FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GMChorale Media Contact: Sarah Hager Johnston
Media Inquiries: gmcmedia@gmchorale.org
General Inquiries: info@gmchorale.org
Media Phone: 860-676-2228
Website: www.gmchorale.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmchorale @gmchorale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmchorale/
Mailing Address: GMChorale, P.O. Box 527, Middletown, CT 06457
GMChorale and Alchemy Invited to Perform May 12 in "Singing Together for Peace" Festival in New Haven
Singers from the GMChorale and Alchemy join community, school, and church choirs from across the region for a day of learning and performing together.
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. (May 10, 2018) — The GMChorale and Alchemy (the vocal chamber ensemble of the GMChorale), both under the direction of Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio, have been invited to perform in “Singing Together for Peace,” an inter-generational festival of gospel and folk music that takes place on Saturday, May 12, at 12:30pm, at Woolsey Hall in New Haven, CT.
“Singing Together for Peace” is presented by the Saecula Choir Foundation (SCF) in honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Elm City & United Girls’ Choirs. The event is a fundraiser for the SCF’s Sisters in Song Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support for girls and young women who would otherwise be unable to afford high-quality musical training. In addition to the public concert, the singers will participate in a masterclass on gospel and folk music led by renowned singer-songwriter Michael Brown.
With 80 singers from 34 Connecticut towns, the GMChorale is known for its compelling performances of choral masterworks and the commissioning of new music from emerging and established composers. The GMChorale just completed its 41st season with an electrifying performance of Jepthe, a ground-breaking but seldom-performed oratorio by the early Baroque composer Giacomo Carissimi.
“The ‘Singing Together for Peace’ festival is an excellent opportunity for the singers of the GMChorale to share their extensive choral experience with younger singers from other ensembles. And in turn, they will learn from others who also bring a wealth of experience, and they will be enriched by singing alongside fellow musicians from other communities and other music traditions,” said the GMChorale’s Artistic Director, Joseph D’Eugenio.
As part of a broadening mission to bring excellent performances of great choral music to communities across the state, the GMChorale recently established Alchemy, a vocal chamber ensemble of 24 professional and highly-skilled avocational singers from the GMChorale. In June, Alchemy will conclude its second full season with the last of a series of concerts given in six Connecticut communities.
“As the GMChorale continues to expand its ‘Singing for a Lifetime’ concept, participation in this inclusive festival is a perfect way for us to share our message that singing together is a powerful, positive way to build communities and to be a force for good in the world,” D’Eugenio added. “We are so pleased to have been invited to participate, and we look forward to making music with new friends and sharing that music with the community.”
The Festival concert on May 12 is open to the public; tickets are available on a “pay what you can” basis. For more information on the Festival, visit https://saecula.org/.
EVENT DETAILS:
What: The GMChorale and Vocal Alchemy, performing in “Singing Together for Peace,” an inter-generational festival of gospel and folk music.
When: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 12:30PM.
Where: Woolsey Hall, 500 College Street, New Haven, CT
Accessible: Yes
Tickets: Pay what you can.
More Info: https://saecula.org/
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About the GMChorale – Established as the Greater Middletown Chorale, the GMChorale has become one of New England’s finest and most engaging choruses since its founding in 1977. As it completes its 41st season, the GMChorale is celebrated for its innovative symphonic choral presentations, and often performs with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and other professional ensembles. Under the inspired leadership of Joseph D’Eugenio, now in his twentieth season as the ensemble’s Artistic Director, the 80-voice Chorale performs a wide range of choral repertoire, from beloved masterworks to newly commissioned pieces. GMChorale crowned its two European concert tours as the only choir providing music for the Sunday noon mass at Venice’s extraordinary Basilica San Marco. Alchemy, the GMChorale’s new semi-professional vocal chamber ensemble, established and directed by Joseph D’Eugenio, has already seen great success with concerts of early to contemporary music, both a cappella and accompanied, in a variety of settings. Under Maestro D’Eugenio’s leadership, the GMChorale has commissioned and premiered new choral works by leading composers including Gwyneth Walker, Eugenie Rocherolle, Peter Niedmann, Colin Britt, Ellen Gilson Voth, Lee McQuillan, and Henry Mollicone. In 2011, the GMChorale commissioned Connecticut Grammy nominee and composer, Sarah Meneely-Kyder, to create Letter from Italy, 1944 with the libretto by her sister, poet Nancy Meneely. In 2013, the GMChorale premiered the new oratorio in Middletown, Connecticut. The Chorale commissioned Karyl Evans to create a documentary of the oratorio’s historic background and creative process that was narrated by Meryl Streep. The stunning result, Letter from Italy, 1944: a New American Oratorio, earned an Emmy for its director in 2016. In May 2017, the GMChorale collaborated with The Hartford Chorale to perform Letter from Italy, 1944 with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford. Joseph D’Eugenio directed the semi-staged production, its professional soloists, the 200 singers of the combined Chorales, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in a memorable performance.
About Alchemy — Alchemy, the region’s newest vocal chamber ensemble, made its debut in 2017-2018 with a series of concerts across Connecticut. With 24 professional and skilled avocational singers drawn from its parent ensemble, the GMChorale, Alchemy’s mission is to advance and support the GMChorale's vision of “Singing for a Lifetime” through concert tours, collaborations, and community engagement. Led by founding director Joseph D’Eugenio, the ensemble, known for its ability to adapt its sound to a broad variety of repertoire, took the name “Alchemy” in recognition of the ancient, mystical art of creating gold through a process of transformation and refinement. Already recognized for its vocal beauty, richness, and subtlety, this ensemble brings a touch of gold to interpretations of Romantic and contemporary choral music. Alchemy’s singers, many of whom are music teachers and professional singers, also rehearse and perform with the GMChorale, serving as section leaders and mentors to that ensemble’s 80 avocational singers.
About the GMChorale’s Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio – Joseph D’Eugenio is currently in his 20th year as GMChorale’s Artistic Director. Under his baton, the GMChorale celebrated its 40th anniversary season in 2016-2017 with concerts featuring Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford premiere of Sarah Meneely-Kyder’s oratorio Letter from Italy, 1944 with the Hartford Chorale and Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the premiere season of Alchemy, the new semi-professional vocal chamber ensemble of the GMChorale. For more than two decades as conductor and clinician, D’Eugenio has led choruses and orchestras in preparation and performances of the great choral masterworks with orchestra. In 2009, D’Eugenio was named Conductor of the Year by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. As guest conductor, D’Eugenio has led many workshops and festivals, including the CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) Summer Festival in 2015. D’Eugenio has instructed choral groups at various schools, colleges, and universities, including Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. An accomplished pianist and organist, he has been Director of Music at First Congregational Church, Cheshire, Connecticut since 2003, where he oversees the church’s music program. An accompanist of the first rank and in demand by concert artists, D’Eugenio frequently accompanies song recitals and professional choral organizations, including CONCORA and VOCE. With undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from The Hartt School and the Universities of Hartford and Connecticut, he maintains a busy private piano studio.
The GMChorale is partially funded by generous grants from the following: the Community Foundation of Middlesex County; the Middletown Commission On The Arts; The Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists; and Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
GMCHORALE CONTACTS
GMChorale Media Contact: Sarah Hager Johnston
Media Inquiries: gmcmedia@gmchorale.org
General Inquiries: info@gmchorale.org
Media Phone: 860-676-2228
Website: www.gmchorale.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmchorale @gmchorale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gmchorale/
Mailing Address: GMChorale, P.O. Box 527, Middletown, CT 06457
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The GMChorale in concert.
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The GMChorale's Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio, celebrating his twentieth season with the GMChorale.
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The GMChorale is partially funded by generous grants from the following: the Community Foundation of Middlesex County; the Middletown Commission On The Arts; The Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists; and Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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