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Choruses of Central Ma to Join Together for Benjamin 319 Main St Worcester, MA 01608 508-754-3231 WWW.MUSICWORCESTER.ORG Exceptional performances since 1858. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ADRIEN FINLAY – [email protected]; 508-754-3231x206 CHORUSES OF CENTRAL MA TO JOIN TOGETHER FOR BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S WAR REQUIEM OVER VETERANS DAY WEEKEND first-ever large-scale collaboration between five independent nonprofit ensembles to bring celebrated guest conductor, Jack Daly Goodwin, conductor-laureate of the New York Choral Society, to Mechanics Hall for Sunday matinee performance on November 12, 2017 Worcester, MA: In the first collaboration of its kind, five area choral ensembles will join forces to present the rarely-heard Britten War Requiem on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 4pm at Mechanics Hall. This collaboration, two years in the making, came about through discussions that focused on a major choral work that no one participating chorus could have dreamt of performing on its own. The Britten War Requiem, first performed in 1962 on the occasion of the completed reconstruction of the Coventry Cathedral after World War II bombing, contains both settings of traditional requiem movements as well as settings of poetry by Wilfred Owen, killed in World War I in 1918. Given the size of this collaborative effort, and the complexity of Britten’s composition, the participating ensembles sought a guest conductor with experience leading the work. John Daly Goodwin, conductor laureate of the New York Choral Society, has been engaged to direct the performance on November 12. Summary of performance – listing: Britten War Requiem Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 4pm Mechanics Hall – 321 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608 John Daly Goodwin, director Esther Heideman, soprano; Frank Kelley, tenor; Matthew Worth, baritone Participating ensembles: Worcester Chorus of Music Worcester, Salisbury Singers, Sounds of Stow, Master Singers of Worcester, Worcester Children’s Chorus Tickets: $39-$55 adults; $25 student and youth; ticketing fees apply WWW.MUSICWORCESTER.ORG or 508-754-3231 Continued… 2 Summary of performance – paragraph: Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, combines the text of the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead with the intensely personal anti-war poetry of Wilfred Owen, in a powerful work with a timeless message. Owen wrote, “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The poetry is in the pity… All a poet can do today is warn.” Scored for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, children’s choir, a large adult choir and two orchestras, the War Requiem delivers Owen’s timeless message through Britten’s genius over the span of 90 unforgettable minutes. Further details: An estimated 250, singers accompanied by one of the largest orchestras to be engaged to perform at Mechanics Hall, will present the War Requiem to area audiences over Veterans Day Weekend, on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 4pm. The participating ensembles, whose combined membership reaches across Worcester County into nearby communities in RI, CT, and NH, as well as neighboring Middlesex County, are comprised of a mix of professional and avocational vocalists. Please see below for additional information on the participating choral groups. Rehearsals began in earnest in Spring 2017, as the Britten War Requiem remains a work of significant technical difficulty. Maestro Goodwin has already led rehearsals, and will return in the Fall during the months prior to November 12, for additional rehearsals, interviews, and publicity opportunities. Why collaborate?: Each participating ensemble has robust concert seasons every year, including the upcoming 2017-2018 Season. Given the cordial relationships that exist between all the current ensemble directors, and given the reality that this type of collaboration will yield a maximum number of ticket buyers with five mailing lists at work, talks began back in 2015 regarding possible ideas for repertoire, venue, and guest conductors. Each ensemble agreed to focus Fall 2017 on the Britten, and the engagement of Maestro Goodwin (bio below) also ensures that such a collaboration creates opportunities for mentorship and professional development for the five ensemble artistic directors. Selection of Mechanics Hall: While a natural choice given the world-famous acoustics of the Great Hall and its ideal audience capacity for this project, Mechanics Hall also has over 150 years as a venue for choral music. Music Worcester, in its original iteration as the Musical Association of Worcester and subsequent Worcester Music Festival, featured primarily choral music at Mechanics Hall during its first decades starting in 1858, and indeed was known for its choral events above all else through the early 1900s. KEY PERSONNEL & ENSEMBLES Jack Daly Goodwin: Having led the New York Choral Society for 25 years until 2012, Maestro Goodwin was in the unique position to have conducted major choral works repeatedly at Carnegie Hall. In his work as an educator, he served on the faculties of New York University and Pace University, and continues to teach and conduct in Mexico City. Over the course of his career he has worked with Leonard Slatkin, Dennis Russell Davies, Fabio Luisi, Yehudi Menuhin, Robert Spano, Julius Rudel, and many others. Esther Heideman, soprano soloist: Winner of the 2000 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Ms. Heideman has performed world-wide in opera, oratorio, and recital. Born on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, she took her first voice lesson at the age of 19. She has performed with the Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Boston Baroque, to name just a few, and is a regular guest artist each summer at the Aspen Music Festival. WWW.ESTHERHEIDEMAN.COM Continued… 3 Frank Kelley, tenor soloist: Highly regarded for his concert and opera roles, Mr. Kelley is especially well-known to Boston audiences from his work with Emmanuel Music and PBS broadcasts in Peter Sellars’ productions of Mozart operas. His prolific work as a recording artist include repertoire across the centuries, from Renaissance works to Kurt Weill and beyond. Matthew Worth, baritone soloist: Originally from Hartford, CT, Mr. Worth studied at the University of Richmond, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard Opera Center. He has performed under the batons of James Levine, the late Lorin Maazel, Kent Tritle, and Sir Andrew Davis, and has been engaged recently by the Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, and Forth Worth Opera. He remains an avid Patriots fan while living in Cincinnati, OH. WWW.MATTHEWWORTHBARITONE.COM Worcester Chorus of Music Worcester: Started in 1858 when Music Worcester was first formed to present live music at the then recently opened Mechanics Hall, the Worcester Chorus has had an esteemed list of directors, including Alfred Nash Patterson, Gerald Mack, Andrew Clark, and currently Dr. Christopher Shepard. Presenting major choral works each year as well as regular concerts of pop and Broadway repertoire, the Chorus also runs the Festival Singers education program in Worcester area public schools, where students receive weekly lessons and coachings and perform in concert with the Chorus. WWW.MUSICWORCESTER.ORG/MW/CHORUS Salisbury Singers: Currently led by Michelle Graveline, Professor of Music at Assumption College, the ensemble was founded in 1973 by Malama Robbins Collinsworth. Comprised of over 80 singers, Salisbury Singers brings a mix of acappella and accompanied repertoire to their annual series of concerts. Performing regularly at Mechanics Hall and Trinity Lutheran Church, the ensemble is also a regular guest at the Worcester Art Museum during their December holiday programs, and at area arenas and hockey rinks for the National Anthem. WWW.SALISBURYSINGERS.ORG Sounds of Stow: Led since 1979 by Barbara Jones, who studied at Westminster Choir College and Brown University in addition to studying with Helmut Rilling and Harold Faberman, Sounds of Stow brings together singers from over 25 cities and towns. Recent seasons have featured performances of major choral works that include Berlioz Messe solennelle, Fauré Requiem, J. S. Bach Christmas Oratorio, and the Monteverdi Vespers. WWW.SOUNDSOFSTOW.ORG Master Singers of Worcester: Led by the just-appointed Ed Tyler, Master Singers was formed in 1976 and annually presents music from across the centuries, and is known for featuring works in their area premieres and very first performances. Known also for their outreach ensemble Master Singers To Go, which performs throughout the region at public and private events, the ensemble has a strong history of collaborating with colleague choral groups as well as the area colleges. WWW.MSWMA.ORG Worcester Children’s Chorus: Led by Pamela Mindell and founded in 2008 as a program of the Master Singers of Worcester, the Children’s Chorus is now closely associated with Assumption College. Regular touring around the US and occasionally to other countries occur in addition to regular performances of the Chorus’ two main choirs at venues in and around Worcester. WWW.WORCESTERCHILDRENSCHORUS.ORG # # # .
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