St. George's Choral Society Presents Mendelssohn's Lobgesang on Sunday, November 22, 2:30 PM

/

Design by Andrew Spina © 2015

St. George’s Choral Society presents a fall concert with orchestra on Sunday, November 22 at 2:30 PM. The program includes two spectacular works: Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and Mendelssohn's monumental Symphony 2, Lobgesang.

Originally written for 16 solo singers, solo violin, and orchestra, the Serenade to Music is a setting of text from The Merchant of Venice, which discusses music. This lavish and strikingly beautiful work appears on the program at the request of one of our benefactors, whose mother died within the past year. This performance is in her honor, and will be sung by the Chamber Singers of St. George’s Choral Society, with professional soloists, to open the concert.

The primary work on the program is Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2, which he called Lobgesang (“Song of Praise”). Written in 1840, it commemorated the 400th anniversary of the invention of printing. With a running length of over an hour, it is the most substantial of all of Mendelssohn’s symphonies.

Lobgesang is scored for large orchestra, two soprano soloists, one tenor soloist, and chorus. It uses biblical texts—primarily Psalms—sung in German. From the thrilling opening statement by the trombones, the poignant duet for two sopranos (“Ich harrete des Herrn”—“I waited for the Lord”), the rousing “Die Nacht ist verganen” ("The night is departing") chorus, to the brilliant concluding chorus, this 13-movement piece has stunning audience appeal.

This performance features:

Sarah Brailey, soprano
Kate Maroney, mezzo-soprano
Marc Day, tenor

Sunday, November 22 at 2:30 PM
Church of the Incarnation
Madison Avenue at 35th Street
New York City

Tickets are $30.00, available online or at the door.

Richard P. Karman, 1939–2015

/
Richard P. Karman

Richard P. Karman

With heavy hearts, we share the news that Richard P. Karman, chairman of our board of directors, died on Sunday, November 1st after a brief illness. Dick and his wife, Sandy, were friends and loyal supporters of Artistic Director Matthew Lewis and our group for many years. So we were delighted when they agreed to join our board in 2013. They walked in the door and immediately got to work on projects big and small. 

Sadly, Sandy passed away in September of last year after a battle with cancer. Dick continued his commitment to St. George’s Choral Society, though, and became chairman of our board earlier this year. A retired educator and school administrator, Dick lent his talents in our search for a fuller history of St. George’s Choral Society since its formation in 1817 and served as a true champion of the choir through his leadership of our Board and his commitment to Matthew and our group.

We will remember his welcoming smile, his wit, his down-to-earth intelligence, and his friendly embrace. We are thankful for Dick and Sandy’s help in building a stronger foundation for our group as we move toward our 200th anniversary. We will miss them every day.

When Music Inspires Design

/

St. George’s Choral Society is fortunate to make use of the talents of Andrew Spina, who has designed concert images for us for the last decade. Many of his previous designs can be seen throughout our website.

Here are this year’s images, along with Andrew’s descriptions of his inspiration.

Design by Andrew Spina © 2015

The fall design interprets the theme of the Mendelssohn’s "Lobgesang": darkness to light. Since the piece celebrates the anniversary of the printing press, the text is in the font Gutenberg.

Design by Andrew Spina © 2015

This was about harmony and rhythm and the idea of modern stained glass. The repeating pattern over the idyllic French countryside both obscures the image and amplifies individual colors over others.

Design by Andrew Spina © 2015

This design explores layers of structure, where each successive layer adds complexity and detail. One must look beyond the ornate organic forms to see the dense forest at sunset...a dark romance that is not immediately apparent. 

Meet Our Fall 2015 Soloists

/

We look forward to performing with the following three soloists for Mendelssohn's Lobgesang at our Fall 2015 concert on November 22.

Sarah Brailey, Soprano

Sarah Brailey

Hailed by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” “exquisitely phrased” and “sweetly dazzling” singing, soprano Sarah Brailey is in growing demand as a concert and chamber music artist. She previously appeared with St. George’s Choral Society in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass.

Highlights of Sarah’s current and recent seasons include Handel’s Messiah with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony, and Albany’s Cathedral of All Saints, Constance in Franz Joseph Haydn’s L’isola disabitata with the American Classical Orchestra, Steve Reich’s Drumming at Carnegie Hall (Zankel), Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder and the Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Alberto Ginastera’s Cantata para América Mágica and Stravinsky’s Les Noces with Julian Wachner at Trinity Wall Street, Handel’s Samson under the baton of Nicholas McGegan, Britten’s Les Illuminations with NOVUS NY, and numerous appearances with the Brooklyn Art Song Society and the Polydora Ensemble, a vocal quartet focused on German repertoire of the 19th century.

Sarah is a core member of Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble, an all-female vocal chamber music ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music. She is a frequent guest artist with the GRAMMY® Award-winning alternative-classical vocal band Roomful of Teeth. She has worked with composers such as John Zorn, Steve Reich, Merrill Garbus, Gabriel Jackson, Tarik O’Regan, Jesse Jones, Paola Prestini, Ralf Yusuf Gawlick, Scott Wheeler, and Doug Balliett.

Sarah has recorded with tUne-yArDs, John Zorn, Paola Prestini, Bang on a Can All-Stars (Julia Wolfe’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning work Anthracite Fields), and is featured on New York Polyphony’s GRAMMY®-nominated album Sing Thee Nowell. She can be heard on recordings released by Naxos, Tzadik, Musica Omnia, BIS, 4AD, Soundbrush Records, and VIA Records.

Sarah’s awards include first prize in the 2015 Madison Early Music Festival’s Handel Aria Competition and the Leopold Damrosch Award in the 2014 Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition. She was a semi-finalist in the 2014 Concert Artist Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. Recent opera engagements include the American premiere of Hércules en el Mato Grosso, a new opera by Esteban Insinger, Pablo Ortiz’s Gallos y Huesos with The Americas Society, Stefan Weisman and David Cote’s The Scarlet Ibis with American Opera Projects, and Lera Auerbach’s The Blind at The Lincoln Center Festival.

Kate Maroney, Mezzo-Soprano

Kate Maroney

Recognized for elegant and versatile singing in oratorio and opera spanning the Renaissance to works by contemporary composers, Kate Maroney was recently featured worldwide in over 75 performances of Einstein on the Beach and made her Lincoln Center soloist debut with the American Classical Orchestra in Bach’s Mass in B-Minor. Kate has recently appeared as a soloist with Musica Sacra and New York City Ballet, Oregon Bach Festival, Anonymous 4, The Bangor Symphony, Clarion, Bach Collegium San Diego, American Symphony Orchestra at Bard SummerScape, Princeton Pro Musica, Yale Choral Artists, Sacred Music Sacred Space, Bach Vespers Holy Trinity, Ensemble Signal at the Lincoln Center Festival, Ekmeles, Mark Morris Dance Group, Vox Vocal Ensemble, St. Luke in the Fields, American Opera Projects, Berkshire Bach Society, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 2015-2016 season, Kate will perform Missy Mazzoli’s Song From The Uproar at LA Opera and travel to South Korea for Einstein on the Beach. Kate teaches at Mannes NEXT (The New School) and holds degrees in music from Eastman, Yale and SUNY Purchase. www.katemaroney.com

 

Marc Andrew Day, Tenor

Marc Day

Marc began his music education at the Cathedral of the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, Utah. While studying at the Choir School, he performed two roles with the San Francisco Opera beside Frederica von Stade and David Daniels. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. While at UofI, he performed the title role in Bernstein’s Candide with the late Jerry Hadley performing the role of Pangloss. In addition to Candide, Marc performed the roles of Goro, Gastone, Paco (Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve), First Rock Singer (Bernstein’s Mass), as well as roles in The Coronation of Poppea and Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Marc earned a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and performed the role of Tony from West Side Story with the School’s Opera Scenes. He currently serves in the professional choir at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, under the direction of Maestro Kent Tritle. He enjoys performing regularly with Musica Sacra, Clarion Society, Voices of Ascension, St. Ignatius Loyola, American Classical Orchestra, and other prominent choral ensembles within the greater New York City Metropolitan area. Most recently, Marc premiered the role of Wilbur Wright in Aaron Siegel’s Brother Brother, part of the Experiments in Opera series, which specializes in contemporary works.  In addition to developing his performing abilities, Marc serves as assistant to the president and liaison to the board of trustees at Manhattan School of Music.

Grant from New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)

/

For the first time this year, St. George’s Choral Society applied directly to New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) for a Cultural Development Fund grant in support of our 2015–2016 season.

We are thrilled to announce that DCA has awarded us funding. This will help us to continue to provide three concerts a year to the community, and we hope the recognition will help us secure additional funding toward our efforts to include orchestra in at least one concert per year and to present our Summer Choral Festival free to the public.

2015–2016 Rehearsals Have Begun

/
St. George's Choral Society's first rehearsal of the 2015–2016 season. Photo by Richard Karman.

St. George's Choral Society's first rehearsal of the 2015–2016 season. Photo by Richard Karman.

Although September 9 was a warm, muggy day, the early evening found an enthusiastic group of choristers gathering at St. George’s Chapel for the first rehearsal of the 2015–2016 season.  Memories of chilly rehearsals in the dead of winter gave way to an appreciation of the Chapel’s air conditioning. Those who had not already done so online renewed their memberships and collected the scores for the fall. To help put names and faces together, Vice President Loraine Obler passed out name tags and began work on a member directory.

The rehearsal of Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" began promptly with Artistic Director Matthew Lewis directing and Jim Bassi accompanying on the piano.

It’s not too late to sing with us! Contact stgeorgeschoralsociety@yahoo.com to schedule an audition on September 16 between 6:00 and 6:50 PM.

The schedule for the upcoming year looks to be challenging and exciting:

Fall Concert with Orchestra

Sunday, November 22, 2015, 3 PM
Church of the Incarnation, 209 Madison Avenue at 35th St

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music (Chamber Singers)
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2, "Lobgesang"

Lincoln Center Performances with the Paul Taylor Dance Company

March 16, 18, 30, and April 2
David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza

Our semi-professional choir, by audition and invitation, appears again this season in performances of Poulenc's Gloria with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at the Koch Theater.

Sacré et Profane - Choral Masterworks from France
Spring Concert with Organ

Sunday, April 17, 2016, 3 PM
Church of the Incarnation, 209 Madison Avenue at 35th St

Fauré: Pavane
Poulenc: Chansons Francaises
Langlais: Messe solennelle
And works by Le Jeune, Janequin, and Saint-Saëns

Summer Choral Festival

Saturday, June 18, 7:00 PM
Church of the Incarnation, 209 Madison Avenue at 35th St

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Featuring Brahms' arrangement of the work for chorus and piano, four hands

Audition and Rehearsal Update

/
A 2013 Summer Festival rehearsal held at the Church of the Incarnation. Photo credit: Pat Rasile.

A 2013 Summer Festival rehearsal held at the Church of the Incarnation. Photo credit: Pat Rasile.

Looking to sing in a chorus in New York City? Look no further.

We will audition singers on September 9 and 16 from 6:00–6:50 PM. To schedule your low-pressure audition, contact Artistic Director Matthew Lewis, stgeorgeschoralsociety@yahoo.com.

This fall, we will hold rehearsals on Wednesdays from 7:00–9:30 PM at St. George's Chapel, 5 Rutherford Place, one block east of Third Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets.

Rehearsals for the spring concert will be held in a warmer spot. We will meet on Wednesdays from 7:30–9:40 PM at Church of the Incarnation, 209 Madison Ave at 35th Street.

We hope you can join us!

Our 2015–2016 Season

/

We are thrilled to share our 2015–2016 season with you. Here is how Artistic Director Matthew Lewis describes our fall and spring repertoire:

Fall Concert (with orchestra)

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, opus 52, "Lobgesang"

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music

This "choral" symphony by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy is one of the highlights of the choral repertoire. It was composed in 1840 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the invention of printing. It is a symphony cantata, on sacred texts, for choir and soloists, with full orchestra. The movements are performed consecutively, without pause, to great dramatic impact. This piece will entice the experienced choral singer to participate, as it is a thrill to sing. Our chamber singers will perform Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music.”

Spring Concert (with organ)

Choral Works from Paris - Sacred and Profane

Poulenc: Chansons Francaise

Langlais: Messe solennelle

This unusual program features works of 20th century composers Francis Poulenc and Jean Langlais, who both lived in Paris. Poulenc's pieces are a cappella settings of French folk songs. They are extremely well crafted, difficult to sing, and wonderful to hear. And they are rarely performed. These will be sung by the chamber singers. Langlais was a blind organist composer, who wrote in a more modern vocabulary. His thrilling setting of the Mass is for a big choir, with a virtuoso and very well-written organ part.