Love Never Fails (Reprise) from PTGA

“Love Never Fails (Reprise)” from the musical Pray the Gay Away®. Music by Conrad Askland (ASCAP).

In the 2019 performance run, “Love Never Fails (Reprise)” was the closing song in my musical Pray the Gay Away®. The story is a very heart-felt project aimed at bringing an understanding of the painful world of gay conversion therapy to mainstream audience. The PTGA team and myself worked in partnership with PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to bring support and awareness to our local audiences. We also provided a lot of information about The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Prevention) to our audiences with information in the programs and materials that The Trevor Project supplied to us.

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Agnus Dei Miserere

 

“Agnus Dei” music by Conrad Askland. Originally released by Road Records on the CD “New Faces Vol. 4”. Vocalists Carlotta Diggs (alto) and Karen Etheridge (soprano). Agnus Dei © 2001 Conrad Askland (ASCAP).

Some of my favorite Agnus Dei music is by Samuel Barber, Mozart and Schubert. As a child boy soprano I sang many masses by the great composers and always loved the sound of original Latin music texts. The Agnus Dei is traditionally one of the movements from the Catholic mass.

My version of the Agnus Dei was always intended as more of a character piece for film. I wrote it in 3/4 time with traditional orchestral snare rolls and cymbal crashes that I think gives it a slightly Viennese and aristocratic feel. Because of the aristocratic feel, I always pictured this song playing as an underscore to a screen element that is both dark and carefree. For example, a scene where The Joker is unleashing his mayhem with glee, when Hannibal Lecter is enjoying his glass of Chianti while his plans are unfolding, or yes, an underscore to Trump taking his mask off on the White House steps pretending he is Superman.

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The “I Like Chocolate” Song

Words and Music by Conrad Askland (ASCAP). “I Like Chocolate” © 2007 Conrad Askland.

I ascribe by the motto of “What was funny in third grade will always be funny.” This is MAYBE the silliest song I’ve ever written, and I’ve written a LOT of very silly songs.

I almost never write a song “just to write a song.” There’s always a reason for a song when I write it. I’m very utilitarian, or practical, in that way. “I Like Chocolate” was written for a very specific reason: to make third-graders laugh. And here’s the story all about that…

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Romeo and Juliet the musical – Online Premiere – Full Show (English)

I’m excited to announce that my musical “Romeo and Juliet” is now available to watch on YouTube (Full Show – English)

I composed the music for this stage production entirely to the original text of William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. The RJ musical premiered on stage January-February 2015 at the Historic Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon, WA. This video is from the live stage performance on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2015.

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The Lord’s Prayer Song – Orchestral Music for Soloist and Choir

The Lord’s Prayer – Music by Conrad Askland (ASCAP). © 1997. Orchestral music for soloist and choir.

The lyrics for my rendition of the Lord’s Prayer are from Matthew 6:9-13 which cover through “but deliver us from all evil.” As Wikipedia would have you know: “Other ancient authorities add, in some form, For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Prayer

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Tribute to Abraham Lincoln

Tribute to Abraham Lincoln  – the Greatest U.S. President. Background music is Piano Nocturne #14 “Aqua” by Conrad Askland.

It was a very moving experience to work on this video. In the past month I have been creating some videos about historical characters and actual historical figures. This was one of my favorites, to be able to spend time alone (virtually at least) with the great Abraham Lincoln. I am always moved by his quote that encourages us to follow “the better angels of our nature.” To me it is a similar hopeful thought akin to the early U.S. settlers who dreamed of “a city upon a hill.” We fall short. We always do. But we can strive and we can be encouraged to be the better side of who we are as individuals, as a nation and as a global community.

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Search For Me – Electronica Hip Hop song ballad

“Search For Me” – Words and Music by Gailyn Addis and Conrad Askland.

“Search For Me” was a song collaboration with Gailyn Addis. We wrote the words and music together, recorded the song and it was released through Orchard Music on the 1999 Gailyn Addis self-titled debut album. Gailyn was one of my all-time favorite vocal artists to record with and this is one of my favorite songs that we wrote together in preparation for her 1999 album release.

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