November 13, 2008
For Immediate Release
Chorus pro Musica, led by guest conductor Betsy Burleigh, presents its annual holiday concert on Friday, December 19 at 8 pm, in Old South Church in Copley Square, Boston. ÊThe celebration includes classics from both Old England and Latin America. Benjamin Britten’s beloved Ceremony of Carols will be performed together with its modern American “companion piece,” Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest. ÊThe concert will also include the traditional candlelight procession, seasonal favorites and carol singing with the audience, accompanied by guitar, harp and organ.
Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, written in 1942, is based on English carols and poems, mostly dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, set for chorus with harp accompaniment. ÊWith effective use of unison, canon and homophonic writing, Britten achieves an impressive range of color and texture in a work that captures the essence of an English Christmas. ÊThe work will be performed by both men and women of the chorus.
Conrad Susa’s Lullabies and Carols, composed in 1992, is a Nativity celebration of the Americas, adding guitar and marimba to Britten’s harp and including a medley of traditional Spanish carols from Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico. ÊParts are sung in Spanish, Catalán, and English. ÊConceived as a companion piece to the Ceremony of Carols, the composer said it was “the overriding image of a Southwestern piñata party for the new baby” that was the inspiration for its composition.
Betsy Burleigh is making her debut appearance with Chorus pro Musica. ÊShe is Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Assistant Director of Choruses for the Cleveland Orchestra, and Coordinator of Choral and Vocal Music at Cleveland State University. ÊHer musical career began in Boston, where she was Music Director of The Master Singers. ÊDr. Burleigh was chorus master for the Cleveland Opera from 2002-2006 and director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus from 1998-2006.
Concert tickets are $25, $35 and $45, with discounts available on selected seats for groups, students, seniors and WGBH members.Ê Reserved seats may be selected and tickets purchased at www.choruspromusica.org, or by phone (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) at 800-658-4CPM (800-658-4276).Ê For wheelchair-accessible seats, call 617-267-7442.
Chorus pro Musica is a distinguished, independent Boston-based chorus recognized for versatility and excellence in performing traditional, adventurous and seldom-heard works.Ê The chorus was founded in 1949 by the late Alfred Nash Patterson and quickly built a superb reputation for its professional-level musical standards and innovative programming.Ê These strengths have led to collaborations with such organizations as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with opera companies including the Opera Company of Boston and Commonwealth Opera.
The 2008–2009 season continues on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the Church of The Covenant in Boston, when Michael Driscoll leads the chorus and a chamber orchestra in the Boston premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Köthener Messe, written in 2002, together with J.S. Bach’s Cantata 161, “Komm, du süsse Todesstunde,” and G.F. Handel’s Dixit Dominus. The season concludes on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at NEC’s Jordan Hall, when the chorus celebrates Giacomo Puccini’s 150th anniversary with a concert performance of his grand opera Turandot conducted by Jeffrey Rink, with soprano Othalie Graham as Turandot and tenor Kip Wilborn as Calaf.
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See the Chorus pro Musica online press kit at: http://www.choruspromusica.org/press.shtml
Media, for more information contact:
Toni Ballard, Publicist, at 508-633-8583, toniballard@townisp.com
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Peter Pulsifer, Concert Promotions Director, at 617-267-7442.
Posted November 14, 2008.