American Voices with Cantus
Sunday, October 1, 2006 - 4:00pm
Sunday, October 8, 2006 - 2:00pm
VocalEssence and the 9-voice male ensemble Cantus joined forces for a program of enduring American choral classics and favorite folksongs. American Voices showcased composers from across three centuries, among them William Billings, Nathaniel Dett, Randall Thompson, Aaron Copland and Alice Parker.
Music of several leading Minnesota-connected composers — Dominick Argento, Brent Michael Davids, Aaron Jay Kernis, Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus — made up a section of the concert. All of the works are by composers recognized as American masters by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Cantus was featured in Samuel Barber's dramatic piece A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map. Written in 1940, this work is a setting of a lament for a soldier who has fallen in the Spanish Civil War. The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, the 32-voice professional chorus of VocalEssence, were featured in Ned Rorem's poignant In Time of Pestilence.
American Voices is presented as part of American Masterpieces: Choral Music, a new initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts that promotes regional celebrations of our country's master composers. Cantus and VocalEssence are among eight ensembles across the country chosen by the NEA to present festivals of American choral music.
Music of several leading Minnesota-connected composers — Dominick Argento, Brent Michael Davids, Aaron Jay Kernis, Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus — made up a section of the concert. All of the works are by composers recognized as American masters by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Cantus was featured in Samuel Barber's dramatic piece A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map. Written in 1940, this work is a setting of a lament for a soldier who has fallen in the Spanish Civil War. The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, the 32-voice professional chorus of VocalEssence, were featured in Ned Rorem's poignant In Time of Pestilence.
American Voices is presented as part of American Masterpieces: Choral Music, a new initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts that promotes regional celebrations of our country's master composers. Cantus and VocalEssence are among eight ensembles across the country chosen by the NEA to present festivals of American choral music.
HEAR what the BUZZ is about!
- "Over the past 19 years, WITNESS has grown into a stellar cultural offering that showcases lesser known music by African-American artists and provides a remarkable educational resource for school children."Reatha Clark King Ph.D.--Former President and Board Chair, General Mills Foundation
Create your own BUZZ!
You’ve read what others have said…click here to create your own “testimonial” about VocalEssence!
