J yful News Chorus Angelicus & Gaudeamus Newsletter Volume 3, Spring 2015 A Child’s Requiem A New work Dedicated to Victims of the Sandy Hook Tragedy Steven Sametz, Composer Jamie Spillane, Conductor Our junior and senior choirs had the great honor, this year, of being selected to sing in A Child’s Requiem. Composer Steven Sametz won the 2013 Sackler Prize through the University of Connecticut Anna Ryan in A Child’s Requiem School of Fine Arts for his composition. It featured the UConn Symphony Orchestra, UConn Concert Choir, Chorus Angelicus and two soloists. The performance was done under the direction of Dr. Jamie Spillane, director of choral studies and associate professor of music in the School of Fine Arts. Two years after the horrific shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, this requiem looks, not only to honor the memories of those affected, but also open a dialogue for children touched by gun violence. Portions within the Requiem libretto were written by children from the Philadelphia area. They shared their stories with Mr. Sametz, who was able to incorporate their words, creating a purity of direction. These brave young writers were in attendance at the performance in Stamford. Chorus Angelicus provided the children’s choir for the piece. Sametz wanted to have a children’s choir that provides the innocence juxtaposed to the adult world represented by an adult choir. Though the process was emotional and difficult, our children worked hard and produced beautiful and touching results. Paul Butcher MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The Paul Butcher Memorial Scholarship has, so far, raised $2570! We are very proud of this scholarship, what it stands for and what it provides and has the potential to provide going forward. Due to the love of his family and friends, Paul’s Facebook page is still active. It is inspiring to see the love he continues to generate, even though he is gone. If you would like to donate to this fund, please send your contribution to Joyful Noise, Inc., PO Box 1051, Torrington, CT 06790 with Butcher Memorial noted in the memo line. GAUDIE The Gutierrez brothers, Chase and Zach, are the focus of our Gaudie Spotlight this issue. The brothers attend the University of Hartford’s Hartt School. Chase and Evan major in vocal performance and Zach is studying choral conducting. Born of musical parents, the boys have been harmonizing together since they were three years old. In their teen years, they performed together as a group called “Three”. They have recorded CDs of world music, Christmas music and inspirational Christian music. Two of the three brothers, Chase and Zach are new to Gaudeamus this past year and performed with us for Journey for the Soul and our Christmas Angelicus 2014 series. They also participated in the recording of Requiem in November. They have been a beautiful addition to our baritone section. It is a positive and inspiring reflection on our organization, and on the choral community, that young people seem drawn to find their place with us. The mix of ages within Gaudeamus, and that not all Gaudies are alumni of Chorus Angelicus, demonstrates the wide reach of choral music. Though originally from Virginia, the Gutierez brothers consider Connecticut their second home. You can listen to them on www.youtube.com/ThreeTheMusic We look forward to hearing more from Zach and Chase in upcoming concerts with Gaudeamus. COLLABORATIVE by Laurie Ellington and Sarah Eyre In the arts we speak often about collaboration, especially as a vital ingredient for artistic success. During the last 3 years, Gabriel Löfvall, with his artistic staff of Karen Sovak and Laurie Ellington, has built alliances that are propelling Chorus Angelicus & Gaudeamus to new artistic heights; presenting unique concerts, as well as creating recordings and presenting videos online. Our choristers have been offered inspiring performance opportunities that provided a wide spectrum of choral experiences, all of which were enhanced by exciting collaboration with other arts organizations. This season, the Junior and Senior choirs collaborated with the Waterbury Symphony and Shakesperience Productions to perform Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” They next teamed with the Fireworks Ensemble to record Brian Coughlin’s challenging Requiem. The highlight of the winter, and perhaps of the year, was the chance to work with the choirs and orchestra of UCONN to present the world premiere of Steven Sametz’s “A Child’s Requiem” at Storrs and Stamford, CT. The spring brought the opportunity to work alongside the choirs of St. Patrick-St. Anthony church and the University of St. Joseph to perform the masterwork, Rutter’s Requiem. A surprise visit from Escolanía del Escorial allowed our singers to meet other choristers from Europe and to share experiences and make music together. The Junior Choir will collaborate with the Children’s Choir of Springfield in the first annual Festival of Song, where they will get to meet and work with the best singers from all over New England. The choirs of Joyful Noise continue to earn rave reviews. Even as key members of the Senior Choir graduate and move on, there’s a consistency in the voice of the ensemble and the development of the audience that is made possible through the collaborations provided. As our choirs prepare for their final concerts of the season, I have no doubt that they are reminiscing about the adventures they have already shared this busy season, particularly the impressive array of artistic successes. Proccess Spotlight The Reunion Winter CAMP ALUMNI This year’s winter camp was the largest ever! The kids spent an excellent weekend submerged in singing and great downtime activities. Board member and chorister parent Susie Heiland headed up this year’s citrus sale. This was a very successful fundraiser and was a lot of hard work. Susie was quite an inspiration to the kids and everyone did a wonderful job. SALE Citrus PARENT Committees A great big thank you goes out to those parents who took charge of this year’s newly created committees! Michelle Begley headed up the hospitality committee, which helped keep the kids fed during long practices and provided some holiday parties. Laura McClellan took charge of the voluteer committee, helping to organize concert staffing. Thank you to all the parents who volunteer! We absolutely could not do it with out you. CHRISTMAS Angelicus The 2014 Christmas Angelicus was an amazing success! Alan Murchie joined Christmas Angelicus as the organist for the first time. Many compliments were given for his exuberence and talent. The performance at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford brought out the Alumni and everyone enjoyed great company, good food and lots of dancing afterward. Alan Murchie, Organist The performance at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Litchfield became a Standing Room Only event. This was, in part, due to the wonderful group of Freemasons who planned an evening with us. We really enjoyed the enthusiasm that they brought with them and are extremely grateful to all of our audience for their patience and support. The positive energy definitely made its way around the room and leant to a beautiful evening for all. ON Youtube www.youtube/ChorusAngelicus1 Facebook Chorus Angelicus & Gaudeamus Twitter @ChorusAngelicus Mark your CALENDAR LINE Places to find us: email [email protected] May 17th-4pm Spring Concert Trinity Episcopal Church , Torrington Our littlest singers invite you to enjoy the culmination of a year of hard work! Please come and share in our Spring performance and witness the future of Chorus Angelicus May 23rd Springfield Choral Festival Passion for Music NEED APPLY! There is always room for new ideas on the Joyful Noise, Inc. board of directors. Apply to the board and help with the decision making and direction of our organization. Some expectations of a board member are: attendance at monthy meetings contributions to the organization concert attendance and support voluteer time Send your inquiries to [email protected] or call us at 860-496-8841 Alumni NEWS Springfield, Mass The Junior Choir joins The Children’s Chorus of Springfield for the Springfield Choral Festival in downtown Springfield. Public concert from 3:00pm to 4:30pm on the City Hall steps at Springfield Court Square. Conducted by four-time Grammy winner Charles Bruffy. June 4th thru June 6th All Choirs Festival Trinity Episcopal Church , Torrington The 2nd Annual All Choirs Festival is on its way! We look forward to hosting special guests The Connecticut Children’s Chorus Concert Choir. A feature of this year’s festival is an Open House during rehearsal on Friday the 5th from 7-9 pm. Join us for the spectacular finale to the 2014-15 Season. The Festival culminates in a concert on Saturday the 6th at 4pm. Tickets are $40 priority/$25 general/$10 students, online, by phone or at the door. Congratulations to Julie Bickford on the birth of her first child, Quinn! He’s a beauty! Matthew Cramer has been accepted to Yale for Choral Conducting! Andres Moreno has been accepted to Yale for Opera Performance! We are proud of our future Elis! Sarah Mitnik has been busy! Recently, she was accepted into the Connecticut All-State Choir, performed at the New England Music Festival in New Hampshire with fellow New England choristers and was ranked second in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Regional competition. She also received one of the highest scores in the Northern Regional Music festival and competition. Keep up the great work! Joyful Noise, Inc. CONTACT us Home of Chorus Angelicus & Gaudeamus 220 Prospect Street, or PO Box 1051, Torrington, CT 06790 www.chorusangelicus.org 860-496-8841
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