MINNESOTA CHORALE ANNOUNCES 2018-19 CONCERT SEASON
“Adventure Awaits”
Minneapolis, July 19, 2018. The Minnesota Chorale announced details for the organization’s 47th concert season, which will include a full slate of concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, a world premiere, self-produced concerts with a range of artistic partners, and several performances featuring the entire family of the Minnesota Chorale’s symphonic, youth and senior choirs. Through all of these initiatives, the Chorale celebrates invention, innovation and diversity, from daVinci, to Bach, to Mandela, to contributions of immigrants, to film, to dance, to new works, to modern technology.
Chorale artistic director Kathy Saltzman Romey noted with enthusiasm the upcoming season:
"We are tremendously excited about the diversity of musical styles, repertoire, and performance experiences featured in our 2018-19 season. It is a year which highlights not just the versatility of the Minnesota Chorale but also our passionate commitment to community, education, and collaboration.”
The season commences with a pair of Orchestra Hall concerts in July to kick off the Chorale’s performance tour of South Africa with the Minnesota Orchestra the following month. The July 20 “Celebrating Mandela at 100” and the July 21 performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, both led by Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vänskä, will include the tour repertoire, and will be performed with 29:11, the South Africa-based vocal/instrumental ensemble.
Following the tour (August 11 to 20), the women of the Chorale will return to Orchestra Hall to lend their voices to the cosmic sounds of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, in performances on September 27, 28, and 29 with the Minnesota Orchestra and conductor Osmo Vänskä.
On October 26, 27 and 28, the Chorale will join the Minnesota Orchestra at the Minneapolis Convention Center for a live screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third and final film in the series that was scored by John Williams. The musical forces performing the soundtrack of the film will be led by Sarah Hicks, the orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall.
The Chorale’s annual Bridges community engagement concert, set for Saturday evening November 10 at Roseville Lutheran Church, will include the Chorale’s Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Voices of Experience senior choir. The program, featuring music of Minnesota composers, continues the Chorale’s partnership with the International Institute of Minnesota, and celebrates Minnesota as home to people from around the globe. The performers will be led by conductors Kathy Saltzman Romey, Patrice Arasim, and Jerry Rubino.
After last season’s acclaimed performances of the first half of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the Chorale again joins forces with the Minnesota Orchestra to perform the final three cantatas of the work, led by conductor Nicholas Kraemer. The concerts, on December 8 and 9, take place at Orchestra Hall.
Last year’s joint presentation of a bilingual Spanish/English version of Handel’s Messiah /
El Mesías with Border CrosSing was such a success that the program will be presented twice this December, on the 14th and the 15th of the month. In addition to a repeat performance at Border CrosSing’s St. Paul home, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on the city’s West Side, the December 15th performance will take place at Ascension Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
The Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing takes place on Sunday, December 16, with organist Dr. Lynn Trapp, at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis. This popular offering, which typically attracts a crowd of nearly a thousand singers, has become a beloved holiday tradition in the Twin Cities.
January features a renewal of the Chorale’s participation in Minnesota Dance Theatre’s presentation of Carmina Burana, at the Cowles Center for Dance, on the weekend of January 18-20, 2019. With dancers and singers dramatically intermingled onstage, this electrifying production has become a staple in MDT’s repertoire.
The Chorale’s annual gala, set for Saturday, February 23, 2019, is a showcase of the Chorale’s family of choirs, with performances by the Minnesota Chorale, the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, Prelude Children’s Chorus, and the Voices of Experience senior choir. This year’s gala takes place in Westminster Hall, the new multi-use space at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Funds raised at the gala support the Chorale’s education and community engagement programs.
In March, the Chorale will co-present the world premiere of Jocelyn Hagen’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, commissioned jointly and performed with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The performances, on March 30 and 31, 2019, will be led by Chorale artistic director Kathy Saltzman Romey and MSO music director William Schrickel. The Saturday night concert will take place at Hopkins High School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday afternoon concert is set for 4:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi. Video projections featuring excerpts from the notebooks will be integrated into the musical performance using a new music/video synchronization technology created by locally-based Ion Concert Media, which will make its debut with these premieres.
In past years, the Chorale and MSO have collaborated on performances of music by Beethoven, Dvorak, Handel, Mahler, Orff, and Vaughan Williams. While each organization has performed Hagen’s music separately, this marks the first time they will collaborate on a premiere of the Minnesota composer’s work.
The concert season concludes with the monumental Verdi Requiem, with the Minnesota Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardner. Performances on May 17, 18 and 19 take place at Orchestra Hall. Audiences are also invited to participate in a sing-along presentation of the work, presented by the Minnesota Chorale and organist Bill Chouinard on April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi.
Tickets to Chorale performances with the Minnesota Orchestra are available at the orchestra’s website, http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org, or by calling the Orchestra Hall box office: 612.371.5656
Concerts produced by the Chorale are presented as free-will/pay-what-you-can events.
More about the Minnesota Chorale: https://www.mnchorale.org/aboutus.html
Link to Romey bio: https://www.mnchorale.org/artistic-staff.html#kathy
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“Adventure Awaits”
Minneapolis, July 19, 2018. The Minnesota Chorale announced details for the organization’s 47th concert season, which will include a full slate of concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, a world premiere, self-produced concerts with a range of artistic partners, and several performances featuring the entire family of the Minnesota Chorale’s symphonic, youth and senior choirs. Through all of these initiatives, the Chorale celebrates invention, innovation and diversity, from daVinci, to Bach, to Mandela, to contributions of immigrants, to film, to dance, to new works, to modern technology.
Chorale artistic director Kathy Saltzman Romey noted with enthusiasm the upcoming season:
"We are tremendously excited about the diversity of musical styles, repertoire, and performance experiences featured in our 2018-19 season. It is a year which highlights not just the versatility of the Minnesota Chorale but also our passionate commitment to community, education, and collaboration.”
The season commences with a pair of Orchestra Hall concerts in July to kick off the Chorale’s performance tour of South Africa with the Minnesota Orchestra the following month. The July 20 “Celebrating Mandela at 100” and the July 21 performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, both led by Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vänskä, will include the tour repertoire, and will be performed with 29:11, the South Africa-based vocal/instrumental ensemble.
Following the tour (August 11 to 20), the women of the Chorale will return to Orchestra Hall to lend their voices to the cosmic sounds of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, in performances on September 27, 28, and 29 with the Minnesota Orchestra and conductor Osmo Vänskä.
On October 26, 27 and 28, the Chorale will join the Minnesota Orchestra at the Minneapolis Convention Center for a live screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third and final film in the series that was scored by John Williams. The musical forces performing the soundtrack of the film will be led by Sarah Hicks, the orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall.
The Chorale’s annual Bridges community engagement concert, set for Saturday evening November 10 at Roseville Lutheran Church, will include the Chorale’s Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Voices of Experience senior choir. The program, featuring music of Minnesota composers, continues the Chorale’s partnership with the International Institute of Minnesota, and celebrates Minnesota as home to people from around the globe. The performers will be led by conductors Kathy Saltzman Romey, Patrice Arasim, and Jerry Rubino.
After last season’s acclaimed performances of the first half of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the Chorale again joins forces with the Minnesota Orchestra to perform the final three cantatas of the work, led by conductor Nicholas Kraemer. The concerts, on December 8 and 9, take place at Orchestra Hall.
Last year’s joint presentation of a bilingual Spanish/English version of Handel’s Messiah /
El Mesías with Border CrosSing was such a success that the program will be presented twice this December, on the 14th and the 15th of the month. In addition to a repeat performance at Border CrosSing’s St. Paul home, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on the city’s West Side, the December 15th performance will take place at Ascension Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
The Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing takes place on Sunday, December 16, with organist Dr. Lynn Trapp, at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis. This popular offering, which typically attracts a crowd of nearly a thousand singers, has become a beloved holiday tradition in the Twin Cities.
January features a renewal of the Chorale’s participation in Minnesota Dance Theatre’s presentation of Carmina Burana, at the Cowles Center for Dance, on the weekend of January 18-20, 2019. With dancers and singers dramatically intermingled onstage, this electrifying production has become a staple in MDT’s repertoire.
The Chorale’s annual gala, set for Saturday, February 23, 2019, is a showcase of the Chorale’s family of choirs, with performances by the Minnesota Chorale, the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, Prelude Children’s Chorus, and the Voices of Experience senior choir. This year’s gala takes place in Westminster Hall, the new multi-use space at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Funds raised at the gala support the Chorale’s education and community engagement programs.
In March, the Chorale will co-present the world premiere of Jocelyn Hagen’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, commissioned jointly and performed with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The performances, on March 30 and 31, 2019, will be led by Chorale artistic director Kathy Saltzman Romey and MSO music director William Schrickel. The Saturday night concert will take place at Hopkins High School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday afternoon concert is set for 4:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi. Video projections featuring excerpts from the notebooks will be integrated into the musical performance using a new music/video synchronization technology created by locally-based Ion Concert Media, which will make its debut with these premieres.
In past years, the Chorale and MSO have collaborated on performances of music by Beethoven, Dvorak, Handel, Mahler, Orff, and Vaughan Williams. While each organization has performed Hagen’s music separately, this marks the first time they will collaborate on a premiere of the Minnesota composer’s work.
The concert season concludes with the monumental Verdi Requiem, with the Minnesota Orchestra and conductor Edward Gardner. Performances on May 17, 18 and 19 take place at Orchestra Hall. Audiences are also invited to participate in a sing-along presentation of the work, presented by the Minnesota Chorale and organist Bill Chouinard on April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi.
Tickets to Chorale performances with the Minnesota Orchestra are available at the orchestra’s website, http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org, or by calling the Orchestra Hall box office: 612.371.5656
Concerts produced by the Chorale are presented as free-will/pay-what-you-can events.
More about the Minnesota Chorale: https://www.mnchorale.org/aboutus.html
Link to Romey bio: https://www.mnchorale.org/artistic-staff.html#kathy
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MINNESOTA CHORALE and METROPOLITAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ANNOUNCE MARCH 2019 WORLD PREMIERE OF
JOCELYN HAGEN’S THE NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI
Minneapolis, July 09, 2018. Commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the Minnesota Chorale and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will present the world premiere performances of acclaimed composer Jocelyn Hagen’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci on March 30 and 31, 2019 at Hopkins High School Auditorium and St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi.
The composition is a seven-movement work commissioned by the Chorale and MSO. The two organizations have an extensive performance history together, including large-scale works by Beethoven, Dvorak, Handel, Mahler, Orff, and Vaughan Williams. The MSO premiered Hagen’s Solar in October, 2012.
Conductors Kathy Saltzman Romey, Chorale artistic director, and William Schrickel, MSO music director, will share the podium for the premiere.
"The Minnesota Chorale is tremendously excited to partner with the Metropolitan Symphony on this extraordinary commission,” writes the Chorale’s Kathy Saltzman Romey. “I have performed many of Jocelyn's choral works and always find her music to be extremely engaging and very compelling. I know that she is passionate in wanting to commemorate Leonardo’s genius, and I look forward to collaborating with her in the premiere of this new large-scale, choral symphonic composition, which illuminates his life and work."
“Six years ago, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra commissioned Solar, Jocelyn Hagen’s first orchestral work,” writes the MSO’s William Schrickel, “and I had the honor of conducting the first performance. We began discussions about The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci more than three years ago, and I am thrilled to be involved in premiering Jocelyn’s magnum opus along with Kathy and the Minnesota Chorale.”
Link to Romey bio: https://www.mnchorale.org/artistic-staff.html#kathy
Link to Schrickel bio: http://msomn.org/about-the-mso/music-director/
Hagen was inspired to create this new work following her experience in developing the dance opera Test Pilot, which featured choreography and video projections. She selected the text excerpts from the Leonardo notebooks, and is working with Ion Concert Media to develop the coordinated imagery that will be projected during the performances.
Hagen writes, “I'm so thankful for the Minnesota Chorale and Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra who took the leap with me last year and became the lead commissioners.”
Link to video about the work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKHn_EhBzAA
Link to Hagen bio: https://www.jocelynhagen.com/about/
The imagery will include texts and drawings in Leonardo’s own hand, taken from his extensive notebooks. The projections will be coordinated with the music, based on newly-developed software that allows the video operator to precisely follow the musical score.
Ion Concert Media recently created MUSÈIK, the world’s most advanced digital sync software, and ever since Hagen learned about the technology she has been working towards creating a project that utilizes it to its fullest potential. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinciwill be the first large concert work to be created with this technology in mind.
With support and assistance from Leonardo’s Basement, a creativity workshop based in South Minneapolis, audience members will be invited to create hand-held inventions that will be displayed during the performance. Leonardo’s Basement offers classes and enrichment activities for children and adults. https://leonardosbasement.org/
More about the Minnesota Chorale: https://www.mnchorale.org/aboutus.html
More about the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra: http://msomn.org/about-the-mso/
Performance info:
Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Hopkins High School Auditorium
2400 Lindbergh Dr.
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 4:00 pm
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Rd.
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
Tickets: No reservations/free-will offering
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ANNOUNCE MARCH 2019 WORLD PREMIERE OF
JOCELYN HAGEN’S THE NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI
Minneapolis, July 09, 2018. Commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, the Minnesota Chorale and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will present the world premiere performances of acclaimed composer Jocelyn Hagen’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci on March 30 and 31, 2019 at Hopkins High School Auditorium and St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi.
The composition is a seven-movement work commissioned by the Chorale and MSO. The two organizations have an extensive performance history together, including large-scale works by Beethoven, Dvorak, Handel, Mahler, Orff, and Vaughan Williams. The MSO premiered Hagen’s Solar in October, 2012.
Conductors Kathy Saltzman Romey, Chorale artistic director, and William Schrickel, MSO music director, will share the podium for the premiere.
"The Minnesota Chorale is tremendously excited to partner with the Metropolitan Symphony on this extraordinary commission,” writes the Chorale’s Kathy Saltzman Romey. “I have performed many of Jocelyn's choral works and always find her music to be extremely engaging and very compelling. I know that she is passionate in wanting to commemorate Leonardo’s genius, and I look forward to collaborating with her in the premiere of this new large-scale, choral symphonic composition, which illuminates his life and work."
“Six years ago, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra commissioned Solar, Jocelyn Hagen’s first orchestral work,” writes the MSO’s William Schrickel, “and I had the honor of conducting the first performance. We began discussions about The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci more than three years ago, and I am thrilled to be involved in premiering Jocelyn’s magnum opus along with Kathy and the Minnesota Chorale.”
Link to Romey bio: https://www.mnchorale.org/artistic-staff.html#kathy
Link to Schrickel bio: http://msomn.org/about-the-mso/music-director/
Hagen was inspired to create this new work following her experience in developing the dance opera Test Pilot, which featured choreography and video projections. She selected the text excerpts from the Leonardo notebooks, and is working with Ion Concert Media to develop the coordinated imagery that will be projected during the performances.
Hagen writes, “I'm so thankful for the Minnesota Chorale and Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra who took the leap with me last year and became the lead commissioners.”
Link to video about the work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKHn_EhBzAA
Link to Hagen bio: https://www.jocelynhagen.com/about/
The imagery will include texts and drawings in Leonardo’s own hand, taken from his extensive notebooks. The projections will be coordinated with the music, based on newly-developed software that allows the video operator to precisely follow the musical score.
Ion Concert Media recently created MUSÈIK, the world’s most advanced digital sync software, and ever since Hagen learned about the technology she has been working towards creating a project that utilizes it to its fullest potential. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinciwill be the first large concert work to be created with this technology in mind.
With support and assistance from Leonardo’s Basement, a creativity workshop based in South Minneapolis, audience members will be invited to create hand-held inventions that will be displayed during the performance. Leonardo’s Basement offers classes and enrichment activities for children and adults. https://leonardosbasement.org/
More about the Minnesota Chorale: https://www.mnchorale.org/aboutus.html
More about the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra: http://msomn.org/about-the-mso/
Performance info:
Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Hopkins High School Auditorium
2400 Lindbergh Dr.
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 4:00 pm
St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Rd.
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
Tickets: No reservations/free-will offering
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHORALE LAUNCHES REDESIGNED WEBSITE
Minneapolis, July 21, 2017. The Minnesota Chorale launched a completely redesigned website today, following several months of work by a dedicated group of volunteers led by Chorale Operations Manager Alyssa Breece.
“This represents thousands of hours of work by staff and volunteers, and we’re very grateful to everyone who contributed to the process,” said Chorale Executive Director Bob Peskin. “The new site reflects how the Chorale has evolved over the last several years, from a symphonic chorus to a family of choirs.”
In addition to the site’s streamlined look, more content is devoted to the Chorale’s multiple ensembles, including the Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Prelude children’s choir, and the Voices of Experience senior choir.
“We’ve added new functionality to the site,” said Breece, “including a searchable database of past performances, plus audio and video clips.” Breece hopes that visitors will enjoy the new look and enhanced content. “It took a lot of time to put together, but the result makes it worthwhile!”
To see the new website, visit mnchorale.org
For more information about the Minnesota Chorale, call 612-333-4866 or email info@mnchorale.org
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CHORALE LAUNCHES REDESIGNED WEBSITE
Minneapolis, July 21, 2017. The Minnesota Chorale launched a completely redesigned website today, following several months of work by a dedicated group of volunteers led by Chorale Operations Manager Alyssa Breece.
“This represents thousands of hours of work by staff and volunteers, and we’re very grateful to everyone who contributed to the process,” said Chorale Executive Director Bob Peskin. “The new site reflects how the Chorale has evolved over the last several years, from a symphonic chorus to a family of choirs.”
In addition to the site’s streamlined look, more content is devoted to the Chorale’s multiple ensembles, including the Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Prelude children’s choir, and the Voices of Experience senior choir.
“We’ve added new functionality to the site,” said Breece, “including a searchable database of past performances, plus audio and video clips.” Breece hopes that visitors will enjoy the new look and enhanced content. “It took a lot of time to put together, but the result makes it worthwhile!”
To see the new website, visit mnchorale.org
For more information about the Minnesota Chorale, call 612-333-4866 or email info@mnchorale.org
– END –