Recorded on 5/3/2024 at Our Beautiful Savior's Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ as part of our "Modern Madrigals" concert. ​Text: "The silver swan, who living had no note, When death approached, unlocked her silent throat; Leaning her breast against ...  moreRecorded on 5/3/2024 at Our Beautiful Savior's Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ as part of our "Modern Madrigals" concert. ​Text: "The silver swan, who living had no note, When death approached, unlocked her silent throat; Leaning her breast against the reedy shore, Thus sang her last, and sang no more: 'Farewell, all joys; Oh death, come close mine eyes; More geese than swans now live, more fools than wise.' " - Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625) Program notes: A famous text also famously used by Gibbons himself for his own Madrigal, Hailstork here pays homage to the work's 16th-century roots. An early composition (written while in college) from the proflic composer, Hailstork combined his own language with his love for choral literature to create a piece reminiscent of the Renaissance with a modern flair. The harmonic language harkens back to a hexachordal modality of the 16th century, uses an unaccompanied SATB Choir, and employs varied moments of imitative polyphony and homophony. This short wor...    less

Glorious Ensemble has been ministering to churches, nursing homes, baseball games and other venues around NJ and PA since 2012. We are a fun group of singers that love to worship with our voices. We strive for excellence and do traditional Choir music (...  moreGlorious Ensemble has been ministering to churches, nursing homes, baseball games and other venues around NJ and PA since 2012. We are a fun group of singers that love to worship with our voices. We strive for excellence and do traditional Choir music (hymn based) and contemporary arrangements either with background tracks or a cappella. Lots of opportunities for solo work!  

This is the story of a woman feeling old and weary and dreaming of the past she had, wondering where those good years have gone. Here, our lovely singers have made it into a conversation – a shared experienced between the women. It’s been beautifully arra...  moreThis is the story of a woman feeling old and weary and dreaming of the past she had, wondering where those good years have gone. Here, our lovely singers have made it into a conversation – a shared experienced between the women. It’s been beautifully arranged by Moira Smiley and Vida, but was written by John Prine, a Chicago folk musician. There are two new singers in this ensemble: Rosi, a deep dark bass, standing back left, and Marie, sitting at the front right with the cowboy hat on. Both singers have been a wonderful addition to our Choir. Adele in the rocking chair, Annabelle standing right, and Katherine with baby Erin (who LOVES harmony!) complete the group, all of which you have seen many times in concert! We love the song and hope you do too. With this song, we are raising money for a charity close to our hearts, Dartmoor Search and Rescue Ashburton. Throughout both lockdowns they have had a huge number of call outs, as more people have been exploring the moors and getting into difficulties. As...    less

Mini documentary about Ola Gjeilo's 13 min. 'Dark Night of the Soul' for Choir, piano and string quartet (now available from Walton Music/Hal Leonard), with interviews and rehearsal footage from a recent performance at University of Southern California in...  moreMini documentary about Ola Gjeilo's 13 min. 'Dark Night of the Soul' for Choir, piano and string quartet (now available from Walton Music/Hal Leonard), with interviews and rehearsal footage from a recent performance at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, as well as archival footage from the premiere performance by the Phoenix Chorale with Charles Bruffy. For a full recording of the work, please visit www.olagjeilo.com  

he world premiere of "Forgiveness by Dane A Carten with text by Emanual Wolff. Recorded at the First United Methodist Church in Tucson, AZ on May 6th, 2023. Full text: "Show me eyes like scars to soothe and seethe the thoughts thrice far an...  morehe world premiere of "Forgiveness by Dane A Carten with text by Emanual Wolff. Recorded at the First United Methodist Church in Tucson, AZ on May 6th, 2023. Full text: "Show me eyes like scars to soothe and seethe the thoughts thrice far and smoothly breathe calm vision light - ajar and free, this vision gift that's deep as dust, and hard as feather leaves; sweet nectar light of lust and color brilliance; this stroke of sight's delivery."​​ ​ Program notes: As I was searching for text for a new composition in 2019, I stumbled upon a long-time friend’s poetry book and devoured it. Emanual Wolff’s MooNlight HoWling spoke to me in its dark corners, surrealist takes on reality and visceral accounts of battles with mental illness and the struggle of existence therein. Forgiveness especially so; the first stanza of which painted an image of loss, of regret, and of reconciliation. My composition then took on a programmatic aspect – coming ...    less

Voices of Concinnity vocal Chamber ensemble, based in Connecticut. Book us today.

Te Deum Chamber Choir www.te-deum.org Matthew Christopher Shepard, conductor Sora Park, pianist Live performance, October 20, 2019 Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, Kansas Sopranos: Lucy Conklin, Katherine Dick, Rupal Gupta, Nico...  moreTe Deum Chamber Choir www.te-deum.org Matthew Christopher Shepard, conductor Sora Park, pianist Live performance, October 20, 2019 Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, Kansas Sopranos: Lucy Conklin, Katherine Dick, Rupal Gupta, Nicole Murray, Victoria Olson, Sydney Seratte, Sarah Sheldon Altos: Joanna Ehlers, Abby Helt, Nanette Kraus, Ann Lewis, Hilary Morton, Michaela Schenkel, Rosie Smith Tenors: Tom Assel, Josh Donaldson, Micah Horton, Jeff Jasperson, Colin Riley, Andrew Wilson Basses: Kyle Chamberlin, Andrew Cunard, Jonathan Daniel, Jon Duncan, Ken Foley, Nick Gillock Sagitaverus tu cor nostrum caritate . (You have wounded me with the arrows of your love.) I am angry at the scars that I have. I want the world to be at peace. No more violence. No more hatred. No more bloodshed. I want a place where I belong. O radiant love! O music made from never-ending love! O love undefined, without boundaries.  less

As part of my 2017 www.communtiesinharmony.com blog project.  I'm featuring one Choir from each of the 50 states and highlighting the ways in which community choruses are changing the world one community at a time.  This week, I'm feat...

Have you ever had to pause in the middle of a rehearsal because one of your singers is out of tune?   Do you get frustrated when, no matter how many times you practice blending exercises and focus on listening to one another, there is still a voice...

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community Choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across th...