03
Aug '20
Lust & La Femme Mystique: Carmina Burana and Music in Celebration of International Women’s Day
Monday,
Mar 10, 2014
7:00 PM
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Vance George, Conductor Laureate
Carmina Burana
Hilary Apfelstadt, Guest Conductor
Music for Women's Voices
Penelope Shumate, Soprano
Dillon McCartney, Tenor
Keith Harris, Baritone
Contact us about this concert and future performance opportunities.
Vance George
Penelope Shumate
Dillon McCartney
Keith Harris
Hilary Apfelstadt
Participating Ensembles:
American International School Choir
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Masterworks Chorale of San Mateo
NorthWood High School Concert Choir
Penn H.S. Symphonic Choir
Santa Barbara Choral Society
University of Toronto Women’s Chamber Choir
Brunswick Women’s Choir
Cantores Celestes Women's Choir
Collegium Cantorum
Encore! Women’s Choir
Encore! Women's Choir
Kassia Women’s Choir
Kingsway-Lambton United Church Adult Choir
Münchner Frauenchor
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Chorale & Madrigals
American International School Choir
Kathy Heedles
Kathy Heedles has taught choral music to students at the American International School of Vienna since 1986. A native of Bennett, Iowa, she studied Music Education at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and Choral Conducting at the University of Iowa. Kathy has taught music in Paullina and West Liberty, Iowa and the international school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Vienna, Austria.
An accomplished pianist and choral conductor, Kathy has worked with International Honor Choirs in Europe for the past twenty-five years. a recent sabbatical with the Vienna Boys Choir School. Kathy and her husband, Henry, also a teacher at AISV, have three children who are actively involved at AISV and enjoy their home in the Vienna Woods.
An accomplished pianist and choral conductor, Kathy has worked with International Honor Choirs in Europe for the past twenty-five years. a recent sabbatical with the Vienna Boys Choir School. Kathy and her husband, Henry, also a teacher at AISV, have three children who are actively involved at AISV and enjoy their home in the Vienna Woods.
The American International School is located in Vienna, Austria. It is home to 800 students from 60 countries, with the language of instruction being English. The High School choirs perform in and around the city of Vienna and participate in international music festivals as members of the Association for Music in International Schools- AMIS.
The High School Choir and faculty choir combine to perform a large choral work every second year. Vivaldi’s Gloria was our last achievement, with performances in Vienna and at Basilika San Marko in Venice. The AISV Choir performed at our school in February of this year and is thrilled to be invited to join in this production.
The High School Choir and faculty choir combine to perform a large choral work every second year. Vivaldi’s Gloria was our last achievement, with performances in Vienna and at Basilika San Marko in Venice. The AISV Choir performed at our school in February of this year and is thrilled to be invited to join in this production.
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Dianne Berkun
Dianne Berkun-Menaker
Under Mrs. Berkun-Menaker’s direction, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) has become one of the country’s most sought after ensembles – known not only for its remarkable sound, but also for its ability to express a vast emotional and musical range. Ms. Berkun-Menaker has prepared choruses for performances with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Mariinsky Orchestra, and for conductors Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Marin Alsop, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Robert Spano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Leon Botstein.
Under Mrs. Berkun-Menaker’s direction, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) has become one of the country’s most sought after ensembles – known not only for its remarkable sound, but also for its ability to express a vast emotional and musical range. Ms. Berkun-Menaker has prepared choruses for performances with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Mariinsky Orchestra, and for conductors Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Marin Alsop, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Robert Spano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Leon Botstein.
The Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) is one of the country's leading children's choruses, acclaimed for its collaborations with leading orchestras and artists of all genres. The Chorus has performed with the New York Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel, the Boston Symphony Orchestra under James Levine, the American Symphony Orchestra, Elton John, Lou Reed, Barbara Cook, John Legend and Alicia Keys, among many others. Chorus members receive their training from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy (BYCA), a performance-based vocal music education program serving 250 students annually in five progressively advanced ensembles. BYCA students reflect the city’s economic, racial and ethnic diversity and BYCA's scholarship program ensures access for all who wish to study.
Masterworks Chorale of San Mateo
Bryan Baker
Masterworks Chorale is one of the oldest choruses in Northern California. Founded in 1964 by Galen Marshall and currently conducted by Dr. Bryan Baker, the mixed chorus presently consists of 85 members, and performs a wide variety of music from the Renaissance and Baroque to modern masterpieces. Masterworks is a community chorus in the best sense of the word; singers come from all over the Bay Area, and range in age from the 20s to the 80s. Masterworks Chorale has taken part in seven European tours. The group toured the People's Republic of China and gave concerts in New York that featured
performances at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, where they performed the Verdi Requiem.
Dr. Bryan Baker is in his eleventh season as Artistic Director and Conductor of Masterworks Chorale. He also holds the positions of Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Choral Society, and is Founder and Director of Serenade Chamber Choir. He often leads instrumental ensembles, and has conducted the Solaris Chamber Orchestra, Masterworks Orchestra, Peninsula Symphonic Winds, New Millennium Strings, and the Kensington Symphony. He has led many choral clinics, judged competitions, and frequently appeared as guest conductor in the Bay Area. Dr. Baker most recently conducted American choirs in Hungary, Romania, and Brazil.
Having earned Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in music, Dr. Baker serves on the faculty of the College of San Mateo. He formerly taught voice at San Francisco State University and Truman University (MO), and piano at Foothill College and Arizona State University. He continues to maintain a busy private studio, and his students have won competitions and appeared in concerts and opera productions in the Bay Area and across the country.
NorthWood High School Concert Choir
Jeffery Cramer
The NorthWood High School Concert Choir is from Nappanee, IN. The choral program at NorthWood consists of 5 ensembles totaling 150 students. NorthWood Choirs consistently receive superior ratings at state contests and regional festivals.
Recent performance tours include Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Nashville, and Carnegie Hall with DCINY in 2010. They've
also been invited to sing for the University of Notre Dame, the Indiana Pacers, and the Cleveland Indians. Moreover, the
NorthWood Choirs maintain an active schedule serving their local community with more than 20 performances throughout the year.
Jeffrey Cramer is in his twelfth year as Director of Choirs at NorthWood High School in Nappanee, IN. Mr. Cramer graduated summa cum laude from Bethel College with degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance. Under his direction, NorthWood's ensembles have performed at Carnegie Hall, Banker's Life Fieldhouse, The Rock ‘n Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame, and the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Cramer has been a guest clinician and serves on the board for the Indiana Choral Director's Association. He and his wife Kristin have two daughters, Audrey and Caroline.
Penn H.S. Symphonic Choir
Brent Holaway
Brent Holaway received his B.A. in Music Education from Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana. He studied under Dr. Don V Moses and was awarded a M.A. in Choral Conducting at the University of Iowa. Prior to coming to Penn Mr. Holaway taught vocal music in West Liberty, Ohio, Grissom and Schmucker Middle Schools, Mishawaka, Indiana and Portage High School, Portage, Indiana. He also served on the Indiana Choral Directors Board for 6 years as well as Indiana All-State Choir Chairperson in District 2. Mr. Holaway is currently the director of five choral organizations at Penn High School where his choirs have received top honors in state, national and international music festivals. He has served as music director of the musical productions for the past 17 years.
The Penn High School Symphonic Choir, a combined choral group of Concert Choir and Women's Chorale, totals over one
hundred auditioned singers formed to perform extended symphonic choral works. Past Symphonic Choir performances of major works are Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis", Puccini's "Messe di Gloria", Mozart's "Requiem" (Levin ed.) and Carl Orff's
"Carmina Burana." Performance venues have included Kennedy Center, Melk Abbey (Austria), National Cathedral (Washington D.C.), Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. This is the second appearance for the choir in Avery Fisher Hall.
Six Penn Choirs, totaling over 260 singers, perform annually to sell out audiences at the Holiday and Spring Concerts.
The Penn Concert Choir, Women's Chorale and Symphonic Choir have made appearances in Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Austria, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Nashville.
Santa Barbara Choral Society
Joanne Wasserman
Founded in 1948, Santa Barbara Choral Society is among the oldest community performing arts organizations on the
California Central Coast. This fully auditioned, semi-professional community chorus comprised of 100 member singers,
has, since its inception been a service and educational organization, promoting artistic development, and providing
opportunities for individual community members to study and perform great works of choral music at the highest level. Its
international performance tour program began in 2005, with tours to Eastern Europe, followed by Italy (singing Mass at
the Vatican) and Bavaria, and Spain. Its mission includes preserving the art of choral singing and keeping appreciation
of great choral masterworks alive for future generations in the community, both locally and globally.
Joanne Wasserman, Artistic Director/Conductor, is in her 18th season with Santa Barbara Choral Society. She has worked with an impressive list of outstanding choral and orchestral conductors, including John Alexander and Lawrence Christensen, Paul Salamunovich, the late Robert Shaw, and Roger Wagner. Ms. Wasserman has conducted the Choral Society on all its International Performance Tours and conducted the combined choruses of Santa Barbara for the televised September 11, 2002 Worldwide Rolling (Mozart) Requiem in commemoration of the first anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11 and most recently, in the Requiem of Remembrance to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of event in September 2011.
University of Toronto Women’s Chamber Choir
Hilary Apfelstadt
The University of Toronto Women’s Chamber Choir (Hilary Apfelstadt, founding conductor) began in 2011, in order to provide an opportunity for talented female singers to study challenging choral repertoire in an intimate and supportive setting. Most of the singers are music majors, and virtually all are undergraduate students. The ensemble rehearses twice a week for two hours at a time, and annually combines with the Men’s Chorus and MacMillan Singers to perform larger works. This year they will sing Bruckner’s Mass in e minor with members of the Wind Symphony.
Brunswick Women’s Choir
Cathy Nixon
Formed in 1991, Brunswick Women's Choir is an integral part of the vibrant Australian music community. The choir's enduring vision was for a space where women could meet to create something powerful and beautiful. Under the direction of Cathy Nixon, the choir strives for music that brings about change –singing about peace and justice, love and anger, beauty and promise. A staple at many festivals, the choir has shared its music throughout Australia and New Zealand, frequently in collaboration with local musicians. Over 22 years the choir has toured, released five CDs, published a book and produced an audio history.
Cathy Nixon has led the Brunswick Women's Choir since its inception. Acknowledged by her peers as a skilled and visionary leader, she inspires and challenges whoever has the opportunity to work with her. In 2001 she was featured in a book published by the Victorian Women's Trust, Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives. In 2002 she was awarded the prestigious Vida Goldstein Award for contribution to the arts, and as part of International Women's Day celebrations in 2003 she received an award from Moreland Council for her contributions to the wellbeing of women.
Cantores Celestes Women's Choir
Kelly Galbraith
Cantores Celestes Women's Choir is celebrating their 25th anniversary! It is an auditioned choir that was founded in 1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Kelly Galbraith. The members of Cantores Celestes have donated over $40,000 to various charities. Cantores Celestes has appeared on CBC Radio One and Radio 2, as well as the CBC commercially-released video Clyde Gilmour, a Celebration in Words and Music. They have recorded music for three films and have released six CDs: Wassail!; Bright Shining as the Sun; Love's Pure Light; The Circle Never Ends; Wake Up in the Moonlight Singing; and Women of Light. Cantores Celestes was one of the invited choirs participating in Festival 500 in Newfoundland. The choir has toured Eastern Canada and throughout Western and Eastern Ontario. The choir performed the opening concert at Barrie's 2010 Colours of Music Festival as well as the 2012 Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. They are returning after popular demand for an encore performance in 2014 in Perth. They are thrilled to be part of the massed choir performance celebrating International Women's Day in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Centre March 10, 2014.
Kelly Galbraith is the Founder and Artistic Director of Cantores Celestes. In addition to directing Cantores Celestes, Kelly is a Music Producer for CBC Radio producing the new Choral Music Stream; The Classical Christmas Stream; and the Easter music for Meditation stream. She has listened to over 16,000 pieces of music in the past year, from Bollywood to Ambient Jazz. Kelly is conductor of the mixed voice Manulife Financial Choir and the first ever conductor of the CBC Complaints Choir. Kelly was the guest conductor for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir's 2011 Singsation featuring Faure's Requiem. She has been the music director of various churches in Toronto, conducting singers from three years of age to 93! Her work life has been closely connected to CBC Radio. She began was a Music Consultant for CBC International Relations, then became producer of ‘Choral Concert,' ‘Saturday Afternoon at the Opera,' and later Senior Producer for the classical music program ‘Music & Company.' She produced a special radio day celebrating the 500th Anniverary of Thomas Tallis. When CBC Radio began to broadcast on Sirius, Kelly was involved with its development. She is presently the music director at St. John's United Church in Agincourt where she directs the Senior Choir and produces a monthly World Music Sunday series that features the best World Musicians in the country. Her blog posts are very popular: http://kellygalbraithblog.com (Themes & Variations) http://notthechurchlady.wordpress.com (Have Organ Shoes Will Travel)
Collegium Cantorum
Helma Haller
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil, Collegium Cantorum has, under the leadership of Helma Haller, a
strong work ethic for interpretation of vocal music in a distinguished level both in Brazil and abroad. It's repertoire includes about 250 works performed over 210 events and 4 recorded CDs. Main international achievements (before DCINY Concert USA, 2014) were: Germany, 2005; Cinicinnati, USA 2012; Guanzhou, China 2012. Over the last 14 years Collegium Cantorum has been developing projects and proposals considered to be both original and sophisticated with it's main focus to continue acting as a permanent choral workshop. More: www.cantorum.com.br
Helma Haller is a conducter, educator, lecturer, composer, and performance coach. She has done extensive research on Brazilian concert music, spreading that music around the world, with lectures and interpreting it with her groups. Haller was a Singer, conductor, and the director of professional city Choir Camerata Antiqua Curitiba from 1980 to 2012, and the founder and artistic director of Collegium Cantorum - Women Choir. Haller was the Artistic Director of four CDs: "Echoes of Faith," "Brazilian Christmas," "Rodrigo Herrmann" and "Villa-Lobos Sacred." More of her published work: www.cantorum.com.br. A member of the World Choir Council as the Brazilian representative, a judge at competitions in Interkultur events and a member of Crescendo International as the Brazilian coordinator.
Encore! Women’s Choir
Christine Dandy
Christine Dandy, B.Mus. B.Ed. ARCT , the director of Encore! Women’s Choir has been a professional musician for many years. Christine obtained her degrees from University of Toronto, where she specialized in keyboard and choral conducting. Since then she has taught music in Elementary and Secondary Schools across Canada as well as teaching piano privately, serving as a Church Organist/Choir director, directing community choirs in three different Provinces, and working as an accompanist for local Festivals and exams.
Encore! Women’s Choir is an auditioned community choir composed of 30 committed and motivated musicians directed by Christine Dandy, from the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Encore! performs a varied repertoire of sacred and secular, serious and light music from Renaissance to Modern, all while maintaining our goal of presenting a high standard of polished competent choral singing. The Choir presents two full concerts a year - at Christmas and in the spring and appears regularly at local events and Music Festivals. Twice they have been sent on to compete at the Provincial Music Festival.
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Encore! Women's Choir
Patti Milford
Encore! Women's Choir is from Wichita Falls, Texas and was founded in 2005. Formed from a nucleus of retired teachers,
the 56-voice choir now includes multi- generational women of diverse backgrounds. Under the direction of Patti Milford,
Encore! entertains throughout the community and sings a variety of music. Free concerts for the public are performed
during the year. The group supports worthy causes and has established "Singing for Our Sisters," a benefit concert for
Faith Refuge Women's Shelter. Encore! is a member of Kemp Center for the Arts.
Patti Milford conducts Encore! Women's Choir in Wichita Falls, Texas. She is artistic director and founded the group after retiring from public education. A graduate of Midwestern State University, she holds a Master of Music Education degree, with a concentration in voice. Patti taught at all levels of public school music. As a church musician, she has directed hand bell and children's choirs, and currently serves as pianist at Trinity United Methodist Church. Patti is a member of the American Choral Directors Association.
Kassia Women’s Choir
Bethan Greaves
Hong Kong's Kassia Women's Choir was founded by Bethan Greaves in 2003, and has entertained thousands since, with shows such as "Soul Sister", "Disco Divas" and "Honky-Tonk Women." The choir is named after the 9th Century Byzantine composer Kassia, who made her name by challenging the Emperor Theophilos on his parochial view of women.
Hundreds of women have learned or rediscovered the joy of choral singing through the choir, which boasts around 80 active members. They recorded their first album in 2008. Kassia Women's Choir is thrilled and honored to give their first international performance at the Lincoln Centre in celebration of International Women's Day.
Hailing from the UK, Bethan Greaves has spent 15 years living and working in Hong Kong. Ten years ago, she founded Katterwall, a company dedicated to everything vocal, and set up the Kassia Women's Choir. Since 2011, she's also worked as a secondary school music teacher. Although Bethan's first love is English cathedral music, she has turned her hand to many genres over the years, as conductor, chorus master, teacher, arranger and performer. In 2011 Bethan was the first person in Hong Kong to become a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) in Choral Conducting, which she achieved with Distinction.
Kingsway-Lambton United Church Adult Choir
The Kingsway-Lambton United Church is located in west Toronto, and has long had a notable music program, now under the leadership of Anne Marie Page, who succeeded Ruth Watson Henderson in the summer of 2013. The Adult Choir, from which most of the singers come for this celebration of International Women’s Day, is the anchor ensemble of the congregation, singing at weekly worship services. The singers participating in this concert have rehearsed since January with Hilary Apfelstadt, who attends this church.
Münchner Frauenchor
Katrin Wende-Ehmer
Under the direction of Katrin Wende-Ehmer, the Munich Women’s Choir has enriched the German choir landscape since 1989 with performances of authentic music for women’s voices, an art being rarely cultivated. The choir is known for its warm and full sound and its diverse and spirited concerts, and is regularly performing contemporary compositions.
Continuous vocal training of all singers is an integral part of choir practice. Two professional vocal trainers have been recruited who conduct the vocal development according to Katrin Wende-Ehmer’s tonal concept.
Further to concerts in Bavaria and the rest of Germany, the Munich Women’s Choir regularly takes part in national and international choir competitions, with milestones such as 2nd place in the International Choir Competition Darmstadt (1995) and in the International Choir Competition in Llangollen/Walse (in 2000 and 2007) as well as 1st places in the Bavarian Choir Competitions in 1997, 2001 and 2005. In the German Choir Competition of 2002 and 2006, the choir reached 2nd place each time. In 2011, at the international Johannes-Brahms-Competition in Wernigerode/Germany, the choir was presented with the Gold Award in the Sacred Music and Chamber Music categories. Most recently, the choir took part in the finals at the Florilege Vocal de Tours in France in May 2012.
With the founding of the Munich Women’s Choir in 1989, Katrin Wende-Ehmer made one of her dreams come true by creating an ensemble which she developed with perseverance and a high degree of motivation into one of Germany’s leading women’s choirs . Since the completion of her studies at the Leopold-Mozart-Conservatory in Augsburg/Germany (1978 to 1983), she has taken part in many choir directing trainings, vocal trainings and courses.
For many years she has been a lecturer (Bad Feilnbacher Choir Week/Southern Germany), has been leading seminars for women’s choirs and has been a member of the AMJ (organization for children’s and youth choirs) and of the Bavarian Singer League (Bayerischer Saengerbund).
In 1998, she was awarded a scholarship for choir directing activities by the German Music Council.
In 2007, Katrin Wende-Ehmer established the Munich Girls’ Choir, which won 1st place in 2009 in the Bavarian Choir Competition.
For many years she has been a lecturer (Bad Feilnbacher Choir Week/Southern Germany), has been leading seminars for women’s choirs and has been a member of the AMJ (organization for children’s and youth choirs) and of the Bavarian Singer League (Bayerischer Saengerbund).
In 1998, she was awarded a scholarship for choir directing activities by the German Music Council.
In 2007, Katrin Wende-Ehmer established the Munich Girls’ Choir, which won 1st place in 2009 in the Bavarian Choir Competition.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Chorale & Madrigals
Michael Boswell
Founded in 1958, the Chorale and Madrigals are the performing choral ensembles at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The Chorale is open to any student with a passion for singing, while the Madrigals is an auditioned chamber ensemble which performs more challenging repertoire. These ensembles have performed throughout the United States, as well as Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy, and France. In addition, they have commissioned and premiered several new choral works for women. Most recently, they premiered and toured France singing a new French work for women's voices titled La Providence, composed for them by popular Haitian-American composer Sydney Guillaume.
Associate Professor Michael B. Boswell conducts the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Chorale and Madrigals and teaches applied voice. He has led the Chorale and Madrigals on many regional tours and recently took the Madrigals to France where they performed at Chartres, Mont Saint-Michel, La Madeleine, Saint-Louis-en-I'lle, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, and the birthplace of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. As a professional singer, Michael has performed with Grammy-nominated ensembles Conspirare and Santa Fe Pro Musica. He has also performed with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Vox Humana, the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, and Tucson Chamber Artists.
