FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GMChorale Media Contact: Sarah Hager Johnston, Director of Marketing and Communications
Media Inquiries: gmcmedia@gmchorale.org
Media Phone: 860-676-2228
General Inquiries: info@gmchorale.org
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 Welcomes Singers to Open Rehearsals January 22 & January 29
Singers in all voice parts may participate in open rehearsals prior to auditioning to perform with the 80-voice ensemble
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. (January 9, 2019) — The GMChorale invites interested singers in all voice parts to participate in open rehearsals and to consider auditioning to join the 80-voice ensemble.
The GMChorale, led by Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio, performs two major concerts each season, often with full orchestra, and is often invited to perform with other ensembles, including the Hartford Chorale, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and others.
On January 22, the GMChorale will begin rehearsals for a concert on Sunday, May 5, 2019, featuring the choral music of Anton Bruckner, featuring the Mass in E minor.
Singers interested in joining the Chorale may participate in open rehearsals on Tuesday, January 22, and Tuesday, January 29 before scheduling a private “singer-friendly” audition with Maestro D’Eugenio.
“The GMChorale is a very friendly group, and we’ve made the audition process friendly and stress-free, too,” said D’Eugenio. “Prior to each of the open rehearsals, I’ll meet with all those interested in joining, and we’ll have a group warm-up and sing through a little music together so that everyone can feel comfortable. Then we rehearse with the entire ensemble, so the prospective members can get a feel for how we make music together and see if it’s a good fit for them. After that, people who feel ready to make the commitment to sing with us can schedule an audition.”
Those who wish to audition will be asked to prepare and sing a classical art song, a folk song, hymn or carol (accompaniment will be provided); sing a major scale a cappella in the appropriate voice range; and prepare and sing (with accompaniment) the appropriate voice part of two choral selections, for which music will be provided.
The GMChorale rehearses in Cromwell on Tuesday evenings. Members pay annual tuition, purchase their own music, and provide their own concert attire.
High school and college students are particularly encouraged to sing with the GMChorale. Scholarships are available to cover tuition; scholars pay only for their music and concert attire.
Prospective adult singers may also express an interest in singing with Alchemy, the vocal chamber ensemble of the GMChorale.
To register for an open rehearsal and/or schedule an audition, please contact audition coordinator and scheduler Margie Livengood at margie.livengood@gmchorale.org or 860-633-6198. More information is available at www.gmchorale.org/auditions.
EVENT DETAILS:
What: Open rehearsals for singers who are interested in joining the GMChorale
When: Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00pm, and Tuesday, January 29 at 7:00pm. Registered participants are asked to arrive at 6:00pm.
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, Cromwell, CT
Accessible: Yes
Registration: Required in advance.
To Register: Contact Margie Livengood at margie.livengood@gmchorale.org or 860-633-6198.
More information: www.gmchorale.org/auditions
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Images: Included below are photos of the GMChorale and Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio.
About the GMChorale (Greater Middletown Chorale) – The GMChorale has become one of New England’s finest and most engaging choruses since its founding in 1977 as The Greater Middletown Chorale. Today, 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 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. 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-nominated 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 to great acclaim 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. As the GMChorale enters its fifth decade, the organization is broadening its mission and the scope of its offerings to bring the power and beauty of choral music to people and communities across Connecticut. Alchemy, the GMChorale’s new vocal chamber ensemble, established and directed by Joseph D’Eugenio as part of this broader mission, has already seen great success with concerts of early to contemporary music, both a cappella and accompanied, in a variety of settings across the state.
About Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio – Joseph D’Eugenio has been Artistic Director of the GMChorale since 1988. 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.
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, with Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio
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The GMChorale in concert, led by Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio
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Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio
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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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