Where Song Began . . .
Composed between the spring of 2023 and winter of 2024, the St. Cecilia Requiem was inspired by the passing of Patrick Stoyanovich’s mother, Mary Jo Stoyanovich.
Rooted in the centuries-old tradition of the requiem—a form composers have returned to across generations to grapple with loss and memory—the work serves as both a personal reflection and a continuation of this enduring musical dialogue.
Dedicated to St. Cecilia, patron saint of music, it considers the profound role music holds in articulating the inexpressible.
Patrick Stoyanovich has framed the requiem as a chamber work in nine movements. Using the traditional Latin texts, each movement is preceded by a preludium for violin a piano; a moment of reflection and meditation before confronting the next stage of spiritual journey.
The premiere of the St. Cecilia Requiem unfolds within the walls of St. Cecilia Parish on Bainbridge Island, a place where Patrick Stoyanovich’s faith and family converge. This shared sanctuary, named for the patron saint of music to whom the work is dedicated, becomes more than a venue; it is a living part of the music’s story. Here, amid familiar faces and sacred space, the requiem finds its first breath — a homecoming of sound, spirit, and memory.
Saint Cecilia Parish — Bainbridge Island, WA.
sunday, September 21, 2025
1310 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. Doors open at 2:00 PM, tickets required for entry
3 : 00 Pm
About
the composer
A native to Bainbridge Island, composer Patrick Stoyanovich brings a rich musical background to contemporary culture.
Mr. Stoyanovich has been Composer-in-Residence for Saint James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington and Composer-in-Residence for Saint Cecilia Festival on Bainbridge Island, the latter of which presents recitals and new works for choir and orchestra. He is active as a composer, teacher, and performer.
Stoyanovich’s compositions are published by G. Schirmer, Northeastern Music Publishers, and Metro City Music (the latter which he owns and operates) and have been performed across the United States and Europe by Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Lake Union Civic Orchestra, Helena Symphony, the English Double Reed Society in Canterbury, and on the Hungarian National Radio.
Recent chamber performances included premieres of Stoyanovich’s String Quartet No.1 “Shiloh Church” and Duo for Violin and Cello “Field of Blackbirds” at the Bowery Poetry in New York City, his Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano at the Aspen Music Festival (Aspen, Co.) and Encinitas Music by the Sea Concert Series (San Diego, CA.), and his Sonata No.2 “Romantic Warrior” for Violin and Piano on the Crocker Art Museum Concert Series (Sacramento, CA.) and the Elebash Recital Series (New York, NY.).
Discography includes the 2024 Bridge Records release of Rue Paradis: Chamber Works by Patrick Stoyanovich, featuring performances by violinist Sophia Stoyanovich, cellist Aaron Wolff, and pianist Derek Wang. Hailed as “…gorgeous music of substantial emotional depth, played with substantial emotional insight” and “a standout recording” by Fanfare Magazine, Rue Paradis follows on the heels of Stoyanovich’s previous recorded albums for Crystal Records, Jazzsport, and Metro City Music.
Patrick Stoyanovich has taught privately and at the college level for over twenty years including at the UCLA, California State University: Fullerton, SUNY Plattsburgh, and Burlington College. Stoyanovich has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2002.
More information on Patrick can be found at www.patrickstoyanovich.com
Educated from age nine on piano and horn, as a teenager Stoyanovich was honored numerous times as an outstanding jazz piano soloist and began to perform professionally at age fourteen in Detroit. His formal education began at the University of Michigan School of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance. At the time, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship studying jazz in New York City with Richard Beirach, in addition to receiving the John W. Work III Prize for Composition. Graduate studies were concluded at Yale University under the tutelage of Jacob Druckman on full scholarship. Stoyanovich graduated with High Honors receiving his Master of Music in Composition, garnering the Irving Gilmore Fellowship for Outstanding Composition Student.
Mr. Stoyanovich’s composition teachers have included three Pulitzer Prize winners: Jacob Druckman, Leslie Basset, and William Bolcom; in addition he worked with Leonard Bernstein at Les Écoles d’art Américaines de Fontainebleau in France, and with Gunther Schuller at Sandpoint Festival. In 2009 he was named a MacDowell Fellow.
Patrick is an active pianist, frequently appearing in recitals such as the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, Northwest Piano Series, and Steinway Recital Series at Sherman Clay in Seattle, WA. As a jazz pianist, he has been featured in festivals including the Detroit-Montreaux International Jazz Festival, Bright Moments, Vermont Jazz, and Banff Music Festival. As a concert pianist, he has soloed with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Bremerton Symphony Association, and the Saint Cecilia Music Festival.