Welcome to the inaugural issue of Chorale Notes! We've launched this newsletter as a way to keep you, our friends, up to date on all the exciting goings on here at the Hartford Chorale. In this issue you'll find a message from our music director, interviews with some of our members, details about our upcoming concert, and even a sample of a Chorale performance. We hope you will use this newsletter as a springboard to explore our Chorale website, Facebook page, and our NEW blog, and that you will be inspired to join us at our next performance! Think you'd like to sing with us? Read on for information about our upcoming auditions.
The Hartford Chorale is the area's leading symphonic choir. It was founded in 1972 with a mission to present great choral masterworks to thousands of listeners in southern New England. The chorus currently numbers 180 talented auditioned singers, directed by the esteemed Richard Coffey. Concerts include many performances with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at The Bushnell.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Farewell to Maestro Cumming
by Richard Coffey, music director
The greater Hartford community soon bids farewell to Maestro Edward Cumming as music director of The Hartford Symphony Orchestra since 2002. Very early in his tenure among us, Edward embraced the work and the art of the Hartford Chorale, offering us the opportunity to prepare, embrace, and present the great choral-orchestral repertoire before large, enthusiastic audiences. The orchestra itself came to admire our work deeply, always offering high praise to what we brought to the Bushnell stage with them. Season by season, Edward handed the Chorale the great gift of music by Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Poulenc, Orff, Verdi, and others. He treated us collegially and respectfully, and most of all, with immense affection. We will look back on Edward’s nine years with us with much pleasure, and we of course wish him all good things as his career moves down a different path. Our final concert with him on June 4th will be powerful, poignant, and memorable. Thank you for being a part of this great “choral era” of the past nine years, and let me thank you in advance for the great music-making that lies ahead for the Hartford Chorale.
Hartford Chorale to Participate In American Premiere
Sara Terrell, Chorale Notes editor
The Hartford Chorale is joining forces with CONCORA, the Connecticut Children's Chorus and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra to perform Stephen Montague's Requiem at Maestro Edward Cumming's farewell concert on June 4. Mr. Montague was commissioned to write the Requiem in 2009 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and the Hartford Chorale is extremely honored to be asked to participate in the American premiere of this thrilling piece.
The Requiem, subtitled The Trumpets Sounded, Calling Them to the Other Side, vividly portrays the horrors of war and the heroism of those that serve their country by juxtaposing the gentle folk melody “Johnny's Gone for a Soldier” with a chilling setting of the Latin chant Dies Irae. As the piece opens, the audience hears drums and trumpets calling young men to war. The soloist, women and men then trade verses of “Johnny's Gone for a Soldier,” illustrating the heartbreak of both those who must send loved ones to fight, and those who must leave family behind to the uncertain times of war. As the last notes of the folk tune fade away the drums of war begin and the first statement of the Dies Irae is heard. Dies Irae, which translates to “day of wrath,” is a medieval hymn describing the biblical account of the day of judgement when the righteous are saved and the wicked are punished. Moving through the text of the Dies Irae, choir and orchestra gradually become more fractured and discordant as the sounds of battle punctuate the music. After a stirring climax, the soloist echoes back the folk melody and the choir sings dona eis requiem – grant them peace.
The effectiveness of the Requiem is in part due to the unique sonic language that Stephen Montague employs. The use of close harmonic intervals to create dissonance certainly help to heighten the tension and somber mood of the piece, but less traditional methods are also put to use. As a composer who enjoys playing with the audience's sensibilities of conventional orchestral music, Mr. Montague incorporates unusual sounds such as whispering chorus, tuned wineglasses, bowed cymbals and other “surprise” instruments in the Requiem. Says Maestro Cumming, “Stephen Montague's music is new and fresh. You've never heard anything like it.” Stephen Montague will be in attendance for the American premiere of his work and will also give a pre-concert talk with Maestro Cumming.
The combined choruses will again join for the second half of the program to perform Hector Berlioz' Te Deum, a work of appropriate scale and majesty to bid farewell to Maestro Cumming and celebrate his years of service to the Hartford Symphony. Concert tickets are available by calling HSO Ticket Services at 860-224-2999 or by visiting the HSO website at www.hartfordsymphony.org
Getting to Know Us...Inside the Hartford Chorale
by Richard Tecca, director of marketing
Our mission is to present great choral masterpieces in the New England region. This is our 39th consecutive year. Who are we really? What motivates 180 talented, volunteer singers to come to 25 rehearsals a year? What is our music director’s inspiration and vision for us…….how does this gifted person operate? What do we sound like in concert?
“Getting to Know Us” is a series of audio and video episodes that reveal all. To inspire and draw you in, a committee of Chorale members has arranged some extraordinary interviews and audio clips. Our first installment is below. More will come in next issues. Click and listen in....and give us your feedback.
Episode 1: by Richard Coffey, music director
Our relationship with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (click here)
Episodes 2 and 3: "Why I joined the Hartford Chorale"
Dougla Pyrke, board member and singer (click here)
Episode 4: The Hartford Chorale in concert at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hartford
"Alleluia" by Randall Thompson (click here)
Opportunities for Internships
The Hartford Chorale offers scholarship internships to qualified high school and college students. This season the Chorale sponsored nine interns from high schools and colleges in the local area. This is an opportunity to sing in a professional choir, performing major symphonic choral works with organizations that include the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Our interns benefit from performing alongside professional and experienced singers, as well as engaging in a personal mentoring program with their vocal section leader. Interns in good standing are eligible for a $500 scholarship from a designated fund to further their music education.
Students interested in an internship for our upcoming season should visit our website at hartfordchorale.org/internship.php for details. They should also read the next article, Chorale Announces New Member Auditions. This article describes our program for next season and the dates for scheduling an audition with our music director.
Chorale Announces New Member Auditions
Would you like to be part of the Hartford Chorale? We will be holding auditions this summer for our 2011-2012 season. We encourage all interested singers with choral experience to try out. In December we will perform the Ralph Vaughan Williams oratorio Hodie, conducted by our Music Director, Richard Coffey. In June 2012 we will perform Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the symphony's new Music Director, Carolyn Kuan. These performances will take place in the Bushnell Memorial Theatre in Hartford.
The Hartford Chorale is a group of people from many backgrounds. We share a love for choral music and a dedication to the highest quality of musicianship. Under Mr. Coffey's leadership, we prepare music that delights and amazes audiences. We work hard – and we also have a lot of fun!
Weekly rehearsals are held on Monday evenings in West Hartford from September to June. Scholarship assistance is available for students of high school age and up. Auditions will be held on the evenings of June 13, 20 and 27, and on Saturday mornings June 25 and September 10.
Visit the Chorale website at hartfordchorale.org/joinus.php to find out more, to apply for a scholarship or to schedule an audition.
Article Ideas Wanted
Are you a current or former member of the Hartford Chorale with an idea for a topic that you'd like to see covered in our newsletter? Submit your ideas in the comments section for consideration in our future issues!
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