick Park: The Beatles’ Last Concert,” a promotional short film for Ron Howard’s GRAMMY-winning film “The Beatles: Eight Days A Week.” Alcala was also music director of Club Six Studios, a Silicon Valley-based mobile video game company.
Committed to educating the next generation, Alcala was composer-mentor for Pasadena Master Chorale’s “Listening to the Future” program (2016-2019) for promising high school composers. In 2022, with the Rotary Club University District (RCUD - Quezon City, Philippines), Alcala has established the Rotary Club University District Nilo Alcala Arts Scholarships (RCUD-NAAS) for student artists.
We are delighted to be joined by students from the following schools and choirs:
3:00 pm concert
Evergreen Middle School, Christa Phillipson, conductor
Jane Addams Middle School, Alex Gagiu, conductor
Seattle Girls Choir Cantamus, Alex Gagiu, conductor
7:00 pm concert
Skyline High School, Benjamin Sederquist, conductor
The Overlake School, Erin Gabriel, conductor
Visit seattlepromusica.org for information about our education and engagement programs, donor acknowledgments, ways to support us, and more.
These performances are supported in part by ArtsFund, Classical KING FM 98.1, 4Culture, and the City of Seattle, Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Free and reduced cost access is supported by 4Culture.
Please mute all cell phones and electronic devices. No photography during performances. Thank you.
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