Feature Interview with Mark Lawson, President ECS Publishing Group
Jeannine: Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who is Mark Lawson and how did you come to the music publishing business?
Mr. Lawson: My interest in publishing began when I was in graduate school and was asked to write curriculum for children. I contributed to children’s curriculum projects for about 6 years while serving as a full-time director of music for two congregations in the St. Louis area. During that time I began a friendship with Rodney Schrank, who began MorningStar Music Publishers in 1987. From 1987 to 1997, I had the opportunity to watch the beginning of MorningStar and became familiar with the music that was being published. In 1997 I was able to purchase the company and work beside Rodney for three years before he retired.
As I began traveling for MorningStar, I became friends with Bob and Cynthia Schuneman, owners of ECS publishing. In 2011 they approached me about possibly distributing for ECS and buying the company. Both Bob and Cynthia wanted to see the company remain independent and able to continue the legacy that had been established. Cynthia unfortunately passed away in 2012, and then Bob died just this past December.
It was a true pleasure to work with, and learn from these great publishers who were so instrumental in building these two important companies.
Jeannine: As President of the ECS Publishing Group, you oversee the publishing activities for E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy Music Corporation, and MorningStar Music Publishers. Each company represents publications that are known for excellence! Excellence in compositions, composers represented, and published format.
The initial influx of the Paul Manz copyrights into the MorningStar catalog helped it acquire instant credibility. Composers such as Charles Callahan, Hal Hopson, and K. Lee Scott were represented in some of the first years of publication, quickly followed by Michael Burkhardt, David Cherwien, Robert Hobby, Carl Schalk, and a host of others. The Cathedral Series, edited by John Romeri helped establish a catalog of distinctly Catholic music, and the addition of the National Lutheran Choir series, greatly enhanced the offerings for more advanced choirs. MorningStar has always sought out and published new composers and over the past few years compositions have been added to the catalog by composers such as Philip Stopford, Michael Trotta, Karen Marrolli, and many others.
The ECS catalog is quite broad and is made up of two distinct traditions. The first is the E.C. Schirmer catalog which began in 1921 in Boston and published the Harvard Glee Club Series and the Concord Series. From the beginning, E.C. Schirmer published both sacred and secular music. Aaron Copeland was an early composer in the catalog, and the catalog took on great distinction with the work of Randall Thompson. As the company grew, it added names such as Daniel Pinkham and Conrad Susa with expansion in its offering of chamber, orchestral music and Opera. A host of current composers include Frank Ferko, David Conte, Gwyneth Walker, Henry Mollicone, Julian Wachner and many others.
In 1985 ECS acquired Galaxy Music Corporation, a New York company founded in 1930. The Galaxy Music Corporation had a strong connection to the New York music scene as well as strong European ties. This acquisition added names such as K.K. Davis, Robert Ward, and brought in many works by Holst, Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells and Sibelius. Galaxy was very active in the publishing of Opera, Piano, Vocal, Chamber, and Choral music and included such great works as “The Crucible” by Robert Ward and owned the U.S. rights to the “Sea Symphony,” “London Symphony” and “Five Mystical Songs” by Vaughan Williams.
We are often asked if this is seen as a merger of these companies, and we try to explain that only the back office and warehousing functions have been merged. We keep the editorial staff functioning quite independently from each other.
All three companies had extensive new releases in this past year, and they are best seen by visiting our web-sites.
Jeannine: Besides being a leader in the music publishing world, you are also active as a clinician, writer and conductor. What are the topics important to you today in the area of church music? Choral music? Organ music?
Mr. Lawson: Over the past few years I have been asked to speak most frequently about matters related to “music and management” and matters related trends and new models in music publishing.
I also have a very strong interest in worship practices in the various denominations. I think there are many interesting things happening that should be crossing over denominational lines and it is exciting to help this happen by being a resource.
Jeannine: Where will your work take you in 2016? Clinics, festivals?
Mr. Lawson: It will certainly be a busy year. We are attending 3 ACDA conventions, Chorus America in Cincinnati, the AGO in Houston, the National Pastoral Musicians convention in Houston, the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Chicago, one of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians conferences in Fort Wayne, Texas Choral Directors convention, and the St. Olaf Worship conference.
Jeannine: In summary – websites, links?
Mr. Lawson: If you want to stay in touch with what we are doing, we have two publishing websites:
Both of these sites offer monthly e-newsletters in various genres as well as lots of information about our publishing activities.
Thank you very much for this chance to connect with your readers.
Jeannine: Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who is Mark Lawson and how did you come to the music publishing business?
Mr. Lawson: My interest in publishing began when I was in graduate school and was asked to write curriculum for children. I contributed to children’s curriculum projects for about 6 years while serving as a full-time director of music for two congregations in the St. Louis area. During that time I began a friendship with Rodney Schrank, who began MorningStar Music Publishers in 1987. From 1987 to 1997, I had the opportunity to watch the beginning of MorningStar and became familiar with the music that was being published. In 1997 I was able to purchase the company and work beside Rodney for three years before he retired.
As I began traveling for MorningStar, I became friends with Bob and Cynthia Schuneman, owners of ECS publishing. In 2011 they approached me about possibly distributing for ECS and buying the company. Both Bob and Cynthia wanted to see the company remain independent and able to continue the legacy that had been established. Cynthia unfortunately passed away in 2012, and then Bob died just this past December.
It was a true pleasure to work with, and learn from these great publishers who were so instrumental in building these two important companies.
Jeannine: As President of the ECS Publishing Group, you oversee the publishing activities for E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy Music Corporation, and MorningStar Music Publishers. Each company represents publications that are known for excellence! Excellence in compositions, composers represented, and published format.
- How is each publisher different/the same?
- What genre of music is published by each?
- Who is the audience of each? Church musician, organist, pianist, choral director, school director?
- Representative composers of each?
- New 2016 releases?
The initial influx of the Paul Manz copyrights into the MorningStar catalog helped it acquire instant credibility. Composers such as Charles Callahan, Hal Hopson, and K. Lee Scott were represented in some of the first years of publication, quickly followed by Michael Burkhardt, David Cherwien, Robert Hobby, Carl Schalk, and a host of others. The Cathedral Series, edited by John Romeri helped establish a catalog of distinctly Catholic music, and the addition of the National Lutheran Choir series, greatly enhanced the offerings for more advanced choirs. MorningStar has always sought out and published new composers and over the past few years compositions have been added to the catalog by composers such as Philip Stopford, Michael Trotta, Karen Marrolli, and many others.
The ECS catalog is quite broad and is made up of two distinct traditions. The first is the E.C. Schirmer catalog which began in 1921 in Boston and published the Harvard Glee Club Series and the Concord Series. From the beginning, E.C. Schirmer published both sacred and secular music. Aaron Copeland was an early composer in the catalog, and the catalog took on great distinction with the work of Randall Thompson. As the company grew, it added names such as Daniel Pinkham and Conrad Susa with expansion in its offering of chamber, orchestral music and Opera. A host of current composers include Frank Ferko, David Conte, Gwyneth Walker, Henry Mollicone, Julian Wachner and many others.
In 1985 ECS acquired Galaxy Music Corporation, a New York company founded in 1930. The Galaxy Music Corporation had a strong connection to the New York music scene as well as strong European ties. This acquisition added names such as K.K. Davis, Robert Ward, and brought in many works by Holst, Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells and Sibelius. Galaxy was very active in the publishing of Opera, Piano, Vocal, Chamber, and Choral music and included such great works as “The Crucible” by Robert Ward and owned the U.S. rights to the “Sea Symphony,” “London Symphony” and “Five Mystical Songs” by Vaughan Williams.
We are often asked if this is seen as a merger of these companies, and we try to explain that only the back office and warehousing functions have been merged. We keep the editorial staff functioning quite independently from each other.
All three companies had extensive new releases in this past year, and they are best seen by visiting our web-sites.
Jeannine: Besides being a leader in the music publishing world, you are also active as a clinician, writer and conductor. What are the topics important to you today in the area of church music? Choral music? Organ music?
Mr. Lawson: Over the past few years I have been asked to speak most frequently about matters related to “music and management” and matters related trends and new models in music publishing.
I also have a very strong interest in worship practices in the various denominations. I think there are many interesting things happening that should be crossing over denominational lines and it is exciting to help this happen by being a resource.
Jeannine: Where will your work take you in 2016? Clinics, festivals?
Mr. Lawson: It will certainly be a busy year. We are attending 3 ACDA conventions, Chorus America in Cincinnati, the AGO in Houston, the National Pastoral Musicians convention in Houston, the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Chicago, one of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians conferences in Fort Wayne, Texas Choral Directors convention, and the St. Olaf Worship conference.
Jeannine: In summary – websites, links?
Mr. Lawson: If you want to stay in touch with what we are doing, we have two publishing websites:
Both of these sites offer monthly e-newsletters in various genres as well as lots of information about our publishing activities.
Thank you very much for this chance to connect with your readers.