The Boston Choral Ensemble Miguel Felipe, Music Director Madrigalia
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The Boston Choral Ensemble Miguel Felipe, Music Director Madrigalia Friday, November 30, 2007 First Church, UCC Harvard Sq, Cambridge Sunday, December 2, 2007 St. John the Evangelist Beacon Hill, Boston the Boston Choral Ensemble Miguel Felipe, Music Director All About Us… the Boston Choral Ensemble Our Mission The Boston Choral Ensemble creates a fun, friendly, and open atmosphere for the musical development of musicians and audiences in the Greater Boston area. Members of the Boston Choral Ensemble grow musically, both as individuals and as an en- semble, through the rehearsal and performance of challenging, high-quality music. We strengthen Greater Boston’s choral community by: making choral music accessible and interesting to all listeners, regardless of musical background; developing musical inter- est and ability in young adult musicians; and collaborating with other local musicians. The Greater Boston Choral Consortium The Boston Chorale Ensemble is a member of the Greater Boston Choral Consortium (GBCC ), a cooperative association of diverse choral groups in Boston and the surround- ing areas. [See the GBCC listings beginning on p 19.] Saying Thanks We’d like to thank the following people and organizations: Nils Erikson for his record- ing expertise, and Josh Stoddard and Robert McGilvray for recording support; Perrin Tellock for all the good food; friends and family for volunteering as ushers; Louise Reilly Sacco and Garen Daly with The Frugal Yankee on WNTN , 1550 AM ; The 21st Ammendment and Robert Hanna for supporting the choir’s post-concert festivities; the administra- tors, staffs, and congregations of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, First Church in Cambridge, UCC , and Arlington Street Church, UU . 2. the Boston Choral Ensemble 7th Season :: 2007–2008 From the President Matthew Baggetta, Board President Dear Friends, Welcome to the Boston Choral Ensemble’s season-opening concert! We’re thrilled you’re here to join us as we kick off our seventh season. Of course, while this weekend marks the seventh season’s public launch, the planning and preparation that have brought this concert about began moments after last season concluded—and we’ve done much “welcoming” since then. In August, we welcomed composers to submit applications for our First Annual Commission Competition. About 65 composers from around the world submitted representative works from their catalogues and a proposal for a brand new piece appropriate for our Spring 2008 concert entitled A Peaceable Kingdom. Check page 4 to learn about the winner and honorable mentions. Then, be sure to join us in May to hear a world premiere! In September, we welcomed 14 new members to our ranks. These individu- als were selected from the large pool of talented singers (more than 40!) who came out for our autumn open-rehearsal and auditions. We also welcomed the talented Branden Grimmet as our rehearsal pianist, and our rehearsals have never run more smoothly. In October, we welcomed Penelope Bitzas from Boston University, Kathy Fitz- gibbon from Clark University, and Kevin Leong from Harvard University to lead workshops at our annual musical skills retreat. Their instruction was invaluable, and we put their suggestions to work right away with a performance the next day at Arlington Street Church where we continue this year as Artists-in-Residence. In November, we welcomed Andy Vores of the Boston Conservatory and Jane Ring Frank, artistic director of Boston Secession, to our panel of Commis- sion Competition judges. Their thoughtful consideration and insights helped make our inaugural selection process a fruitful and rewarding one. And now… we would once again like to welcome you, our long-standing patrons and BCE concert newcomers, as we bring the first results of these long months of work to life. We hope you enjoy it. Best wishes, Matthew Baggetta 2007–2008 Board President, Boston Choral Ensemble P.S. Be sure to join us March 7th and 9th for our performance of Orlando de Las- sus’s moving masterwork Lagrime de San Pietro (The Tears of St. Peter). 3. the Boston Choral Ensemble Miguel Felipe, Music Director Commission Competition the Boston Choral Ensemble The Boston Choral Ensemble is thrilled to introduce you to the winner of our 1st Annual Com- mission Competition. Mr. Zachary Wadsworth was selected from among 65 applicants from around the world, and his new work will be premiered by BCE this coming spring during A Peaceable Kingdom (see the ad on page 18). For more information about the compeition, especially its 2009 iteration, visit us online at www.BostonChoral.org/competition. Zachary Wadsworth :: Winner, 1st Annual Commission Competition The music of Zachary Wadsworth, praised for its “evocative mixture of old and new,” spans the entire spectrum of concert music, from music for solo instruments to choral works, art songs, chamber music, orchestra pieces, and an opera. He is also an active pianist and singer, performing regularly in chamber music, solo vocal, and choral settings. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Zachary has received commissions from numerous individuals and organizations, including The Commission Project, the Hanson Institute for American Music, the Eastman School of Music, and Smith College. His pieces have been performed by en- sembles including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Yale Philharmonia, by ensembles at Yale University, the Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, and Smith College. He has received several composition awards, including first prize in the 2007 ASCAP /Lotte Lehmann Foundation Art Song Competition, first place in the first Long Leaf Opera One Act Opera Competition, a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two Morton Gould Young Composers Awards from ASCAP, and prizes from the Eastman School of Music and the Yale School of Music. A recording of his choral work, O Saving Victim is now available on the Gothic record label. Zachary has studied at the Eastman School of Music (BM , 2005) and Yale University (MM , 2007), and he is currently pursuing a DMA in music composition at Cornell University. His composition teachers have included Steven Stucky, Roberto Sierra, Martin Bresnick, Ezra Laderman, Ingram Marshall, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Rob- ert Morris, David Liptak, James Willey, and Syd Hodkinson. He also studied at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Honorable Mentions :: 1st Annual Commission Competition Eric Banks, Seattle, Washington A.J. McCaffrey, Los Angeles, California Justin Merritt, Northfield, Minnesota 4. the Boston Choral Ensemble 7th Season :: 2007–2008 Role Call of Donors the Boston Choral Ensemble The Boston Choral Ensemble thanks the many who choose to support our mission and our music. Below are those who’ve given in the last 12 months. If we’ve left you out, we apologize. Please contact us at [email protected] so we can fix the error. If you’d like to join this group of kind donors, talk to a member today or visit www.BostonChoral.org/support. Thank you. Benefactors Friends Laura and Martin Keane Rob Anderson Jonathan Slusarz Anthony Baggetta Caitlin Cunningham Sponsors Ryan Cunningham Dominick and Cheryl Baggetta Tiana Checchia Paul Barrett Rob Clifford Roger Brook Alexandra Dew John Davis and John Graham Kaja Fickes Jamie and Harry Keshet Ellen Frank Sara Larcombe Terry and Bob Fromhartz Josh Stoddard Barbara and Frederick Gable Perrin Tellock Jonathan Gable Barb and Bob Gould Patrons Raziel and Nancy Haimi-Cohen Kristi Lyn Hayes Sally and Ron Bancroft Ezra Keshet Linda Barrett Judith and Mark Kuperwaser Mr. And Mrs. Michael Benefiel Brooke and Jeff Larimer Matthew Boggie Sue and Bob Lloyd Lisa Cacciabaudo Zena Lum Patti and Anthony Cacciabaudo Brenda McDonald Darren Carlton Lynne Meacham Katherine and Lloyd Conover Deborah and Alberto Mizrahi Caitlin Downey Vasil Pappas Michelle and Saul Farber Virginia Pappas Miguel Felipe Christian Potts Ingrid Flynn Dionisa and Hugo Rosal Jeff Foley Jeremy Sacco William Ford Carrie Sewell-Bancroft Fay M. Graham Wendy Savery Karen James Leah and Cris Shuldiner Debbie Katsiroubas Patrick Sullivan Margaret and David McDiarmid Kevin Tyrrell Jeff McHugh Robert and Rita Modell Mary Moran Supporters Lisa Plumley Kelly Barner Carole Jean Smith and Louis Tsien Scott Boyd Mike and Kathy Willis Jon Chapman Yoon Choi 5. the Boston Choral Ensemble Miguel Felipe, Music Director Kelley Collette Lisa Lloyd Jessica Connolly Adrienne Lucas Ernie Corbin Alan Maginn Jeffrey Ebert Kathleen McCarthy Brian Flanagan Leona and John McDonald Lesley Gange Carolyn McKibbin Constance Gillett Melissa McMahan Steve Goodwin Sarah McQueen Adam Green Lisabeth O’Connor Mita Gupta Kate Oliver Nancy Gurney Chelsea Pawlek Susan Gurney Rebecca Reyelt Hahrie Han Sarah Richard David Hanneke Anne Rogers Mandi Jo Hanneke Rahul Sagar Ryan Harrison Dorothy Saltanovitz Elizabeth Hauck Pamela and Paul Sechoka Alan Helms Barbara Soderberg James Hykel Rosalie Tashjian Alison Jones Cameron Van Der Veer Anne Jones and Dan Gonzalez Anna Ward Kristin Lane Geoff Whitlock Meredith Lane Barbara Wild Michael Lane Kevin Wright Sheila Lipshultz The Boston Choral Ensemble :: Miguel Felipe, Music Director …a rare performance of Lassus’s masterpiece Lagrime di San Pietro Fri Mar 7, 2008 Sun Mar 9, 2008 Free Concert www.BostonChoral.org 6. the Boston Choral Ensemble 7th Season :: 2007–2008 From the Director Miguel Felipe, Music Director Dear Friends— I’m happy to welcome you to Madrigalia, the first concert of our 7th season. Today’s program is a departure from our normal Christmas program routine. I figured, however, that maybe you, our audience, and the singers might enjoy a little something aside from the holiday rush just as the decorations are going up everywhere and sales are picking up speed! Today’s concert is, therefore, decid- edly secular and apart from the holiday season. Running as a thread through Madrigalia is the tradition of inventive, evocative, and expressive music.