On your favorite streaming sites.  And as of 21 October 2026, changed to Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  

In the Test of Time

In those moments of loss, longing, uncertainty, and quiet questioning, Music becomes a companion.

With lyrics by Cindy Paulos and Music by Stephen Melillo, In the Test of Time is a deeply personal offering—an invitation to listen, reflect, and perhaps recognize something of your own journey within these songs.

May they remind us that, even in life’s quietest moments, we are never truly alone.

For Your Consideration - Traditional Pop Vocal Album

“In the Test of Time”

Release Date: 18 April 2026, Run Time:  32:27

Featured Guest Artists:

R. Shafer Melillo, Vocalist
Stephen Melillo, Vocalist & Keys
Matthew Miller, Bass
Brian Kornfeld, Drums

Lyrics by Cindy Paulos 
All Music & video production is composed, orchestrated, conducted, recorded, & produced by
© Stephen Melillo, IGNA 2026

In the Test of Time at Hearnow:
stephenmelillo.hearnow.com/in-the-test-of-time

In the Test of Time at Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/4DqNXORrDv77innrD1Bwfa?si=e4a7121c7cda42f9

YouTube Links for Single Tracks:
 

In the Test of Time

In those moments of loss, longing, uncertainty, and quiet questioning, Music becomes a companion.

With lyrics by Cindy Paulos and Music by Stephen Melillo, In the Test of Time is a deeply personal offering—an invitation to listen, reflect, and perhaps recognize something of your own journey within these songs.

May they remind us that, even in life’s quietest moments, we are never truly alone.

Previous Years

(Please share with your friends and colleagues in the Classical categories.  Thank you.)

Concerto for Tuba & Wind Ensemble, "The Strong Soul” 
(originally scored for Tuba & Symphony Orchestra)

The Concerto, 3 Movements in 18:03,  are on Tracks 15-16-17 from 
STORMWORKS Chapter 89: Worlds Within the World.  

Guest Solo Artist, Daniel Ridder, Tuba

Music rendered by Musique Militaire Grand-Ducale du Luxembourg
Directed by LTC Jean-Claude Braun

Recorded & Mastered by Lex van Diepen
at the Artikuss Theater in Luxembourg

Music Composed, Orchestrated, Conducted, & Produced 
by © Stephen Melillo, IGNA 2019-2023, 2-3M, Stormworks, ASCAP 
STORM®ecords

Special Thanks to Thomas Rundel, Kazuo Suzuki
and all of the Commissioners on this album.

With respect for your Time, this 18:03 mp3 plays all 3 movements in one track. Melillo Concerto for Tuba, 3 Movements-COMBINED

Grammy®  members may request a perusal copy of the Score.  Please send an email to the stormlab.

PDF of the TUBA Part from The Melillo Concerto for Tuba

Option: With links to your favorite DSPs, stream tracks 15-16-17 (The Concerto for Tuba), and optionally, the 20 tracks of STORMWORKS Chapter 89:  https://stephenmelillo.hearnow.com/c89 

YouTube Listening Options:

Movement 1: The Strong Soul, Allegro Intenso”, with a direct start on the piece: (scrubs to 1:30) 
Movement 2. This Too Has Passed, Lento con dolore”
Movement 3. Sorrows & Victory, Lento, Allegro molto”
 
Concerto for Tuba, “The Strong Soul,” is from:

Other useful links:
Complete Libretto
Own the album
Score info & ordering
 

Stephen Melillo, Composer
Short Bio

In 2024, world-renowned composer Stephen Melillo received a 3rd Pulitzer Prize in Music nomination for “Holodomor”, won “Best Cinematic Soundtrack” in New Age Radio Music Awards, and the LIT Songwriting-Audio-Music-Book Narration & Score Award for his “Excerpts from the Ahab & Death to Moby Dick Love Stories”.  His latest and 53rd album, STORMWORKS Chapter 89: Worlds Within the World, was awarded two Silver-Outstanding Achievement Medals in the 2024 Global Music Awards for Composer & Creativity/Originality.

Winner of multiple Gold Global Music Awards in 2022-23,  a Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Best Epic/Orchestral Music” in 2022, a Best New Age Album Award in “New Age Radio Music Awards” for “The Grey II-III”, Stephen’s more than 1360 works include 5 symphonies, several concerti and over 48-hours of Music for Ensembles of the 3rd Millennium™.  Stephen’s Symphony IIII: Lightfall, was nominated for the Pulitzer and Nemmers Prize in Music in 2015.  Winner of three 2009 Telly & Ava Awards for his 2005 Visualized Concert, Kakehashi: That We Might Live, Stephen's concert-version was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music.  A fourth Telly Award was given for “Best Use of Music” in the 2019 feature film, One Little Finger, produced by Rupam Sarmah.  A fifth Telly Award and Scorpius Award included Stephen’s work on the 2019 Reckoning of Darkness, produced by Christopher Kulikowski.  Stephen’s 15 feature film scores include the Academy Award-nominated 12:01 PM.

Stephen has been a recipient of the ASCAP Concert Awards each year since 1992.  STORMWORKS, Stephen’s pioneering, self-publishing entity, has gone from 0 to many thousands of worldwide renderings since 1992 simply by word-of-mouth.  He has 53 Albums and 9 books on varied streaming services and novels, including Only for Now, Nogard & Dragon, Ahab, a Love Story, the prequel to Melville’s Moby Dick, and the sequel, Death to Moby Dick, a Love Story.  

Complete BIO https://stephenmelillo.com/bio
WIKI Entry https://stormworld.com/wikipedia-entry-with-images
Digital Libretti here: https://stephenmelillo.com/digital-libretti
Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/stephenmelillo 
 

Dimitri and I discuss The Concerto for Tuba from STORMWORKS Chapter 89: Worlds Within the World, and much more.  Youtube Interview Start Link. https://youtu.be/GOPLbO_xhc4?feature=shared&t=1845
 

PREVIOUS FYC 2023
For Your Consideration

Classical Compendium: “Embracing Sorrow” 
Instrumental Composition: “A Requiem of Two Poems”

From Catherine L. Geach, Violinist:  

"Embracing Sorrow is a journey of Music that embraces and transmutes the sorrow of those who went through the Cambodian Genocide, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Holocaust, and the grief of Mohammed when he lost his beloved spouse. The Music was inspired by Stephen's friendship and research with Prisoners of War under the Nazis and survivors of the Holocaust and my own experience which I shared with Stephen, drawn from my work in Cambodia during the war and of my Cambodian friend's Book about surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide, and also more recently, with the Ukrainian Diaspora here in Rome, Italy. With many best wishes for your study and enjoyment."

“Embracing Sorrow”
by © Stephen Melillo, IGNA 2022-2023, 2-3M, STORMWORKS, ASCAP

Listen 
at your favorite Streaming Service here:
https://stephenmelillo.hearnow.com/embracing-sorrow

Please download and visit the Libretto here:
Embracing Sorrow, 33-page Libretto

Some thoughts on “A Requiem of Two Poems” #1300 in 5:50

A second version of this work, written for Wind Ensemble, commissioned by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be recorded in 2024 as part of STORMWORKS Chapter 89: Worlds Within the World.

On 24 FEB 2022, a Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, laden with hurt and pain, loneliness and sorrow inspired Music.  Minutes after writing Musical Haiku #113, I discovered another Poem by the Ukrainian Poet, Taras Shevchenko.  Musical Haiku #113 was retitled, “A Requiem of Two Poems".

Mere hours later, Russia invaded Ukraine. 

Catherine L. Geach, for whom, “Lonely is the Knight” was written some 23 years ago, the person who created a school for war-torn orphans in Cambodia, listened to  “A Requiem of Two Poems". Hearing the Music, she offered a Violin recording made while on her knees in Prayer.

A video of this original, pre-"Embracing Sorrow" version was posted on YouTube.
 

Then... Only hours after its writing and posting, the recording was played at The Church of Berezdizi near Lviv, Ukraine. The Music was not only played in the Church but all around Ukraine including areas under attack and even during Prayer for Ukrainian soldiers before going into battle.  One must marvel at the workings of God. 

***   ***   ***

Another of the pieces, track 6, on Embracing Sorrow has been visualized with accurate, though potentially disturbing Visuals.  You can read about “Holodomor” in the Libretto.  

Of Special Note regarding “Holodomor”, this work is being used by an Italian Organization, “FORZA UCRAINA.IT” to establish the Holodomor as a historically recognized genocide.

Here is a YouTube link:

Thank you for listening and for your consideration.

Please send your LINKS for DOWNLOAD or STREAMING ONLY TO:
Stephen Melillo - trialbystorm@gmail.com 

Wishing you much success always!
 

Pages from the Embracing Sorrow Libretto.  It is important to understand “why” this Music: