Ellen Mandel Ellen Mandel, composer, has written many art songs to texts by E.E. Cummings, Seamus Heaney, WB Yeats, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Mew, and others. Mandel’s art songs have been performed in concert at venues including the Tribeca New Music Festival, St Mark’s Church on the Bowery, Klavierhaus, and the Century Center, all in New York City, the Sirena Poetry Festival in Pennsylvania, the In-Series in Washington DC, the Florio Street Concerts in California, the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire, the New Gallery Concert Series in Boston, in concerts from Mississippi to Ohio to Maine, in Ireland at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and in concerts in Scotland, England, and Germany. New York Times raves: “Mandel’s songs are ardent and spiky…refreshingly organic.” Ms. Mandel has written music for over seventy plays. Scenie Award: music for Top Girls, Antaeus Theatre, LA. Best Music nominations: for Medea, Charley’s Aunt and Voysey Inheritance. Mandel composed music for Death of a Salesman, Drama Desk best revival nom. Other theaters: Mint, Jean Cocteau Rep, Pearl, Asolo, Arkansas Rep, Tennessee Rep, Peterborough Players and others. Scores for five indie films, and music for dance, cabaret, and on the spot for improv comedy. Ms Mandel’s CDs: a wind has blown the rain away, the first of all my dreams, Every Play's an Opera, The Cat and the Moon, There Was a World, and I So Liked Spring. Dizzy Gillespie called her a “wonderful musician.” Reviews of Mandel’s art songs: "A striking collaboration! the playful poetry of e.e. cummings set to music by New York composer Ellen Mandel… I wish I could give this CD to every poetry lover I know!"All Things Considered, National Public Radio. “Mandel’s songs are ardent and spiky…refreshingly organic.” New York Times “Mandel's jazz background is evident, yet these are true art songs.… Mandel marries the music to the texts seamlessly, like Schubert, Fauré, and Ned Rorem, for whom writing songs seems to come naturally…The CD blew me away at first hearing and continues to do so numerous listenings later! Get yourself a copy ASAP if you are a fan of great song.” cvnc.org. “This composer’s music for the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater has been remarkable for consistent invention, compositional resource, and apt theatricality. So attention should be paid as she branches out now with musical settings e.e. cummings poems.” Village Voice