San Diego Master Chorale Celebrates 50th Anniversary Season with Choral Commission World Premiere and “Meet the Composer” Event

 

The San Diego Master Chorale will perform a new choral work by noted composer David Conte on Saturday, October 16, 2010. The new work, To Music, was commissioned by SDMC in celebration of its 50th anniversary season. Mr. Conte will discuss the composing process for this new work at a special “Meet the Composer” wine tasting event to be held on Sunday, October 17, 2010. He is available for media interviews about his new composition; contact SDMC to set up a conversation.

 

The 50th anniversary season of the SDMC celebrates choral music along three major themes: Thanks (the timeless Te Deum hymn of thanks, which has been set by every major composer since the 9th century); Praise of Music (praise of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music); andForefathers (recognition of the history of the Chorale and of choral music). Along with To Music, the repertoire at the upcoming October concert includes works by Benjamin Britten, Henry Purcell, and Johann Pachelbel, as well as international folksongs and Afro-American spirituals.

 

To MusicConcert Information:

 

“Meet the Composer” Wine Tasting Event Information:

 

ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO MASTER CHORALE:

 

The San Diego Master Chorale (SDMC), “The Voice of San Diego” by mayoral proclamation, includes 125 of San Diego's finest singers who perform more than 25 times each year all around San Diego County. Now in its 50th season, the SDMC produces its own annual concert series in addition to regular appearances with the San Diego Symphony and Orchestra Nova. The singers, who are all unpaid volunteers, also participate in the Chorale’s active community outreach programs, including an interactive presentation on the History of Choral Music to elementary school music classes and entertainment for local retirement homes. The SDMC has made a number of concert tours throughout Europe and is planning a tour of France after the 2010-2011 season to celebrate its Golden Anniversary.

 

In 2009, the San Diego Master Chorale was honored as the recipient of the prestigious ASCAP/Alice Parker Award for Innovative Choral Programming. Legendary choral composer Alice Parker personally presented this award to SDMC Music Director Gary McKercher at the annual Chorus America Convention in Philadelphia in recognition of the SDMC debut performance of Daniel Kellogg’s “The Fiery Furnace” with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. The Chorale recently commissioned world-renowned composer David Conte (www.davidconte.net) to create a new choral work entitled “To Music” to celebrate their Golden Anniversary season. Mr. Conte’s more than 70 published compositions include “An Exhortation”, which was featured at President Barack Obama’s 2009 Inauguration.

 

The San Diego Master Chorale's mission is to promote and preserve the art of choral music through performance, education, and diverse community outreach.Their repertoire ranges from the masterworks of choral literature to contemporary songs, spirituals, folk songs, opera choruses, and choruses from musical theatre. The SDMC is funded in part by a grant from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and by donations from its singers, corporate sponsors, and dedicated friends. The Chorale singers are available on a limited basis to be hired for freelance programs; for more information, go to www.sdmasterchorale.org.

 

Deo dicamus gratias	Homilius (1714-1785)
Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle welt(Psalm 100)	Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Te Deum in C	Benjamin Britten (1918-1976)
Lamentations of Jeremiah	Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983)
I - O vos omnes qui transitis per viam
II - Ego vir videns paupertatem meam
American Hymns	arr. Alice Parker (b. 1925)
God Is Seen  (Tune: Captain Kidd)
Come Away to the Skies  (Tune: Exultation)
Come Ye That Love the Lord  (Tune: Albion)
Selections from “Hail, Bright Cecilia”	Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Hail! Bright Cecilia- Chorus
Hark, each tree- Soprano/Bass duet
Thou tun’st this world- Soprano solo/Chorus
Wondrous Machine- Bass solo
Hail! Bright Cecilia- Chorus
Under the Willow Treefrom “Vanessa”	Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Strekotunya beloboka(Magpie Chatter)	GeorgySviridov (1915-1998)
Great Day(Afro-American Spiritual)	arr. Martin
To Music	David Conte
Commissioned for the 50th Anniversary season of the San Diego Master Chorale