Earthly Sound, Connecticut’s newest professional vocal ensemble, will present its debut performance on August 5th as a benefit for the Connecticut Audubon Society.  This new 16-member chamber choir has a unique and far-reaching mission: to celebrate and help sustain the natural beauty of our planet by performing music that is inspired by nature, and to raise funds for charitable organizations that support causes such as animal protection and environmental conservation.

The event will take place on Thursday, August 5 at 8 p.m. at Christ Church, located at 84 Broadway in New Haven, CT.  Admission is free, but this concert is “for the birds.” A freewill donation will be collected and 100% of the funds will be donated to Connecticut Audubon Society.
 
This performance of choral music about birds will feature several world-renowned musicians, including soprano Sherezade Panthaki and organist Joseph Ripka, and will be conducted by Tom Brand.  Earthly Sound will perform classical works by Arcadelt, Gibbons, Linley, Mendelssohn, Ravenscroft, Stanford, Weelkes and others, as well as folk songs, vocal jazz arrangements and lighter selections, such as the Beatles song, “Blackbird.”

Come enjoy this unique celebration of the splendor and beauty of birds and the amazing music that has been inspired by our feathered friends throughout the ages!

Earthly Sound is a new professional vocal ensemble, whose mission is to celebrate and help sustain the natural beauty of our planet by performing music that is inspired by nature, and by raising funds for charitable organizations that support causes such as animal protection and environmental conservation. Through its performances, the ensemble seeks to instill a deep appreciation of the wonder and majesty of the natural world while increasing awareness of the importance of living in harmony with nature and of respecting the fragility of the earth's ecosystems and natural resources.

 

Soprano Sherezade Panthaki is in constant demand as an opera and oratorio soloist in the US and beyond. In the Fall of 2009, she began an Artist Diploma at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music, where she is a soloist with the Schola Cantorum under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki. In 2010 – 2011, she will be the soprano soloist for Yale performances of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Poulenc's Stabat mater, and Bach cantatas and masses. Upcoming engagements also include a solo concert of Bach, Handel and Vivaldi with the Rebel Baroque Orchestra (NYC), Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Orchestra of St. Luke's (NYC), Bach's St. John Passion with Chatham Baroque (Pittsburgh), and Bach solo soprano cantatas with the Bach Society of St. Louis.

 

Organist Joseph Ripka holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory, University of Kansas, St. Cloud State University, and is currently pursuing further graduate studies at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.   He was the first prize winner of the 2008 Dublin International Organ Competition, the 2008 Fort Wayne National Organ Competition and the 2008 San Marino/Elizabeth Elftman National Organ Competition.  Joseph has performed with the New World Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, Benjamin Zander, and Alan Gilbert.   He has given solo recitals throughout the U.S. and Europe at many important venues including: St. Sulpice, Paris, Bavo Kerk, Haarlem, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, and Westminster Cathedral, London, among others.

 

Connecticut Audubon Society conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats. Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret, an EcoTravel office in Essex and an Environmental Advocacy program in Hartford. Connecticut Audubon Society manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries around the state, preserves over 2,600 acres of open space in Connecticut and educates over 200,000 children and adults annually. Working exclusively in the state of Connecticut for over 100 years, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group.  For further information, please visit www.ctaudubon.org.