2022–2023
Oregon Bach Festival 2023
OBF Chorus
The internationally renowned Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) and the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance are pleased to announce the 2023 lineup of concerts and artists. The upcoming season, which runs June 30 through July 16, continues the long-standing tradition of presenting the finest choral-orchestral works, extraordinary new music, illuminating lectures, and captivating community events. The Festival will be held in Eugene, with events at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, historic Beall Concert Hall on the University of Oregon campus, and local churches.
Sacred Land: Music and Poems of Resilience from Ukraine
Soloist
"Sacred Land: Music of Resilience from Ukraine" spans several centuries of Ukrainian choral music interwoven with poetry and projected images of the Ukrainian landscape and people, who draw on song, faith, and the beauty of nature for resilience. This concert will be conducted by Marika Kuzma.
Organized by the Washington Group Cultural Fund
Seating is limited.
Tickets are $25
Free Parking On-site
All proceeds will go to United Help Ukraine, a 501(c)3 non profit organization focused on delivering medical and humanitarian aid to civilians and defenders in Ukraine.
UMKC Choral Conducting Institute
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Spire Chamber Ensemble and UMKC Conservatory invite conductors to apply for admission to the 2023 Choral Conducting Institute with faculty, Jennaya Robison (Director of Choral Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory) and Ben A. Spalding (Spire Chamber Ensemble). Conductors will have the rare opportunity to conduct the Spire Chamber Ensemble, one of America’s renowned professional choral ensembles comprised of some of the finest musicians in the United States. Conductors will receive 90 minutes (three separate sessions of 30 minutes) of podium time with the ensemble, direct feedback from the clinicians and singers, and individual conducting lessons with the faculty. Designed for school, church, community, and graduate conductors, this institute will hone in on the crucial skills of specific gestural communication, efficient rehearsal techniques, and deeper musical understanding each score presents. The world-class singers of Spire will provide real-time responsiveness full of subtleties of expression that is invaluable to anyone aiming to grow on the podium, all while being surrounded by a supportive and like-minded community. Conductors and auditors will additionally engage one another in daily roundtable discussion and interest sessions.
Charlotte Bach Festival 2023
Bass Vocal Fellow
The angel chorus roused the shepherds to announce the birth of the Christ child – an echo of prophecies of old, when Isaiah described the angels attending heaven’s throne with their three-fold cry, “Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabbaoth!” Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God of Hosts!”
The 2023 Charlotte Bach Festival brings the joy of Christmas to our annual June festival. And there’s no more joyful music than Bach at Christmas.
This year’s festival features all six parts of Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio. After kicking off the festival with the popular Bach at the Brauhaus at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on Friday, June 9th, we perform Parts I and II of the Christmas Oratorio on Saturday, June 10 at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.
On Sunday, June 11 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Clive Driskill-Smith, one of the leading organists of his generation, presents a concert on the magnificent Van Ness Hamrick Organ, C. B. Fisk Opus 13.
Parts III and IV of the Christmas Oratorio are the subject of The Bach Experience at Myers Park United Methodist Church’s Jubilee Hall on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Monday night features a very special recital by our talented Vocal Fellows at Myers Park's intimate Francis Chapel. And we close out the festival with Parts V and VI of the Christmas Oratorio on Tuesday, June 13, back at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.
SHIMMER: A New Musical
Don’t miss this! Set in McCarthy-era New York, SHIMMER is a new musical that interrogates America's history of discrimination, featuring music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis, lyrics by critically-acclaimed Broadway librettist Michael Korie, and book by New York Times best-selling author Sarah Schulman, based on the novel by Sarah Schulman. A limited number of tickets for a workshop reading are now available to the public. Hosted in The Dome, this intimate, in-the-round experience is part of the 2023 Yale Innovation Summit, presented in partnership with Yale Schwarzman Center, Midnight Oil Collective, and Long Wharf Theater. If you are interested in attending this event, the waitlist is now open.
Dona Nobis Pacem
Baritone Soloist
Johann Sebastian Bach: Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Dona nobis pacem
Dona Nobis Pacem
Baritone Soloist
Johann Sebastian Bach: Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Dona nobis pacem
A Night at the Opera
Join us in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m., for a program featuring our wonderful choir section leaders. Katie Robinson, Gileann Tan, Markos Simopoulos, and guest bass Jared Swope are showcased in a presentation of opera arias by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Mozart, plus a little fun from Gilbert and Sullivan thrown in for good measure.
Don’t know much about opera? Not to worry. Our intrepid narrator, Nancy Meyer, will guide you through the twists and turns of the narratives: who has been deceived? Who is forlorn? Who is up to something? (Most operas can be distilled thusly!)
Mina Kim and Kevin Bailey provide piano accompaniment. You get to come and enjoy this one-hour program! A freewill offering will be collected for the Hagan fund, which helps to provide musical programming at First Presbyterian.
Choral Prayers
Yale Schola Cantorum, conducted by David Hill, will perform a concert of choral prayers to include In the Land of Uz by Judith Weir. In the Land of Uz is a dramatised reading of the biblical Book of Job, from which all the text is taken, in the musical form of a cantata, or short oratorio. The majority of the music is sung by the chorus, but there are also ‘obbligato’ roles for a small group of instruments which appear singly or in pairs; viola, double bass, soprano saxophone, trumpet, tuba and organ. Job appears from time to time as a solo tenor; his thoughts are also represented by the viola. Although the bulk of the storytelling is undertaken by the chorus, a speaking narrator also makes occasional appearances. Learn more about composer, Judith Weir(link is external) who is Master of the King’s Music in the U.K.
There will also be several works by John Tavener(link is external), to include The Lamb, Mother of God, Here I Stand, Song for Athene, The Lord’s Prayer, and Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God. Also on the program are The Beatitudes by Arvo Pärt(link is external) and Totus Tuus by Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki(link is external).
The concert is free and open to the public. Choral Prayers will also be livestreamed at this link.
By Footpath and Stile, A recital for Voice & Strings
M.M. Degree Recital, Yale University
Dietrich Buxtehude: Ich bin eine Blume zu Saron, BuxWV 45
G.F. Handel: Dalla guerra amorosa, HWV 102a
C.P.E. Bach: Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Stande, Wq deest: no. 1
Gerald Finzi: By Footpath and Stile, Op. 2
The Passion according to St. Mark
Saint Peter’s Church presents J.S. Bach’s Passion According to St. Mark: A Contemporary Reconstruction by Dr. Bálint Karosi on April 7, 2023, 12:00 p.m. The performance is the first classical showcase since the Church’s extensive structural and acoustic renovation, heralding an exciting return to concerts in its iconic, modernist Sanctuary.
By its very nature, J.S. Bach’s St. Mark Passion, BWV 247, is a composition open to reinterpretation. It comes to us in missing, lost parts, requiring a composer to fill in the blanks to complete the non-extant composition. Dr. Karosi, Saint Peter’s Cantor and Director of Music, joins a small number of composers who have undertaken this considerable task. In his reconstruction Dr. Karosi reimagines Bach’s lost Passion, one that does not exist in a definite form, for Saint Peter’s annual Good Friday liturgy.
In contrast to Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion which have been performed at Saint Peter’s dozens of times, this will be the first iteration of the St. Mark Passion. This performance is an exciting and appropriate development for Saint Peter’s, a parish with German roots and a robust classical program, with a history of fostering experimentation, community, and creativity through music for over 60 years.
The presentation of the St. Mark Passion continues Saint Peter’s long-standing tradition of generally performing one of the Bach Passions on Good Friday. These programs require significant resources and are funded entirely by generous donations.
Bachwoche Stuttgart
This year's Bachwoche Stuttgart will focus on the magnificent Credo of the B minor Mass, Bach's cantorial rehearsal in Leipzig almost exactly 300 years ago, the music of his predecessor Kuhnau and his friendly rivals Telemann and Graupner. The JSB Ensemble and the soloists of the master classes will also present themselves in their very own way in song, choral and chamber music programs. An intensive study week at the Landesakademie Ochsenhausen (March 11-18, 2023) leads directly into the Bachwoche Stuttgart (March 19-26, 2023), which has developed into a unique study week in its combination of scholarly reflection and practical musical work and radiates far beyond Stuttgart.
Caldara: Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo
The Yale Voxtet conducted by Stephen Stubbs will perform Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo, (Magdalene at the feet of Christ), an oratorio from the late 17th Century by Antonio Caldara.
Stephen Stubbs, who won the GRAMMY® Award as conductor for Best Opera Recording in 2015, spent a 30-year career in Europe. He returned to his native Seattle in 2006 as one of the world’s most respected lutenists, conductors, and baroque opera specialists and in 2014 was awarded the Mayor’s Arts Award for ‘Raising the Bar’ in Seattle. Before his return, he was based in Bremen, Germany, where he was Professor at the Hochschule für Künste. In 1987 he founded the ensemble Tragicomedia, which toured throughout Europe, Japan, and the U.S., and has been the continuo team for the Boston Early Music Festival since 1997. Read more.
Members of the Yale Voxtet are students of Professor James Taylor and are candidates for graduate degrees in voice. The select group of eight singers specializes in early music, oratorio, and chamber ensemble. In addition to performing a variety of chamber music programs each year, the group sings, tours, and records as part of Yale Schola Cantorum.
Voices Rising
On Sunday March 5 at 4pm in Woolsey Hall at Yale University, join us for a spectacular gathering of three Yale choirs— Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Camerata and Yale Glee Club—to be conducted by Craig Hella Johnson, founding artistic director and conductor of Conspirare and music director of Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble. The concert is free and open to the public. No tickets required.
Known for crafting thought-provoking musical journeys that create deep connections between performers and listeners, Johnson is in frequent demand as a guest conductor of choral and orchestral works. View the program and more details here: http://bit.ly/3JNp2Qs
Breath of Earth
Join us on Saturday, February 19 at 5 p.m. for “Breath of Earth” performed by Yale Schola Cantorum and conducted by David Hill. The program will include:
Canticle of the Sun by Amy Beach, a choral and orchestral work with text by St. Francis of Assisi
Solemn Prelude by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
The premiere performance of Edensongs composed by Aaron Jay Kernis with Peter Cole as librettist. Focusing on themes of care for the earth, this oratorio was specially commissioned for Yale Schola Cantorum. Read more.
Latin Vespers with Yale Voxtet
This service is a public presentation of the classwork Yale Voxtet is doing with Latin diction, in the form of a mass. It is a solemn First Vespers for the feast of the Purification (Candlemas) in plainchant, according to the Solesmes Antiphonale of 1912, with thirteenth-century polyphony from Las Huelgas Codex. Read more.
Lessons & Carols by Candlelight
True Concord Voices & Orchestra
Inspired by the rich choral history of King’s College, Cambridge, True Concord continues their unique holiday tradition. Performed in some of the area’s most beautiful churches, True Concord brings you an intimate experience filled with carols as brilliant as the rays of a star. This concert envelops you in the warmth and light of the exceptional voices of True Concord.
Lessons & Carols by Candlelight
True Concord Voices & Orchestra
Inspired by the rich choral history of King’s College, Cambridge, True Concord continues their unique holiday tradition. Performed in some of the area’s most beautiful churches, True Concord brings you an intimate experience filled with carols as brilliant as the rays of a star. This concert envelops you in the warmth and light of the exceptional voices of True Concord.
Lessons & Carols by Candlelight
True Concord Voices & Orchestra
Inspired by the rich choral history of King’s College, Cambridge, True Concord continues their unique holiday tradition. Performed in some of the area’s most beautiful churches, True Concord brings you an intimate experience filled with carols as brilliant as the rays of a star. This concert envelops you in the warmth and light of the exceptional voices of True Concord.
Lessons & Carols by Candlelight
True Concord Voices & Orchestra
Inspired by the rich choral history of King’s College, Cambridge, True Concord continues their unique holiday tradition. Performed in some of the area’s most beautiful churches, True Concord brings you an intimate experience filled with carols as brilliant as the rays of a star. This concert envelops you in the warmth and light of the exceptional voices of True Concord.
Lessons & Carols by Candlelight
True Concord Voices & Orchestra
Inspired by the rich choral history of King’s College, Cambridge, True Concord continues their unique holiday tradition. Performed in some of the area’s most beautiful churches, True Concord brings you an intimate experience filled with carols as brilliant as the rays of a star. This concert envelops you in the warmth and light of the exceptional voices of True Concord.
Bach: Christmas Oratorio
Yale Schola Cantorum
Bass Soloist
Yale Schola Cantorum will perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio this coming Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Woolsey Hall at Yale University, New Haven, CT. The choir will be conducted by David Hill, one of Europe's leading conductors.
There will be a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. by Professor Markus Rathey, “Sacred Love Songs and Royal Jubilation: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and its History.” Both events are free and open to the public. View all details here.
Messiah Singalong
Yale Glee Club
Bass Soloist
On Sunday afternoon, December 4, 2022 at 1:30 PM, the Yale Glee Club featuring the Yale Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Yale School of Music and the Institute of Sacred Music will present its annual Messiah Audience Singalong at Battell Chapel, located on the corner of Elm and College Streets on the campus of Yale University. There is a suggested donation of $10 and scores will be available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds go to benefit New Haven’s homeless.
His Star Shining Bright
Yale Camerata
Bass Soloist
Mark your calendars for “His Star Shining Bright”, the annual Advent concert by Yale Camerata on Saturday, Dec 3 at 7:30 p.m. Music from Bach, Rutter, Adams, Patriquin, Southall, Robles, James, Thomas and Goss.
Music for All Souls
Yale Schola Cantorum
On Sat. Nov. 5 at 3 pm, Yale Schola Cantorum will perform "Music for All Souls" in Woolsey Hall. Conducted by David Hill, the program explores the themes of remembrance of the dead and the patron saint of music and musicians. One of the group's student managers, Matthew Newhouse, said “I’m particularly excited for the Howell’s Requiem in the All Souls program. It’s hard to think of a more heart-achingly beautiful piece than that, and the choir and soloists are serving the piece such justice!” The concert is free and open to the public. View the full repertoire: https://bit.ly/3EJwwBI
Our Hands: Together We Rise
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Human hands, when used together and for good, offer a glimpse at a better future. This program features the beauty of Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, which implores us, “Let us open our hands to those of others…walls are not the answer." History has also demonstrated that human hands can be used to cause anger, fear, confusion, and pain which is explored in the extremely poignant contemporary piece, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, depicting the last words and/or correspondences of seven unarmed black men each killed by police or authority figures. This compelling program travels from calm to unsettling, thoughtful to explosive, and invites the listener to join hands – only together can we rise to create a brighter world.
Our Hands: Together We Rise
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Human hands, when used together and for good, offer a glimpse at a better future. This program features the beauty of Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, which implores us, “Let us open our hands to those of others…walls are not the answer." History has also demonstrated that human hands can be used to cause anger, fear, confusion, and pain which is explored in the extremely poignant contemporary piece, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, depicting the last words and/or correspondences of seven unarmed black men each killed by police or authority figures. This compelling program travels from calm to unsettling, thoughtful to explosive, and invites the listener to join hands – only together can we rise to create a brighter world.
Guerrieri & Amorosi
Yale Voxtet
Yale Voxtet & Juilliard415 presents a program centered around Monteverdi’s Book 8 Madrigals, entitled Guerrieri & Amorosi.
Choral Evensong
Yale Schola Cantorum
Mark your calendars for Choral Evensong with Yale Schola Cantorum, conducted by David Hill, on Friday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at Christ Church, 84 Broadway. The program includes music by Byrd, Aleotti, Burk, Stanford and Sheppard.
All are welcome! Details: https://ism.yale.edu/event/yale-schola-cantorum-evensong-1