The
Master Chorale of South Florida
Announces Second “Trilling” Season
Concert series will start on a sassy, brassy note and end with
a classic finish never before performed in South Florida.
Fresh
off its acclaimed debut concert, the Master Chorale of South
Florida has announced its exciting and innovative 2004-2005
season featuring a two concert series that will showcase the
group’s talent, diversity and programming genius. Both
programs will be performed in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach
Counties.
In
November 2004, the Master Chorale will partner with the Empire
Brass, America’s top brass quintet, in a program entitled,
“Singing in the Season.” The concerts will feature
music of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukah, along with choral
and brass pieces from Gabrielli, Monteverdi, Tchaikovsky, and
contemporary English and American composers such as John Rutter
and Mel Torme.
Concerts
will take place on Friday, November 19, 2004, at St. Jude’s
Catholic Church in Boca Raton at 8 pm; on Saturday, November
20, at Second Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale at 8 pm;
and on Sunday, November 21, at Trinity Cathedral in Miami at
3 pm. Tickets are priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the door,
and can be purchased on line at www.masterchoraleofsouthflorida.org,
or by calling the Master Chorale offices at 954-418-6232.
In
April 2005, the Master Chorale and soloists will appear, accompanied
by orchestra, in concerts that will debut Schubert’s Mass
in E flat minor to South Florida audiences. This luscious work
filled with glorious melodies and memorable harmonies written
in Schubert’s wonderfully romantic style has never been
performed in South Florida.
Concerts
will take place on Friday, April 15, at St. Jude’s Catholic
Church in Boca Raton at 8 pm; on Saturday, April 16, at Second
Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale at 8 pm; and on Sunday,
April 17, at First United Methodist Church in Coral Gables at
4 pm.
*
* *
The
Master Chorale of South Florida is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
comprised of the best amateur and professional singers in the
region who volunteer their time and talent for the love of choral
music. The primary mission of the Master Chorale is to provide
top-quality concerts of classical works written for chorus and
orchestra to audiences in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach
counties. The Master Chorale strives to be recognized for musicality,
passion, and innovative programming, and for fostering in audiences
feelings of joy and excitement that come from hearing superb
performances of the greatest music ever written.
The Empire Brass
The Empire Brass enjoys an international reputation as North
America's finest brass quintet, renowned for its brilliant virtuosity
and the unparalleled diversity of its repertoire. The five musicians
- all of whom have held leading positions with major American
orchestras - perform more than 100 concerts a year in cities
such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, London, Zurich
and Tokyo. With their best-selling recordings on the Telarc
label, they have introduced an even larger audience worldwide
to the excitement of brass music that ranges from Bach and Handel
to jazz and Broadway. They are equally at home in the majestically
antiphonal works that Gabrieli composed for St. Mark's Cathedral
in Venice and the exuberant, show-stopping tunes that Richard
Rodgers and Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote for Broadway. The Empire
Brass is the first brass ensemble to win the prestigious Naumberg
Chamber Music Award.
In
addition to playing throughout the United States, the Empire
Brass has toured the Far East 13 times, and performs regularly
in Europe. They have played to standing-room crowds in the former
Soviet Union, where its concerts were broadcast on television.
The ensemble has performed with major symphony orchestras, including
the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra,
New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati
Symphony and Zurich's Tönhalle Orchester. They are regular
visitors to leading summer festivals such as Ravinia, Tanglewood,
Caramoor, Saratoga and Chautauqua.
On
network television, the Empire Brass has been featured on CBS's
Good Morning America, NBC's Today Show and Sunday Today, and
PBS's Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. The ensemble is a regular guest
on commercial and public radio networks nationwide, performing
on programs such as St. Paul Sunday Morning, Traditions and
NPR's Performance Today.
More
information on the Empire Brass can be found on their website,
www.empirebrass.com.
Master Chorale Debut Season Pronounced a Roaring Success
New choral ensemble performs to sold-out houses and standing
ovations
The Master Chorale of South Florida ended its first season with
sold-out performances of an all-Mozart program that included
his powerful Te Deum, sensitive Ave Verum Corpus and beloved
Requiem. The group’s debut performances were acclaimed
with standing ovations at St. Jude’s Catholic Church in
Boca Raton, Second Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale and
First United Methodist Church in Coral Gables on March 19, 20
and 21, 2004.
The
singers were accompanied by four soloists and a 36-piece orchestra
comprised primarily of former Florida Philharmonic Orchestra
players. Conductor for the ensemble was the Master Chorale’s
artistic director Jo-Michael Schiebe, DMA.
The
Master Chorale, comprised essentially of the singers from the
now-defunct Florida Philharmonic Chorus, chose the repertoire
for sentimental reasons as well as its popularity. The Requiem
was the next choral work scheduled to be performed with the
Florida Philharmonic Orchestra when the bankrupt organization
ceased operations. The chorus, however, reorganized and forged
ahead as a separate entity in an effort to continue providing
live performances of the great classical choral/orchestra works
for South Florida audiences.
What
the critics said
“The
degree of preparation was evident in the daunting power of the
massed voices in the Rex Tremendae and the fugal writing of
the Sanctus. Skillfully directed by Scheibe, the contrasts of
the Confutatis were firmly pointed, with the confused anguish
of the damned from the low voices alternating with the women's
radiant supplication for redemption. The grief of the Lacrimosa
was movingly restrained, apt balm coming with the Benedictus….
The hard work, dedication and love of this repertoire that motivated
these singers to regroup were apparent.” Lawrence Johnson,
Sun-Sentinel
“So
how did they sound? Well-prepared, if not especially subtly
conducted. Solid. Decidedly promising.” Octavio Roca,
Miami Herald
What
concertgoers said
“The program was obviously very well rehearsed, and the
blend of voices was exceptional. It was a wonderful change of
pace to have the chorus not be overpowered by the orchestra
and soloists. The performance portrayed a cohesive group sound,
with the chorus as its exquisite centerpiece.” Bob Lee,
Lighthouse Point
"It was a totally professional performance." Les Goldberg,
Boca Raton
“Thank
you for bringing heaven to earth!” Anonymous Concertgoer,
Miami
CONTACT:
Nancy Gates-Lee
Chair, Marketing Committee
Cell: 206-849-1256
Florida office: 954-545-4059
njgates@att.net
