Webber Requiem, Schubert Mass, and Marsalis Sax

For its third concert of the 2008-09 season, The Metropolitan Chorus (TMC) performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem and excerpts from Franz Schubert’s Mass No 6 in E-Flat Major. TMC was joined by The Heritage Signature Chorale and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO). Also on the program was guest artist Branford Marsalis, who will be performing an aria from Johann Sebastian Bach's Saint Matthew Passion, Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da Camera, and Vocalise for Branford with saxophone quartet and strings written by ASO's music director Kim Kluge. (YouTube clips of Branford Marsalis playing Concertino da Camera can be found here - part 1, part 2)

Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) is an English composer of musical theatre. Having started composing at age 6 and published his first piece at age 9, he has composed some 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, and two film scores. His Requiem mass was written in 1984 in memory of his father, William Lloyd Webber, who died in 1982. This was the popular composer’s first and only full classical work. Requiem received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Composition in 1985, and Pie Jesu, the 8th movement and best-known segment of the piece, has received much popularity and been recorded frequently.

Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer, writing some 600 lieder (songs), 9 symphonies, liturgical music, operas, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music. He is particularly noted for his original melodic and harmonic writing. Written in 1828, Mass No 6 in E-Flat Major (D950) was among Schubert’s most admired creations, hardly what one would expect of an ailing composer in his final year. Yet this great mass for five vocal soloists, choir, and orchestra is a bold and innovative work, inspired in its expansive form and abundant counterpoint by Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

The concert was presented on Sunday March 8 at 3 pm at the Rachel M Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

I Still Believe

The Choral Arts Society of Washington presented its 21st annual choral tribute, I Still Believe, to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Through choruses, soloists, and instrumentalists, the tribute unifies individuals and communities to honor Dr King's ideals of nonviolence, racial equality, and peace. Joining Choral Arts in its tribute were The Heritage Signature Chorale, Performing Artists Under the Lord (PAUL), and guest violinist Marina Aikawa. All performers exhibited eloquent musical expressions in honoring the civil rights leader.

The concert began with the combined choruses processing to a fitting rendition of We're Marching to Zion (Robert Lowry), in which the audience could not help but participate. Choral Arts continued with meticulous performances of I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me (C Hubert H Parry), featuring organist William Neil, and A New Song (James Macmillan). Performing Artists Under the Lord presented the traditional hymn O Magnify the Lord with Me (arr George Lynn) and You're the One (Leon Roberts). The audience could not helped but be moved by their energy. The Heritage Signature Chorale magnificently performed The Majesty and Glory of Your Name (Tom Fettke) and then Robert Ray's Credo (from Gospel Mass) featuring alto soloist Natalie Carter, whose encore proved much to the audience's delight. The combined chorus then performed Adolphus Hailstork's In Dat Great Gittin' Up Mornin' (from Four Spirituals). It was one of those "had to be there" moments to experience the joy of some 300 voices accompanied by organ, brass, piano, guitar, bass, and keyboard.

After intermission, violinist Marina Aikawa, accompanied by her mother on piano, delighted the audience with Niccolo Paganini's Allegro maestoso (from Violin Concerto No 1, Op 6). Indeed an incredible talent to behold, and a fitting tribute to Dr King.

The highlight of the evening came as Congressman John Lewis introduced John Doar as the recipient of Choral Arts Society's 2009 humanitarian award. Mr Doar served tirelessly as an attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice and witnessed the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He traveled extensively throughout the South, documenting and litigating civil rights violations. In fact, after the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers, it was Mr Doar who alone calmed an angry crowd by placing himself between grieving black youths and a double line of heavily armed police, shouting who he was and his affiliation with the Justice Department.

The combined choruses continued with a sing-along of Lift Every Voice and Sing (J Rosamond Johnson) and then performed Come, Thou Found of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, arr Mack Wilberg) and the traditional spiritual I Can Tell the World (Moses Hogan), which again captivated the audience with the vast number of voices. Another sing-along of Leaning On the Everlasting Arms (Anthony J Showalter, arr Howard De Cou) helped engendered a sense of wholeness that continued with an energetic and soulful rendition of Amazing Grace (arr Arphelius Paul Gatling). The spirit was further felt with pianist and baritone Ralph Alan Herndon’s performance of his Eternal Life. The evening concluded as the choruses processed out to a sing-along of one Dr King’s favorite selections If I can Help Somebody (A Bazel Androzzo).

Music for Christmas

The Washington Chorus presented its annual Music for Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center. The concert has proven to be one of Washington's most beloved family celebrations of classic Christmas favorites along with exciting new arrangements and audience sing-alongs. The performance featured massed choruses with brass, organ, and percussion.

Under the baton of new music director Julian Wachner, the chorus performed Still, Still, Still (Norman Luboff), Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day (John Gardner), and Bogoroditsye dyevo (from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vespers). The chorus gave Mr. Wachner its undivided attention and invariably performed each selection impeccably.

As part of The Washington Chorus' Side-by-Side program to annually recognize and feature local high school choirs, the Annandale Singers, under the direction of Carleen Dixon Webb, performed Lirum Lirum (Thomas Morley), O Magnum Mysterium (Tomas Luis de Victoria), and I Wonder As I Wander (John Rutter), for which the soprano soloist was exceptional.

Coral Cantigas, the only Latino chorus in Washington, also has begun a partnership with The Washington Chorus. The group performed traditional carols from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. They exhibited exceptional energy and precision, and the vocal and instrumental soloists were incredible.

After intermission, the brass and percussion played a short interlude as the basses lined the upper rows and the women and tenors processed on O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The combined choirs then did the Gloria from Misa Criolla (Ariel Ramirez) and The Dream Isaiah Saw (Glenn Rudolph).

Earlier this season, The Washington Chorus presented Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor, and this spring the chorus will present Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers (All-Night Vigil).

The Music for Christmas concerts were held on Saturday, December 20 at 4 pm at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall; Sunday, December 21 at 5 pm at the Music Center at Strathmore; and Monday, December 22 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Messiah Sing-Along at Kennedy Center

Join a 200-voice choir, professional soloists, and an exuberant audience in Washington's most popular free holiday event, the glorious sing-along of George Frideric Handel's beloved masterpiece Messiah.

During the Christmas season, Messiah sing-alongs are conducted across the United States, from Los Angeles to Denver to Northampton, Massachusetts. In Washington, people gather from all over the world to join in one of the largest and oldest audience-inclusive Messiah sings.

Conductors for the event include Barry Hemphill, artistic director of The Metropolitan Chorus, A. Scott Wood, conductor of The Amadeus Concerts Inc, and Terry Sisk, accompanist for The Metropolitan Chorus and organist, handbell director, and manager of the resident string orchestra at Vienna Presbyterian Church.

The chorus will be comprised of The Metropolitan Chorus, Fort Washington Community Chorus, The Northern Virginia Chorale, NVCC Annandale Chorale, and Prince George's Choral Society along with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Soloists include Jessica M. Stecklein, soprano; Linda Maguire, mezzo-soprano; Colin Eaton, tenor; and Robert Burner, baritone.

The concert will held on Tuesday, December 23 at 8 pm in the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall. Follow this link for details.

Glorious Sounds of Christmas

The Vienna Presbyterian Church Music Ministries, with more than 165 musicians, will present Glorious Sounds of Christmas, a delightful program of traditional Christmas music featuring the sanctuary and youth choirs, brass, strings, handbells, percussion, and organ. The audience also will have opportunities to sing well-loved Christmas carols. Escape the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush and see why this exceptional event is one of the highlights of Vienna’s holiday season. A second performance has been added this year to accommodate the overwhelming demand.

Terry Sisk, who is serving as accompanist for The Metropolitan Chorus this season, also serves as organist, handbell director, and manager of the resident string orchestra at Vienna Presbyterian Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy the wonderful gift of music with the community.

The concert will be held on Sunday, December 21 at 4 pm and again at 7 pm. Admission is free, although offerings will be accepted. Follow these links for directions and parking.

Evening of Brass & Bells

The Metropolitan Chorus continues its 2008-09 season with Brass & Bells, a family holiday concert featuring the Virginia Bronze handbell ensemble (pictured above). The program includes traditional and contemporary arrangements of familiar selections such as The Holly and the Ivy, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, and Sleigh Ride. The audience also will have the opportunity to participate during sing-alongs of Silent Night and O Come, All Ye Faithful.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia Bronze is a nonprofit community-based auditioned handbell ensemble comprised of 16 ringers and conducted by music director Carol Feather Martin. The group performs 5-6 annual concerts covering a wide range of handbell music including secular, sacred, popular, and original pieces.

The Brass & Bells concert will be held on Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 pm at the Thomas Jefferson Theatre, 125 S Old Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22204 (see map or get directions).

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for senior/military, and $5 for youth. Tickets can be purchased online or by telephone or mail. Group discounts are available, and free parking is provided.

Holiday Jazz for Children

Several members of The Metropolitan Chorus, along with members of the Alfred Street Baptist Choirs and Westminster Presbyterian Church Choir, helped comprise the chorus for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s (ASO’s) Children’s Holiday Concert.The program was held at Alfred Street Baptist Church, with some 500 in attendance. Everyone had a wonderful time, enjoying the various jazz selections, Christmas carol sing-along, and reception of holiday treats. Mind you, this was not ASO’s full orchestra, but a 15-member jazz powerhouse featuring various sax, clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, and drum.

The program began with ASO’s ever-energetic Kim Kluge conducting Duke Ellington’s arrangement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite (Op 71a). Ellington arranged an adaptation of the suite for his orchestra in 1960, featuring selections such as Toot Toot Tootsie Toot (aka Dance of the Reed-Flutes), Peanut Brittle Brigade (aka March), and Sugar Rum Cherry (aka Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy). To help foster the children’s imagination, Kluge also read excerpts from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the fairy tale on which the ballet was based.

The program continued with up-tempo jazz arrangements of Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Sleigh Ride, Frosty the Snowman, Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Then the chorus helped lead the audience in a sing-along of Christmas carols including O Come, All Ye Faithful; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Joy To The World; Silent Night; Deck the Halls; Jingle Bells; and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. And what children's concert would not be complete without Santa Claus!

Founded in 1803, Alfred Street Baptist Church is home to the oldest African American congregation in Alexandria and has served as a prominent religious, educational, and cultural institution. During its 205-year history, the church has had only eight pastors.

In appreciation of the concert, members of the Alfred Street Baptist Choirs extended invitations to The Holy Night, a Christmas festival of music, drama, liturgical dance ministries, and carol sing-along to be held at the church on Sunday, December 21 at 5 pm.