VocalEssence

VocalEssence
  • Who We Are
    • About VocalEssence
    • Performing Ensembles
    • Staff
    • Collaborators
    • Board of Directors
      • VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Advisory Council
      • VocalEssence WITNESS Advisory Council
    • Advancing Inclusion, Access, and Equity
  • What We Do
    • Why Sing?
    • Concerts and Events
    • Celebrating Black Excellence
    • Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle
    • Learning and Engagement Programs
    • Contests and Awards
    • Commissioning and Recording
    • Accessibility
  • Stories & Results
    • #vesotashareshope
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • GPS & Friends
    • Inclusion Access and Equity
    • Musical Moments
    • Performing Ensembles
    • Schools & Education
    • Take 5 with GPS
    • Together We Sing
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
      • Bridge to the Future Campaign
    • Engage a Choir
    • Sing with Us
    • Join the Board
    • Volunteer
    • Work at VocalEssence
  • Login
  • On Demand
  • Buy Tickets
  • Donate
Search
More...

Dominick Argento Remembered

February 27, 2019

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • email

Dominick Argento was an amazing man—he was my teacher, colleague and personal friend of our family.

When I arrived at the University of Minnesota, I signed up for History of Opera, not knowing that I would have the best professor on opera as my teacher! I have often said that if you wish to take an opera history class… take it from a person who composes operas! Dominick knew who the top opera composers were…and why. It was a great experience.

Then, at Minnesota Opera, I began conducting his operas (beginning with Postcard from Morocco). Dominick knew exactly what he wanted and his score clearly gave you all the ideas.  And, when we recorded the opera, he was beside me in the booth as we edited the opera (until 4AM!).

In the early days of VocalEssence, I wanted to commission Argento, but, as I had never commissioned a piece, I didn’t know the procedure. Dominick helped me understand the commissioning business, and the result was his marvelous Jonah and the Whale which was a great success! I had agreed to pay for a 30-minute work and when the work became 10 minutes longer, I told him that I didn’t have any money for the extra music: “Philip, don’t worry, I got excited about this text and took it further—you owe me nothing extra.”

As the years evolved we became good friends—partly because his wife and my wife are both named Carolyn!

Dominick was a man of great generosity, giving me marvelous insights into his music and the art of composition. Conducting his choral music and his operas has been one of the great joys of my life. One could ask no more than to be linked with a composer of his stature and magnitude.

—Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence Artistic Director and Founder

Read other tributes to Dominick Argento:

  • MinnPost
  • National Public Radio
  • Minnesota Public Radio News
  • Star Tribune
  • Opera News
  • Dominick Argento’s Nephew Remembers

 

Posted in: Performing Ensembles

Recent Stories

  • Bridge to the Future Meets Goal March 24, 2023
  • VocalEssence Radio Special—Song of Joy: The Mendelssohns on YourClassical MPR March 24, 2023
  • VocalEssence Singers Of This Age Perform at WCCO Holiday Tree Lighting December 22, 2022
  • VocalEssence Holiday Programming 2022 December 15, 2022
  • Thank you for your support at the VocalEssence 2022 Gala! November 4, 2022

Musical Moments

  • #inspiration
  • 2020
  • Argentinan Composers
  • Australian Composers
  • Basque Composers
  • Black Composers
  • Bradley Greenwald
  • British Composers
  • Canadian Composers
  • choir
  • Clara Osowski
  • Composers from Minnesota
  • Composers of the 17th 18th and 19th Centuries
  • Composers of the Early-Mid 20th Century
  • Composers of the Late 20th-21st Century
  • composing
  • concerts
  • Czech Composers
  • Dan Dressen
  • Dutch Composers
  • Early-mid 20th Century
  • Eastern European Composers
  • French Composers
  • German and Austrian Composers
  • Hungarian Composers
  • Italian Composers
  • Late 20th-21st Century
  • Latin American Composers
  • Maria Jette
  • Mexican composers
  • planning
  • Portuguese Composers
  • repertoire
  • Russian Composers
  • Scandinavian Composers
  • Scottish Composers
  • South American Composers
  • Spanish Composers
  • Swiss Composers
  • United States Composers
  • Women Composers
  • About Us
    • About VocalEssence
    • Press Room
    • Annual Report
    • Financial Information
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • VocalEssence COVID Protocols
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Sing with Us
    • Volunteer
    • Work at VocalEssence
  • Connect
    • Email Sign Up
    • Contact Us/Location
    • Chorus Connection
    • VocalEssence Board Login
  • VocalEssence
  • 1900 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
  • Phone: 612-547-1451
  • Fax: 612-547-1484
  • info@vocalessence.org
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 VocalEssence. All rights reserved.

https://www.vocalessence.org/dominick-argento-remembered

This website uses cookies for necessary functions and to enhance your browsing experience.

Accept & Continue