Distinguished Concerts International - New York

Untitled Document

In this issue:

International Spotlight: Dithyrambic Singers Perform with Eric Whitacre

DCINY Advisory Board Member Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt Appointed Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at University of Toronto

May 30 Concert at Renovated Alice Tully Hall

Jonathan Griffith Conducts Rocky Mountain Premiere of Karl Jenkins' Stabat Mater

Meet DCINY - Lynn Tsai, Box Office and Promotions Assistant

DCINY Participating Director Constance Price Receives Outstanding Educator Award

Explore New York in the Spring

Perform with DCINY

Post a Review of DCINY for Free Tickets!

On Sale Now!

This Day in Music History: May 6, 1977

Constance Price
Distinguished Concerts Singers International in an all-Whitacre program on April 17.

4-17-10 concert
Whitacre conducted the program of his music on April 17.

International Spotlight: Dithyrambic Singers Perform with Eric Whitacre

Distinguished Concerts Singers International is comprised of singers from all over the world, and we were privileged recently to have the Dithyrambic Singers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, grace our stage. The Dithyrambic Singers performed in an all-Whitacre program along with over 360 singers in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall, on April 17. It was a weekend filled with many eye-opening moments, thanks to Whitacre's insights into his work, and the performance was truly one of the best concerts that DCINY has produced.

Wrote Vincent Kang, co-director, about the group's experience: "The rehearsals with Mr. Whitacre have helped our group understand the music better, and making music with him was immensely gratifying. Singing Whitacre's best chorale compositions at Carnegie Hall was truly a dream come true."

Eric Whitacre's the city & the sea Premieres with DCINY

On April 17, in an all-Whitacre program, DCINY presented the World Premiere of Eric Whitacre's the city & the sea. The work, created as part of the DCINY Premiere Project, is based on the poetry of ee cummings. Whitacre turned five of cummings' poems into five pieces, and they were all sung together in one choral cycle.

No stranger to setting poems to music, Whitacre has created works from the writings of many great poets. He took Ogden Nash's short, witty poems about animals and set them to music, resulting in his popular Animal Crackers Volumes I and II. Likewise, several works by Octavio Paz have become his A Boy and a Girl, Little Birds, Cloudburst and Water Night. Rudyard Kipling's Seal Lullaby has also been set to Whitacre's stirring music. All of these pieces appeared on the concert , and the city & the sea received a warm welcome into the choral repertoire.

Eric Whitacre to Appear with DCINY in 2011

Following a concert of his music in Carnegie Hall on April 17, DCINY is pleased to announce that composer Eric Whitacre will return to the DCINY Concert Series twice in 2011. Auditions are now being accepted for performances on April 10, 2011 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City and on June 25, 2011 in Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Spaces are limited-- audition today!

Image of the Wheel of Fortuna from the 13th-century manuscript Carmina Burana

Interactive Program Notes Now Online

Interactive program notes are now online for our May concerts, Pleasures and Perils and Life and Remembrance! In addition to reading about the works, you can listen to clips illustrating key components of the music.

May 23 program notes - Pleasures and Perils
Featuring Orff: Carmina Burana and Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass

May 30 program notes - Life and Remembrance in Honor of Memorial Day
Featuring Rutter: Requiem, Thompson: Frostiana, and Bizet: Symphony in C Major

H. Apfelstadt

DCINY Advisory Board Member Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt Appointed Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at University of Toronto

On Saturday, April 17 at Carnegie Hall, DCINY's War and Peace concert was another evening of beautiful music by our talented groups and guest conductors. Among the amazing conductors for this concert was Hilary Apfelstadt of the Ohio State University, who directed a fabulous Brahms Nanie during the concert. DCINY is thrilled to have such talented guest conductors perform on our concerts. Along with preparing to conduct Nanie, and preparing and bringing her own group, the Ohio State University Chorale, she has also had other important and exciting events going on: On April 12, Russell Hartenberger, Dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, announced the appointment of Dr. Apfelstadt to the position of Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Apfelstadt has taught at the Ohio State University for 17 years. Her experience, wisdom and expertise has prepared her choirs to perform at regional and national conventions such as ACDA and MENC. She has conducted honor and all-state choirs in Canada, the U.S., Cuba, and Europe, where she conducted the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in a public broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word." She has also published over seventy choral music articles in various journals, and written chapters in "Wisdom, Will and Will: Women Conductors on their Art."

Dr. Apfelstadt was President of ACDA from 2007-2009 and sang with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers. A very versatile and talented conductor, educator, singer, and author, DCINY is proud to have such a wonderful musician on our concert series. The University of Toronto's music faculty, including Doreen Rao and Russell Hartenberger, are looking forward to having Hilary Apfelstadt as a colleague in the coming years.

DCINY wants to congratulate Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt on her recent appointment with the University of Toronto and continued success in her career.

Read more about Hilary Apfelstadt's achievements

Read about other talented guest conductors on the DCINY concert series

Alice Tully Hall

May 30 Concert at Renovated Alice Tully Hall

On May 30th, DCINY will be holding a concert in the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall @ Lincoln Center. The hall has not been renovated since 1969 when it first opened. Alice Tully Hall has undergone a major aesthetic and functional renovation to make it more appealing.

"An expansion to the east creates a soaring three-story all-glass curtain wall framed by the canopy of The Juilliard School's new cantilevered extension above, projecting a newly visible public identity to Broadway. In addition to its new transparent and open facade, the interior incorporates a new palette of materials innovatively utilized to produce an intimate space for concerts. With upgraded stage equipment and performer support, Alice Tully Hall now has state-of-the-art capabilities not only for concerts, but also for film, theater, and dance."

We are excited to be presenting Randall Thompson's Frostiana, John Rutter's Requiem, and Bizet's Symphony in C.

Jonathan Griffith
Jonathan, the cowboy maestro, shows off his Stetson hat.

Jonathan Griffith conducts Rocky Mountain premiere of Karl Jenkins' Stabat Mater

by Jonathan Griffith

On March 25, I boarded an airplane from sunny, reasonably warm New York City for sunny, reasonably cold Cheyenne, Wyoming. However, I am speaking of the weather and not of the reception nor of the people. I was greeted with sincere warmth and graciousness by my hosts and began immediately with three days' worth of rehearsals leading up to the Rocky Mountain Region premiere performance of Karl Jenkins' Stabat Mater. The concert was organized by Nancy Cornish, Director of Choral Activities at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. The bulk of the singers were from Nancy's own choruses at the college, but there were also members of the Capital Chorale, Chamber Singers and high school students from local schools participating. The concert was accompanied by a professional orchestra, with members of the chorus singing the various solos throughout the work.

The concert was a huge success with a standing ovation from the standing room only audience. But for me, the greatest success was being gifted with a true Stetson hat from Nancy's students. I was deeply honored at their dedication, preparation, and musicianship, and due to their outstanding performance, I invited all singers present to participate in the United States Premiere of Karl Jenkins' Gloria, scheduled for January 17, 2011. Nancy says she has 30+ singers planning on participating, with more adding each day. So, if you would like to meet any of these fabulous Wyoming musicians, I invite you to also come and participate in this historic concert. More details are available via the DCINY website. I would love to see you there.

L. Tsai

Meet DCINY - Lynn Tsai, Box Office and Promotions Assistant

by Lynn Tsai

In the fall of 2007, when I was busy finishing up my last semester of graduate work at New York University, I stumbled upon a job posting outside of my advisor's office. Coming from a flute performance background with little experience in concert production, I applied for a job at DCINY hoping to gain some concert production knowledge and to become a well rounded musician. I was hired on the production staff, where I worked for two seasons. I got to meet and work with many wonderful and inspirational musicians such as Eric Whitacre and Karl Jenkins.

This season, I was promoted to the position of Box Office & Promotions Assistant. I am much more involved with the company now promoting concerts, processing ticket orders, and maintaining our social networking sites. I never run out of ideas for news updates, as there is always something new and exciting happening at DCINY. I have learned so much since joining the DCINY team. It is amazing to see how each department contributes to successfully putting on one production after another at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. I am grateful and proud to be part of this growing company.