Concerts at the Cathedral Basilica

Christmas at the Cathedral Basilica
2016-12-11 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Christmas at the Cathedral Basilica

Cathedral Choir
Archdiocesan Choir
Archdiocesan Girl Choir
Archdiocesan Boy Choir

The choirs of the Cathedral Basilica and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia join forces in beautiful carols and the traditional music of Christmas. Resounding brass add to the spectacle as hundreds of voices sing in celebration of festive season!

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Westminster Williamson Voices
2016-11-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Westminster Williamson Voices

Pärt the Mystic

Conductor James Jordan and the Westminster Williamson Voices continue a close relationship with Concerts at the Cathedral Basilica as they return with a stunning work by renowned Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The composer was captivated and inspired by the text of an early Orthodox hymn, the Canon of Repentance to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the creative process for this evening-length work spanned two years of the composer’s life. According to Pärt, “The ‘time we spent together’ was extremely enriching. That may explain why this music means so much to me.” The evening offers an immersive exploration of the singular voice of this pre-eminent contemporary choral composer, led by one of the most prominent and published authorities in the current choral field.

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Westminster Williamson Voices
James Jordan, Conductor

Program to Include
Arvo Pärt Kanon Pokajanen

Westminster Williamson Voices
The Grammy® nominated WESTMINSTER WILLIAMSON VOICES named for the founder of Westminster Choir College, John Finley Williamson, has been praised by reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic. A community of singers, the ensemble, founded by James Jordan, has quickly distinguished itself on the international choral stage for its distinctive artistry, wide palette of choral colors, critically reviewed recordings, educational outreach and its mission to perform new music. The choir has additionally distinguished itself as a living choral laboratory. The ensemble uniquely uses chant as the center of its musicianship study and performance. This emphasis has grown out of its residency and study at the Choral Institute at Oxford. The choir has embarked on a three-year project studying the performance practice and spirituality surround the works of Arvo Pärt.
Reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic are of one voice in praising the ensemble for its world premiere recordings on the Naxos label. Its recording Living Voices debuted on the Billboard charts. Gramophone magazine has described the Westminster Williamson Voices as an ensemble of “intimate and forceful choral artistry,” with a tone that is “controlled and silken in sustained phrases as they are vibrantly sonorous in extroverted material.” TheAmerican Record Guide praised the ensemble as “without peer.” The Choral Journal has described the Westminster Williamson Voices as an ensemble of “supreme artistry” and a choir that performs with “truth and precision.” And from a publication of the Arvo Pärt Project in 2014: “The Westminster Williamson Voices under his (Jordan’s) direction “are coming into their own in the American choral scene both here and abroad.” In 2013, the ensemble received a GRAMMY nomination for its recording on the Naxos label in the category of Best Choral Performance. It was the first small ensemble at the University level to receive such a nomination.
In July, 2013, the Westminster Williamson Voices had the unique privilege of performing as part of the world Britten 100 celebration, the “ 50th anniversary “re-enactment performance” of the original premiere of St. Nicolas in the Lancing College Chapel in Sussex, where the piece was premiered with the composer conducting. That concert was attended by representatives of HRH Queen Elizabeth and members of Parliament and was conducted by James Whitbourn. As part of that performance, with the Bernardi Chamber Orchestra, the choir performed the world premiere of Agnus Dei by James Whitbourn with the composer conducting. This past summer, the choir performed the 50th Anniversary performance of the Bernstein Chichester Psalms on the exact day of its premiere, under British conductor Daniel Hyde. In 2013, the choir also gave its UK debut performance at Oxford as part of the Westminster Choral Institute at Oxford and the SJE Artist series. The choir also performed as part of the SJE Artist Series, performing Annelies under the direction of the composer with renowned British soprano Elin Manahan Thomas in 2014.
The ensemble has clearly established itself as a voice of composers of our time, and it has been acclaimed for its creative programming and collaborations with other art forms. Most notable were the ensemble’s performance at The Philadelphia Cathedral of Eric Whitacre’sLeonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine with the renowned Spiral Q Puppet Theater and the premiere of James Whitbourn’s Luminosity with The ArcheDream Blacklight Dance Theater Company of Philadelphia.
The choir has premiered more than 50 choral works and presented several early performances and premieres by noted composers Jackson Hill, William Duckworth, Paul Mealor, Tarik O’Regan, Roger Ames, Robert Moran, Blake Henson, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Ugis Praulins, Gerald Custer, James Whitbourn, Thomas Lavoy, Cortlandt Matthews, Peter Relph, Dan Forrest and Kile Smith. It has premiered three major works by British composer James Whitbourn that have brought international attention. In 2007, it performed the world premiere of the chamber version of Annelies, the first major choral setting of the diary of Anne Frank. In 2008, it shared in a commission of Luminosity, a work for triple choir, dancers, viola solo, organ and tampura. In 2010, the choir premiered Whitbourn’s Requiem Canticorum. Past seasons have also included performances of the Mozart Requiem in D Minor with an orchestra composed of students from The Curtis Institute conducted by Daniel Stewart and Debussy’s Nocturnes with The Princeton Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rossen Milanov. In 2013, the choir performed the United States premieres in Princeton and New York of Paul Mealor’s Crucifixus for choir, orchestra and baritone soloist. The composer, writing of those performances, says of the choir: “Williamson Voices sing with delicate sensitivity, radiant warmth and create a truly sensuous sound.”
In April 2014, the choir made its Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall performing James Whitbourn’s Annelies. In 2015, as the choir in residence at the Choral Institute of Oxford, the choir performed with the renowned Choir of New College, Oxford under the direction of Edward Higginbottom. The choir also was conducted by Oxford conductors Stephen Darlington (Christ Church College) and Daniel Hyde (Magdalen College).
The Westminster Williamson Voices has also assembled an impressive recorded discography. It has recorded more than 40 choral masterworks on the Teaching Music through Performance CD box sets that are used by conductors around the world as models of choral performance. The ensemble can also be seen and heard in the DVD The Empowered Choral Rehearsal: Choral Masterclasses with Simon Carrington. The choir has six world premiere recordings to its credit. Annelies, by James Whitbourn,;performed with The Lincoln Trio; Arianna Zukerman, soprano and Bharat Chandra, clarinet; was released by Naxos in January of 2013. London’s Guardian newspaper said of the recording “ The performance as a whole “is well prepared and palpably committed as befits a premiere recording.” Gramophone has lauded Westminster Williamson Voices on the Anneliesrecording as “exhilarating” and described the ensemble as singing “with a precision and finesse normally found in the best of the UK’s large chamber choirs.” In the spring of 2015, the choir premiered Thomas LaVoy’s Songs of the Questioner. In the spring of 2016, it performed two premieres of works by composer Dan Forrest in addition to completing another volume of recordings for the Teaching Music through Performance Series.
November 19, 2016, it will perform Arvo Pärt’s virtuosic Kanon Pokajanen, “Canon of Repentence,”  in the contemplative setting of the Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur.
Recordings by the Westminster Williamson Voices can be found on the Naxos label, and additionally on the GIAChoralworks label and on iTunes. Online, the choir can be heard and seen on the Westminster Williamson Voices YouTube channel.

James Jordan, Director
GRAMMY®-nominated conductor James Jordan is recognized and praised around the musical world as one of America’s pre-eminent conductors, writers and innovators in choral music. He was described as a “visionary” by The Choral Journal, which cited his book Evoking Sound as a “must read.” The most published musician/author in the world, his 35 books form the canon for teaching of conductors and choirs world wide. At Westminster Choir College he is professor and senior conductor, and conducts Westminster Schola Cantorum and the internationally acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices.
Dr. Jordan has studied with the legendary conductors and scholars of the past 40 years, including Elaine Brown, Wilhelm Ehmann, Frauke Haasemann, Volker Hempfling and the renowned music psychologist Edwin Gordon. His career as a conductor began as a finalist in the Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
He has made two recordings of the music of James Whitbourn with the Westminster Williamson Voices on the Naxos label, which have garnered wide critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Gramophone hailed him as a conductor of “forceful and intimate choral artistry,” and regarding the GRAMMY-nominated recording of Annelies, Choir and Organ wrote, “Jordan’s instinctive understanding of the score makes this a profound and emotionally charged experience.” The Westminster Williamson Voices has been acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic by reviewers and composers alike for its compelling sound and artistry. A friend to many of the world’s leading composers, Dr. Jordan has premiered more than 40 choral works by the world’s leading composers, among them Jaakko Mantyjaarvi, Blake Henson, Gerald Custer, Thomas LaVoy, Cortlandt Matthews, Dan Forrest, Paul Mealor, Dan Forrest and James Whitbourn.
Dr. Jordan’s career and publications have been devoted to innovative educational changes in the choral art, which have been embraced around the world. His research and writings have shaped far-reaching changes in the philosophy of music teaching and learning, conducting pedagogy, and the teaching of rhythm applying Laban Effort/Shape to both music teaching and conducting pedagogy. In 2012, he received the Iorio Research Prize from Rider University. His exclusive publisher is GIA Music (Giamusic.com), Chicago. He is executive editor of the Evoking Sound Choral Series (GIA), whose extensive catalog of almost 200 works stands as among the largest and most comprehensive choral series in world. The most recent publications, Discovering Chant, Sound as Teacher and The Musician’s Breath have received wide critical acclaim. This year, Dr. Jordan will publish the only application of Gordon Music Learning Theory, Inside the Choral Rehearsal, a comprehensive 500 page text on all aspects of choral ensemble teaching and learning.
His residencies, master classes and guest conducting have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Among the institutions where he has taught master classes are The Curtis Institute, Rhoades College, the University at North Texas, the University of Buffalo, Temple University, the University of Arizona, the University of Aberdeen, the Gordon Gesellschaft Duetschland and the U.S. Army Soldiers Chorus. He has conducted more than 30 all-state choirs, and in 2009 he was named to the choral panel for The National Endowment for the Arts. Dr. Jordan serves as director of the Westminster Conducting Institute, one of the nation’s leading summer programs for the training and education of conductors. In the summer of 2013 he inaugurated, with Co-Director James Whitbourn, the Westminster Choral Institute at Oxford, a unique partnership with St. Stephen’s House, one of the Halls of Oxford University. Since its establishment in 2013, this program has quickly established itself as one of the world’s leading programs for the teaching of choral artistry to choral conductors.
This year, Dr. Jordan will make his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Stabat Mater of Paul Mealor in addition to premiering Mealor’s Symphony No. 1 at St. Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen Scotland. Dr. Jordan has been honored as a distinguished alumnus at both Susquehanna University and Temple University. He was awarded the distinguished Doctor of Music by the University of Aberdeen in Scotland in 2014 to honor his artistry and contributions to choral music throughout the world. The University, established in 1485, has awarded degrees throughout its history to only two Americans: Dr. Jordan and Morten Lauridsen. He also shares this honor with Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten and Dame Joan Sutherland.
Dr. Jordan’s lecture/teaching schedule and writings are detailed on his publisher’s website, http://giamusic.com/jordan.

Choral Arts Society of Washington
2016-10-17 19:30 - 21:30 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Choral Arts Society of Washington
The Art of the Italian Madrigal

An exhilarating new season of choral music begins with an evening of artful songs of love and wit, tracing the evolution of the Italian madrigal as it crosses 16th century Europe, migrates into the British Isles, and continues to the present. Led by Scott Tucker, one of the most respected artists in American choral music, the Chamber Singers of the Choral Arts Society of Washington offer a spectacular range of sumptuous music from Monteverdi and Palestrina to music of our own time by Morten Lauridsen and Jacob Druckman.

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The 16th century was a period of great expression and inventiveness by composers in Italy. The Madrigal form began as a literary movement in which composers explored the relationship of musical devices to “paint” and express text, particularly poems of the great literary figures of their own and previous centuries such as Petrarch, Tasso and Ariosto. Early performances of Madrigals were sung not in public concerts but at gatherings of the academic elite in societies dedicated to the study and discussion of science and the arts.
This program includes music of the earliest pioneers of the Madrigal form, such as Arcadelt and Verdelot, and shows how the form progressed in the hands of later masters such as Orlando di Lasso, Gesualdo, and Monteverdi. Finally, we see the English Madrigal grow as an outcropping of the lighter Italian Madrigals, just as, back on the continent, the Italians were turning their attention to opera.

Choral Arts Chamber Singers
Scott Tucker, Artistic Director

Program to Include
Monteverdi Si, Ch’lo Vorrei Morire
Willaert O Dolce Mia Vita
Gesualdo Io pur respire in cosi gran dolor
Thomas Morley Sing We and Chant It
Thomas Weelkes Weep, O Mine Eyes
Orlando Gibbons The Silver Swan
Jacob Druckman The Faery Beam Upon You
Irving Fine Have You Seen the White Lily Grow?

The Choral Arts Society of Washington
The Choral Arts Chamber Singersis a small vocal ensemble comprised of approximately 30 members of the Choral Arts Chorus. Launched on the occasion of Choral Arts 50thanniversary, the creation of the Choral Arts Chamber Singers provides Choral Arts audiences with two types of experiences: One that defines the grandeur and magnificence of the symphonic chorus for which Choral Arts is known; and one that breaks the barriers created by that very genre.
Now in their third season, the Chamber Singers has performed at a private concert at The Embassy of Finland and was a featured performer at Music at the Phillips (The Phillips Collection). In the 2015-2016 Season the Chamber Singers celebrated the release of their first recording (a double-disc set of a collection of hymns by Charles Wesley-onein English and one in Spanish) with a recording release concert in October; joined the Pan American Symphony Orchestra on a Zarzuela program at Lisner Auditorium; partnered with American University on The Terezín Project which explored the unique role of the arts during and after the Holocaust; and presented The Imitative Game celebrating imitation in music. In 2016 the Chamber Singers will present The Art of the Italian Madrigal following the Italian Madrigal from 16th century Italy to settings of the text by contemporary composers at Historic Dumbarton Church and will perform selections from this program at Concerts at the Cathedral Basilica in Philadelphia. The Chamber singers will also present a new holiday program, Christmastime in the City, at Live! at 10th& G in Washington, DCand perform their final concert of the season as part of the Concerts at Good Shepherd series in Burke, VA.
Members of the Choral Arts Chamber Singers are selected based on their vocal prowess and sight reading abilities as well as their interest and availability. It is an inter-generational ensemble, and includes members who are relatively new to the Choral Arts Chorus as well as singers who have been members for decades. In addition to volunteering as members of both ensembles, many also volunteer for Choral Arts in other ways, including holding roles in the Choral Arts Chorus leadership and serving as members of the Board of Directors or Young Patrons Steering Committee. They live throughout the D.C. metro-area, and work in such sectors as primary, secondary, and music education, government affairs, law, nonprofit, or own their own businesses.

Scott Tucker

Under Scott Tucker’s artistic leadership, the acclaimed symphonic Choral Arts Chorus has expanded to over 190 singers, and launched the Choral Arts Chamber Singers, a small vocal ensemble in 2014. He maintains Choral Arts’ strong connection with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) as well as continuing Choral Arts reputation as a sought-after choral ensemble, receiving invitations from a wide- range of guest contracts with such world-class artists and ensembles as The Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli, and Sir Gilbert Levine for Peace through Music “In Our Age.”

Tucker has prepared the Choral Arts Chorus for such conductors as Christoph Eschenbach, Emil de Cou, John Mauceri, and Rossen Milanov to perform the NSO’s performances of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Hindemith’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, NSO Pops concerts of music by Danny Elfman from Tim Burton’s movies, as well as Rachmaninoff’s The Bells for Vassily Sinaisky. He has also prepared large-scale symphonic works for other leading conductors including Peter Schreier, Fabio Mechetti, Daniel Hege, Carl St. Clair, Heiichiro Ohyama, Lanfranco Marcelletti, Jr., and Erich Leinsdorf. Most recently, Maestro Tucker prepared the chorus to perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) for Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra on the 100th anniversary of the U.S. premiere with the orchestra; and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem for Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Deeply committed to supporting new music, Tucker continually programs world premieres, Choral Arts commissions, and performances of recently composed works. Prior to his tenure with Choral Arts, Tucker commissioned and premiered more than 30 works from composers such as Ernani Aguiar, Bernard Rands, Steven Stucky, Augusta Read Thomas, Carol Barnett, David Conte, Libby Larsen, and Chen Yi.

In addition to his Choral Arts activities, Tucker is regularly invited to teach, speak, and conduct with a variety of local, national, and international organizations. Recent engagements include conducted a festival of singers from Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), teaching at The Performing Arts Institute Summer Camp in Pennsylvania, conducting a male choir of high school and collegiate singers in Boston, MA for ACDA, judging The Music in Our Schools Competition in Hong Kong, China, and speaking at the 2014 Chorus America Conference. In 2017 Tucker will conduct the Alexandria Symphony for their performance Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

Prior to his engagement with Choral Arts, Tucker was the P.E. Browning Director of Choral Music at Cornell University, where he directed the Men’s Glee Club and the Women’s Chorus, in addition to overseeing the activities of the Cornell Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Sage Chapel Choir. During his 17-year leadership, the Cornell choirs toured nationally and internationally: Tour highlights included an invitation to appear at the American Choral Director’s Association National Conference and a tour to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, China. The Cornell choirs collaborated with such acclaimed artists as Anonymous 4, Peter Schreier, and Samite and were featured on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Les Canards Chantants Workshop
2015-11-07 12:30 - 17:30 | PA
Performance Workshop: Tallis’s 40-voice motet Spem in Alium

Part of 1.500 Surround Sound
Saturday, 7 November, 2015
12.30pm-5.30pm workshop; 8pm concert
$35 workshop fee
Fee includes concert ticket ($25 value), registration, tea and coffee, scores, coaching, and music history talk
Thomas Tallis’s 40-voice motet Spem in alium is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the large-scale renaissance polychoral style. As part of our new polychoral program 1.500 Surround Sound, we are offering exceptional singers in the Philadelphia area the opportunity to explore and perform this astonishing piece of music with us, in the gorgeous acoustic of the Cathedral Basilica in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest cathedral.
Workshop participants will sing alongside and be coached by the members of Les Canards Chantants in tutti sessions and sectionals, working from a new edition of the score which represents the most recent scholarship. The workshop will also include a talk on the history of the piece by musicologist Graham Bier, and will culminate in an evening performance in the Basilica as the finale of 1.500 Surround Sound.
Parts and Qualifications:
Parts are available for the following voice parts and tessituras:

sopranos – G2 clefs, middle c up to soprano g
mezzos/altos – C2 clefs, g below middle c up to c above middle c
low altos/high tenors – C3 clefs, d below middle c up to g above middle c
low tenors/baritones – C4 clefs, d above middle c down to b a ninth below middle c
basses – F4 clefs, f at the bottom of the bass staff up to b below middle c

Singers can expect to perform 2-3 per part.
Prior experience with consort singing or renaissance polyphony is desirable but not required; however, choral experience and classical vocal training is expected.
Singers must possess a good ear, tuning, rhythmic ability and vocal flexibility, should be able to read music well and must be committed to thoroughly preparing their assigned part individually (scores will be provided in advance.)
Singers do not need to possess an “early music sound”, and will not be asked to sing off the voice or with a straight or restricted tone. Les Canards Chantants subscribes to a fully engaged, healthy and flexible vocal production, in which blend is achieved through attention to tuning, unified vowels and phrasing.
Priority will be given to students pursuing a degree in music.
How to Register:
If you would like to sing, email us at canardschantants@gmail.com with the following information by midnight on Wednesday, October 14:

Name, email address and phone number
Preferred voice part according the ranges listed above (if you’re not sure, get in touch so we can advise you!)
University, degree program and year, if applicable
Brief description of choral experience
Contact information of a reference who knows your voice (private teacher, professor or director)
Vocal resume, website, audio/video (these are optional, and will help us assign parts)

Accepted participants will be notified as soon as possible after the application deadline. Scores and part assignments will be provided to all participants no later than Saturday, October 17. Registration fee will be collected upon arrival on November 7.
Any questions should be directed to canardschantants@gmail.com
Information Sheet

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
2015-11-01 15:00 - 16:30 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Mansfield University Concert Choir
Dr. Peggy Dettwiler – Director
Program — (To be selected from the following)
Laudar Vollio from Cortona laudario (13th-century Italian Manuscript)
Parry —I Was Glad
Bainton — And I Saw a New Heaven
Esenvalds — O salutaris hostia
Ames — I’ve Been in the Storm So Long
Memle — O magnum mysterium
Chamber Singers
Sweelinck — Gaudete omnes
Women’s Chorus
MacIntyre — Ave Maria
Men’s Chorus
Spiritual, adapted Appling — We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace
Sibelius, arr. Peggy Dettwiler — Finlandia
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The Director

Peggy Dettwiler is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, where she conducts the Concert Choir, Festival Chorus, and Chamber Singers, and teaches choral conducting and methods. Before coming to Mansfield, she was a graduate assistant conductor to Donald Neuen at the Eastman School of Music, where she received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Conducting. She also has a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Music Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In addition, she has studied orchestral conducting and appeared in concert in the Czech Republic and at the Oregon Bach Festival. Dr. Dettwiler has chosen to seek degrees in these areas of music because she believes that the choral conductor must be an educator as well as a performer and must have a thorough knowledge of vocal pedagogy.
Dr. Dettwiler’s choral experience includes working with singers of all ages through university, public school, church, and community choruses. Prior to coming to Mansfield in 1990, she was Director of Choral Activities at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and Choral Director at Mt. Horeb High School in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. She has served as a guest conductor and lecturer throughout the United States, and she has given presentations at numerous ACDA and MENC Conventions. Her articles, “Developing Aural Skills through Choral Warm-ups” and “Grading the Choral Ensemble….No More Excuses,” were printed in the October 1989 and April 1995 issues of the Choral Journal published by the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). She has developed two pedagogical DVDs entitled, “Developing a Choral Color Palette” and “Sing in Style.” Dr. Dettwiler received the 2010 Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and was awarded 2nd place for the 2011 American Prize for Choral Conductors at the College/University level.
Dr. Dettwiler is past president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACDA and is the Pennsylvania representative on the Board of Directors for the National Collegiate Choral Organization. The Mansfield University ACDA Student Chapter, which she advises, was recognized as the Outstanding Student Chapter in the nation in 1997 and 2001 by the American Choral Directors Association, and the Mansfield University Concert Choir has been invited each of the last twenty years to perform at state, regional, national, or international choral conventions.
In 2008, the Concert Choir won the World Championship in the Gospel & Spiritual Category at the World Choir Games in Graz, Austria. In 2011, the Concert Choir won first place and two second-place prizes at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and was awarded the 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College/University Division. This past summer the Concert Choir won three Gold Medals at the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. Dettwiler grew up on a farm in the Midwest and spent considerable time raising and showing horses and ponies. She has now settled in rural Pennsylvania with her husband, Jürgen Thym, Professor of Musicology at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. They enjoy watching wildlife in their backyard along with their three cats, Gilbert, Gretel and Rossino.

The Choir

The Mansfield University Concert Choir is a highly select ensemble of singers, representing some of the finest talent from the American Northeast. While the majority of the singers are undergraduate music majors, membership is open to all students at the university through an audition process.
The group has achieved an impressive reputation of excellence, having been chosen each of the last twenty years to perform at conventions or festivals around the world: the Pennsylvania Music Educators State Conference; the Eastern Division Music Educators National Conference; the Music Educators National Convention; the American Choral Directors Association Pennsylvania State Conference, the ACDA Eastern Division Convention, and for The Sound of Music in Carnegie Hall! They also performed at the Inaugural Conference of the National Collegiate Choral Organization in San Antonio, Texas, and for the third NCCO Conference at Yale University.
On the international stage, the choir was a finalist in the Florilège Vocal de Tours International Choral Festival in Tours, France; a winner of a Gold Medal and a special prize for “Artistic Interpretation” at the Robert Schumann International Choir Competition in Zwickau, Germany; and they placed fourth in the International Choir Competition in Varna, Bulgaria.
In 2008, the Concert Choir won the Championship in the Gospel & Spiritual Category and placed second among 36 choirs in the Mixed Youth Choir Category at the World Choir Games in Graz, Austria.
In 2011, the group won first place and two second-place prizes at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and was awarded the 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College & University Division. Most recently, the Concert Choir won three gold medals at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH.
The singers are frequently praised for the emotional spectrum in their performances, their diverse vocal color, and their varied repertoire.

Tenebrae Choir of London
2015-10-23 20:00 - 22:00 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
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Tenebrae Choir of London
Nigel Short – Director
Program:
Lobo – Versa est in luctum
Victoria – Tenebrae Responsories
Allegri – Miserere
Padilla – Missa Ego flos campi
Intermission
Reger – Der mensch lebt und bestehet
Brahms – Fest und gedenkspruche Op 109
Bruckner – Ave Marie
Bruckner – Virga Jesse
Bruckner – Christus factus est
Brahms – Drei motetten Op 110
Reger – Nachtlied

The Choir

Described as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae, under the direction of Nigel Short, is one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles renowned for its passion and precision. “There is a hunger for what this finely polished group has to offer.” – The New York Times

Tenebrae

Tenebrae

Sidney Sussex Choir
2015-07-10 20:00 - 21:30 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Sidney Sussex Choir
David Skinner – Director
Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge SIDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE rose from the ruins of the Cambridge Greyfriars in 1596 and has long been a nest for professional musicians. Indeed the large chapel that stood on this site in pre-Reformation times was the regular venue for University ceremonies and was the venue where a number of early English composers took their degrees, including Robert Fayrfax (MusB, 1501; DMus 1504) and Christopher Tye (MusB, 1536). One of the earliest musicians in the College was the Royalist pamphleteer, author, and violist Roger L’Estrange (1616–1704), whose family were patrons of the composer John Jenkins. Earlier still, the great Elizabethan composer William Byrd would have been well-known to the foundress, Lady Frances Sidney, and indeed two very fine elegies by Byrd survive for her nephew, the poet and courtier Sir Philip Sidney. Currently resident in the College is Dr Christopher Page (1991), founder and former director of the multi-award-winning Gothic Voices, and Dr David Skinner (2006) who is director of the early music ensemble Alamire, and Sidney’s first Director of Music.
The Choir’s first recording with Obsidian was Thomas Tomkins ‘These Distracted Times’ with Fretwork and Alamire, which was awarded Editor’s Choice and CD of the Month in the Gramophone. Their most recent was music by Thomas Weelkes, also with Fretwork, which was nominated for a Gramophone Award in 2014.
The choir has since gone on to record and tour a number of innovative programmes, and frequently tours throughout Europe and the USA. The YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HPzNE4mM7c– is of a live recording from Souvigny Music Festival, France, last September; the choir can also be found on Spotify.

Cambridge in America
Cambridge in America is delighted to announce the Choir of Sidney Sussex College will be touring the East Coast of the USA from June 26th to July 16th 2015, following its tours of Austria and Rome. The Choir already has exciting dates confirmed at Carnegie Hall and the National Cathedral, in addition to events in Baltimore, Boston, and Northern Virginia (for the current program of confirmed dates, see below). The choir’s director, Dr David Skinner, is a noted musicologist and choral conductor (see www.alamire.co.uk) and specializes in repertoire of the 16th century but strives to maintain a balance from all musical periods, creating varied and interesting programs. The choir’s recent recordings have achieved significant critical acclaim, winning a BBC Music Award and more recently nominated and shortlisted for a Gramophone Award. The choir has a further album of Croft anthems due for release in Spring 2015. Recordings from the choir may be found on Spotify and YouTube; more background on the recent history of the choir may be found in the most recent edition of the Sidney Sussex College newsletter, Pheon.

Cambridge in America
Cambridge in America is delighted to announce the Choir of Sidney Sussex College will be touring the East Coast of the USA from June 26th to July 16th 2015, following its tours of Austria and Rome. The Choir already has exciting dates confirmed at Carnegie Hall and the National Cathedral, in addition to events in Baltimore, Boston, and Northern Virginia (for the current program of confirmed dates, see below). The choir’s director, Dr David Skinner, is a noted musicologist and choral conductor (see www.alamire.co.uk) and specializes in repertoire of the 16th century but strives to maintain a balance from all musical periods, creating varied and interesting programs. The choir’s recent recordings have achieved significant critical acclaim, winning a BBC Music Award and more recently nominated and shortlisted for a Gramophone Award. The choir has a further album of Croft anthems due for release in Spring 2015. Recordings from the choir may be found on Spotify and YouTube; more background on the recent history of the choir may be found in the most recent edition of the Sidney Sussex College newsletter, Pheon.

Complete tour dates:
Monday, June 29: Center for Music and Liturgy Inaugural Concert and Launch Event, Carnegie Hall, New York Thursday, July 2: Evening Concert, Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria VA Friday, July 3: Evening Concert, Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton VA Sunday, July 5: Sung Eucharist, Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton VA Sunday, July 5: Evensong, Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton VA Tuesday, July 7: Evensong, National Cathedral, Washington, DC Sunday, July 12: High Mass, The Church of the Advent, Boston (and alumni event, details to follow) Wednesday, July 15: Concert, St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York

Choral Workshop with Dennis Keene
2015-05-20 19:00 - 21:30 | Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave. , Wayne, PA, 19087, United States
Choral Workshop with Dennis Keene
New York’s most beloved choir celebrates its 25th Anniversary this season. They will present a special concert here in Philadelphia on TUESDAY, May 19, 2015 at 7 PM at the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul, 18th at Benjamin Franklin Parkway. For tickets: www.cathedralphilaconcerts.org.
Mr. Keene has agreed to stay over an additional day to present a choral workshop for the singers of the Philadelphia area and the Members of our AGO Chapter.
Learn from the MASTER OF CHORAL MUSIC!! It will be an evening you and your singers will not forget.
Register TODAY to insure you get a spot and music!
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Dennis Keene is Artistic Director and conductor of the Voices of Ascension Chorus & Orchestra. Known internationally through his many concerts and recordings with Voices of Ascension; his regular guest appearances as conductor and clinician; and his work as Artistic Director of The Dennis Keene Choral Festival, he has emerged as one of leading choral conductors in the world today. Recognized early as an exceptional organist, Dennis Keene began musical studies and performing in his native Los Angeles. He moved to New York City to study at The Juilliard School, where he earned the BM, MM, and DMA degrees and the coveted Gaston Dethier Organ Prize as a student of Vernon de Tar. Dr. Keene also studied privately in Paris with Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, André Marchal, and André Isoir. Dennis Keene was active as a recitalist until his interest in conducting led him to concentrate on that discipline. He subsequently studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux School for Orchestral Conductors, with Charles Bruck in Paris, and with John Nelson at The Juilliard School. His passion for the finest in professional choral music can be traced to his early work as organist with Gregg Smith, Roger Wagner, and Margaret Hillis. In addition to his work with Voices of Ascension and The Dennis Keene Choral Festival, Dr. Keene continues as Organist and Choirmaster of Church of the Ascension in New York City. He served for many years on the Board of Directors of Chorus America, the national service organization for the choral field, which honored him with the first Louis Botto Award for “innovative action and entrepreneurial zeal in developing a professional ensemble of exceptional artistic quality.” He has also served on the Choral Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts and on the Music Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts. From 1998 to 2003 Maestro Keene presented a major summer institute for the training of conductors and singers: The Dennis Keene Choral Festival, in Kent, Connecticut. In 1993 he began his recording association with Delos International, with which he has recorded such best-selling CD’s as Beyond Chant, The Duruflé Album, and the Berlioz Te Deum. This series of highly acclaimed recordings with Voices of Ascension has secured international recognition for both conductor and chorus and become the standard for first-ranked ensembles worldwide.

Voices of Ascension
2015-05-19 19:00 - 20:00 | PA
Dennis Keene– Artistic Director and Conductor
Voices of Ascension
Selections include:
Lotti – Crucifixus
Palestrina – Super flumina Babilonis
Desprez – Tu pauperum refugium
Victoria – O magnum mysterium
Tallis – If Ye Love Me
Heinrich Schutz – Die mit Tranen saen
Full Program Listed Below

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Concerts at the Cathedral presents one of America’s most beloved choral group, The Voices of Ascension. Hailing from New York City, The Voices of Ascension under the direction of Dennis Keene, have gained international acclaim as one of the finest choral groups in on the World.
“The chorus’s full-throated but unforced forte singing was thrilling, but even more impressive was its characterful handling of the quiet writing that forms the heart of the [Duruflé Requiem], mellow and radiant.”
– The New York Times

Choral Workshop with Dennis Keene
Mr. Keene has agreed to stay over an additional day to present a choral workshop for the singers of the Philadelphia area and the Members of our AGO Chapter.
Learn from the MASTER OF CHORAL MUSIC!! It will be an evening you and your singers will not forget.

Register TODAY to insure you get a spot and music!

More Information

Program

Mother's Day Concert
2015-05-10 15:00 - 16:15 | PA
Mother’s Day Concert
Dr. John A. Romeri – Conductor
Dr. Stephen Ball – Organist
Clara Gerdes – Organ Scholar
Cathedral Basilica Choir
Archdiocesan Choir
Archdiocesan Girls Choir
Archdiocesan Boys Choir
Howells
Bruckner
Stopford
Bach
Tallis
Gounod
Lotti
Concert Program
Join the choirs of the Historic Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul as they present their 4th Annual Marian Concert. This concert, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, will feature works by prominent composers such as Howells, Bruckner, Bach, Tallis, Gounod, and Lotti.

To Be Certain of the Dawn
2015-03-20 20:00 - 22:00 | PA
Hear Us on the Radio

https://cathedralphilaconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/concertscathedralpaulus0315.mp3

Jeffery Brillhart – Conductor

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Dirk Brossé– Director

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Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Choir
Jeffery Brillhart – Music Director

Cathedral Basilica Choir
Dr. John Romeri – Music Director
Concert Program

Elizabeth Weigle – Soprano
Suzanne DuPlantis – Mezzo- Soprano
William Lim – Tenor
Randall Scarlata – Bass
Elizabeth Shammash – Cantor*
Michael Hogue – Cantor
*Cantor on March 22, 2015 at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian
Join the Choirs of Byrn Mawr Presbyterian and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul as they join forces with the Internationally Acclaimed Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia as they present the Philadelphia Premiere of famed Holocaust Memorial Oratorio “To Be Certain of the Dawn” by Stephen Paulus. This Memorial Oratorio was commissioned in 2005 to commemorate two events; the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the 40th anniversary of the publication of Nostra Aetate (Latin for “ʺIn Our Times”ʺ), the seminal Vatican II document that condemned blaming Jews for the death of Christ. Join us as we celebrate these important events as well as the Cathedral Basilica’s 150th Anniversary.

Temple University Concert Choir
2015-03-15 15:00 - 17:00 | PA
https://cathedralphilaconcerts.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cathedralconcerts0315.mp3
Listen to the WRTI Ad about the Temple University Concert Choir performing at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on March 15, 2015 at 3PM.

Temple University Concert Choir
Dr. Paul Rardin– Director
PROGRAM
Martin- Mass for Double Choir
Bruckner- Os justi
Bruckner- Christus factus est
Bruckner- Ave Maria
Jackson- A Prayer of King Henry VI
Szymko– Illumina le tenebrae

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The Temple University Concert Choir presents Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. One of the great masterpieces of the 20th century a cappella repertoire, this piece is both modern and ancient at the same time, weaving together chant-inspired melodies into an ethereal tapestry of harmony. The program also features works composed for great spaces by Anton Bruckner, Gabriel Jackson, Joan Szymko, and Franz Biebl.
CONCERT PROGRAM

Renaissance Candlemas
2015-02-07 20:00 - 21:30 | PA
Renaissance Candlemas
Voices & Period Instruments
Friday, February 7, 2014 | 8PM
Angelic voices clothed in plush costumes, singing some of the most beautiful motets and songs by the great Renaissance composers Monteverdi, Gabrieli, Victoria…accompanied by exciting period instruments in the sublime acoustics of the Basilica- all these combine to make this evening a perfect remedy for your “February blues.”

Handel's Messiah with Ama Deus Ensemble
2014-12-19 19:00 - 22:00 | PA
Valentin Radu – Conductor
Andrea Lauren Brown – Soprano
Judy Kidwell– Mezzo- Soprano
Timothy Bentch– Tenor
Ed Bara – Bass-Baritone
PROGRAM
Handel– Messiah

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A Philadelphia Tradition! On original Baroque instruments, Handel’s Messiah celebrates the Story of the Season. Bright trumpets, grand voices of choristers and dazzling soloists stir, awaken, excite and uplift. From haunting melodies to the great “Halleluja Chorus”, this is Christmas at its best!

Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers Sunday
2014-12-14 15:00 - 17:00 | PA
Saturday, December 13, 2014 | 8PM
Sunday, December 14, 2014 | 3PM
The Philadelphia Singers
David Hayes– Director
PROGRAM
Higdon– Deep in the Night
Gabrieli– In Eccelsiis
Pachelbel– Magnificat
Pinkham– Christmas Cantata
Howells– Sing Lullaby
Hassler– Verbum caro factum est
Young– There Is No Rose of Such Virtue
Pilkington– I Wonder as I Wander
Burt– Sing Along Carols

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The Philadelphia Singers’ season kicks off in December with everyone’s favorite holiday tradition. This year’s concert will feature a brass quintet in beautiful pieces such as C.T. Pachelbel’s Magnificat and Giovanni Gabrieli’s In Eccelsiis. The concert will also feature TPS Jennifer Higdon’s composition Deep in the Night. Specifically curated to take advantage of the beautiful resonance of the Cathedral Basilica, this concert is the quintessential celebration of the season!

Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers
2014-12-13 20:00 - 22:00 | PA
Saturday, December 13, 2014 | 8PM
Sunday, December 14, 2014 | 3PM
The Philadelphia Singers
David Hayes– Director
PROGRAM
Higdon– Deep in the Night
Gabrieli– In Eccelsiis
Pachelbel– Magnificat
Pinkham– Christmas Cantata
Howells– Sing Lullaby
Hassler– Verbum caro factum est
Young– There Is No Rose of Such Virtue
Pilkington– I Wonder as I Wander
Burt– Sing Along Carols

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Sunday Information

WRTI Radio Ad

The Philadelphia Singers’ season kicks off in December with everyone’s favorite holiday tradition. This year’s concert will feature a brass quintet in beautiful pieces such as C.T. Pachelbel’s Magnificat and Giovanni Gabrieli’s In Eccelsiis. The concert will also feature TPS Jennifer Higdon’s composition Deep in the Night. Specifically curated to take advantage of the beautiful resonance of the Cathedral Basilica, this concert is the quintessential celebration of the season!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Sequentia of Paris
2014-01-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Sequentia
January 29, 2014 | 7:30PM
Benjamin Bagby, (Director) Voice, Harp
Norbert Rodenkirchen, Flutes, Harp
Wolodymyr Smishkewych Voice, Organistrum
Sequentia Women’s Vocal Ensemble
Lydia Brotherton
Agnethe Christensen
Ester Labourdette
Sabine Lutzenberger
Elodie Mourot
Christine Mothes
Lena Susanne Norin

Tallis Scholars of London
2013-12-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, United States
Tuesday, December 10th, 2013 | 7:30PM
Join us for an evening of renaissance music by one of the world’s most respected renaissance groups.
“The ROCK STARS of the Reaissance”…… The New York Times

Tallis Scholars Program 2013

Benjamin Britten Festival - St. Nicholas
2013-11-17 15:00 - 16:00 | PA
Benjamin Britten Festival
St. Nicholas by Benjamin Britten

Choral Arts Philadelphia
Matthew Glandorf, Conductor
Archdiocesan Girls Choir
John Romeri, Conductor
