Sunday, October 18, 2015

Choral Arts Opens 2015-16 Season with Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, November 15


From our friends at the Choral Arts Society of Washington, DC...

Johannes Brahms constructed Ein deutsches Requiem with tremendous architecture moving from words of comfort to those who remain behind, to comfort for those who have passed on. Inspired by Brahms’ loves and losses, and his longest choral work, “A German Requiem” was written to appeal to the masses - the religious and secular, the young and old. Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem was the last work that Choral Arts Founder Norman Scribner (1936-2015) conducted in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall prior to his retirement in 2012 and this concert, conducted by Artistic Director Scott Tucker, is dedicated to his memory. The Choral Arts Chorus will perform this piece in its entirety by memory.

Zachary Wadsworth: Battle-Flags (World Premiere Commission)
Battle-Flags, a world premiere commission by Zachary Wadsworth, is a setting of a Walt Whitman text, which transitions beautifully into the first movement of Brahms’ RequiemBattle-Flags was commissioned by Choral Arts and is dedicated to the memory of Norman Scribner.

Guest soloists include Chinese soprano Yuanming Song and American baritone Trevor Scheunemann.  Song sang Carmina Burana with the Choral Arts Chorus and Qingdao Symphony Orchestra during its five-city tour of China earlier this spring.  She will sing alongside baritone Trevor Scheunemann who sang in Choral Arts’ Washington D.C. performance of Carmina Burana last May.  Scheunemann is an alumnus of Washington National Opera’s celebrated Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

WHO:
Scott Tucker, conductor
Yuanming Song, soprano
Trevor Scheunemann, baritone
Choral Arts Chorus and Orchestra

WHEN:
Sunday, November 15, 2015, 4:00 PM

WHERE:
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566

TICKETS: 
Tickets range from $15 to $69 and are available through Choral Arts - www.choralarts.org or (202) 244-3669 or through the Kennedy Center - www.kennedy-center.org or (202) 467-4600.

This concert is made possible by generous gifts from Suzanne S. Brock and Anne B. Keiser.

ABOUT CHORAL ARTS:
In its 50 years, the Choral Arts Society of Washington (Choral Arts) established and maintains a dedication to excellence. Led by Artistic Director Scott Tucker, Choral Arts’ commitment to artistic excellence is demonstrated by frequent invitations to perform regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and other world-class orchestras including London Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, and the Mariinsky Orchestra, as well as alongside legendary conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Marin Alsop and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Choral Arts is committed to connecting choral music to the country’s growing diversity and partnering with global organizations to develop inspiring programs. Choral Arts also stands on a secure and stable financial and governance foundation.

Founded in 1965 by Artistic Director Emeritus Norman Scribner (1936–2015), Choral Arts stands out as a leader among its peers, earning awards, not only for its artistic excellence, but its administrative leadership and educational portfolio. Under the executive direction of Debra L. Kraft, Choral Arts has consistently operated in the black since 2004, remaining fiscally strong in spite of recent economic challenges.