Ashley Brown, Soprano, Broadway's original Mary Poppins
Stephen Schwartz, Special Guest Artist
Participating Groups
The Adrian College Choir
Cherokee High School Choir
Cherry Hill High School East Singers
Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus
Eastern University Choir
The Chamber Singers of Concordia International School Shanghai
Davis High Advanced Treble and Madrigal Choirs
EnChor Chamber Choir
JanuaVox
Friends’ Central School Chorus
Grand Junction High School Chamber Choir
Spring Arbor University Chamber Choir
Pope High School Chorus
SUNY Orange Treble Makers
St. Maries Musica
Savannah Arts Academy Chorale
Viridis
Special Guests
Artist's Name
Eric Whitacre
Artist's Name
Stephen Schwartz
Participating Group Directors
The Adrian College Choir
Thomas Hodgman
The Adrian College Choir has been a fixture at Adrian College for over 150 years. The choir is made up of one hundred men and women from across the campus, who choose to make singing in choir a part of their liberal arts experience. The Adrian College Choir has toured Europe and China, and regularly tours the Midwest and East Coast. They have performed with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra and Toledo Symphony Orchestra. In April 2010, the choir made their Carnegie Hall debut, performing a concert of American contemporary music. Other choirs at Adrian College include the Men's Choir, Women's Choir, Chamber Choir, and Jazz Choir.
Dr. Thomas M. Hodgman is in his 15th year as Director of Choral Ensembles at Adrian College. He has served as guest conductor and adjudicator in California, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Ohio. His choirs have performed at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, and have toured China, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States. He co-authored three books with his wife, Colleen Conway: Handbook for the Beginning Music Teacher (GIA, 2006), Teaching Music in Higher Education (Oxford, 2008), and Handbook for the Beginning Music Mentor (GIA 2010). Dr. Hodgman earned a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music and masters degree at Westminster Choir College.
Cherry Hill High School East Singers
Laurie Lausi
Cherry Hill High School East consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state and nation both academically and musically. The East vocal department boasts an enrollment of over 300 students who perform in 8 different performing groups. Many East vocalists place in regional, state, and national honor choirs. This year, a record 25 singers placed into the All-South Jersey Chorus with East placing all the 1st chair sopranos and altos and most placing in the top 10 of their section. The East Singers have performed in Carnegie Hall, Kimmel Center and Lincoln Center.
Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus
Gabriel Lofvall
Now entering its 22nd year, Joyful Noise is the proud parent of Chorus Angelicus, made up of a junior choir ages 10-13 and a senior choir of teens, and Gaudeamus, the adult choir. Performances have included collaborations with the Hartford Symphony and the Paul Winter Consort. The choirs have appeared in Boston Symphony Hall, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in New York, and Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. They have extensively toured the northeast and performed at many workshops and music festivals.
The Chamber Singers of Concordia International School Shanghai
Meg Ideker
The Chamber Singers of Concordia International School Shanghai is a select choir of sixteen members: eight women and eight men. Each year they perform on four major school concerts, their Singing Valentines fundraiser, and the APAC Choral Festival, during which they have traveled to locations such as Manila, Philippines and Seoul, Korea. They have sung under Dr. Jerry Blackstone, University of Michigan; Dr. Pearl Shangkuan, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Dr. Edith Copley, Northern Arizona University. They sing a varied repertoire from Renaissance madrigals to Broadway medleys. Not only are these students wonderful musicians who are dedicated to their craft, they are also part of a school which is renowned for its academic rigor, having received the highest SAT scores of any international school in the world for the past four years.
Davis High Advanced Treble and Madrigal Choirs
Karen Gardias
The Davis High Madrigal Singers was founded in 1966 and are an auditioned group of 32 high school students from Davis, California, who perform a wide variety of music dating from the 15th century to the present. In their distinctive, Renaissance-inspired costumes, the chamber choir currently enjoys about 40 performances per year within the United States and abroad.
This highly accomplished class, within the CA public school system, demands the best of these young musicians’ talents and they have had the pleasure of working with many renowned U.S. and International musicians. Some of the Madrigals’ most treasured experiences, however, have been through community outreach. From the time-honored tradition of The Madrigal Dinner, a 16th Century holiday feast, to the preparing and serving of meals at The Wayfarer Center and many choral workshops and benefit concerts in between, the Madrigals are committed to their "musical message of joy and hope" through song and service.
Friends’ Central School Chorus
Michele Zuckman
Friends' Central School is a Quaker, independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school for students in Nursery through grade 12. Located on two campuses in Wynnewood, PA, just outside of Philadelphia, Friends' Central blends a rigorous curriculum with enduring Quaker principles of kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit to create a solid foundation that ensures both the opportunity and ability for extraordinary achievement. The visual and performing arts are integral to the core curriculum and are essential to every student's experience at Friends' Central.
The Friends' Central School Chorus is open to all students in grades 9-12. Nearly 100 students participate in the Chorus, which studies and performs music from a wide range of genres, including classical, multicultural, and contemporary choral works. Friends' Central also offers the opportunity for chorus members to audition for one of three select vocal groups, which perform regularly for school and community events and raise money for local charities.
JanuaVox
Roberta Paraninfo
JanuaVox is the youth mixed choir of Genoa Vocal Academy (Accademia Vocale di Genova). It is made up by the choristers of Genova Vocal Ensemble (a female group and the Academy's first national and international award-winning vocal ensemble, today one of Italy's most renowned groups) enriched by young male voices.
The group's primary aim is the constant deep study of polyphonic sacred and secular repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to unique jazz and Pop arrangements, and it has been praised for exquisite singing and stunning performance.
JanuaVox has performed widely in several high-profile concerts and festivals winning many important prizes.
Grand Junction High School Chamber Choir
Marcia Wieland
Grand Junction High School Choral Department from Mesa County, Colorado features seven choirs and involves nearly 150 students. Choral Director, Marcia Wieland founded the Chamber Choir in 2011 to offer the highest degree of excellence in classical choral literature. This musically elite ensemble’s accomplishments include a clinic and commission with composer Eric William Barnum (2011) and an invitation to perform with Eric Whitacre in New York City (2014). Students from this ensemble have participated in Colorado All State Choirs, regional and national ACDA Honor Choirs, and been offered extensive talent-based scholarships at prestigious collegiate musical institutions.
SUNY Orange Treble Makers
Kim Hoeffner
The SUNY Orange Treble Makers were formed after Kody Andreas was inspired to form an accepella group at SUNY Orange in the spring of 2012. Soon after auditions the group started to meet, preparing songs from composers ranging from Eric Whitacre to student composed a cappella versions of modern pop songs such as “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye. The Treble Makers have performed at the SUNY Orange winter and spring concerts, and student recitals.
St. Maries Musica
Krystal McCoy
In 1971, a group of neighbors in Southern Maryland gathered together to share their love of madrigal music and formed the Madrigal Concert Ensemble. Ten years later, the name was changed to Saint Maries Musica and the group grew to 21 members from throughout the region. Today, our singers come from all walks of life: engineers and music teachers, retirees and housewives. Some members have been with us for less than a year, and some have been with the group since the beginning. Over the years, we have performed at a variety of locations during our Spring and Christmas concert seasons. We regularly perform free public concerts at regional churches, as well as fundraisers for Historic Saint Mary's City, the original capitol of the Maryland Colony. We have even performed in such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center and the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Savannah Arts Academy Chorale
Russell Watkins
Savannah Arts Academy became the first dedicated performing and visual arts high school in Savannah, Georgia in 1998. In the 15 years since the school opened, the choral department has grown to four choirs and two ensembles. Nova Singers, Women's Cantabile, Men's choir, SAA Chorale, Skylarks (auditioned women's ensemble), and Downtown Sound (men's quartet). Under the direction of Russell Watkins, the four choirs consistently score superior ratings at Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluation. SAA choral students have also distinguished themselves in the District and State Literary competitions, and a Multi-Cultural National Honor's Choir in Miami. SAA students are consistently chosen for All-State Choir, and All-State Reading Choir. Additional honors include selection to the prestigious Governor's Honors Choir Program. SAA choirs have performed at the historic Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia, New York's Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Music USA Festival in Orlando, Florida winning first place each time. Downtown Sound and the Skylarks have performed at City Walk in Universal Studios, and routinely perform at various venues within Savannah.
Viridis
Ryan Guth
Viridis, a brand new project from VoiceWorks, is an auditioned high school vocal ensemble specializing in standard choral repertoire from the Renaissance to today. The word Viridis is Latin for "Green" or "Youthful," acknowledging the fact that, although this choir performs at a high level, they still have much to learn as young choral artists. Their inaugural year will include performances of Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb at Princeton University Chapel and Lincoln Center. The group rehearses for two hours each week at VoiceWorks: Marlboro.
Defying Gravity: The Music Of Stephen Schwartz And Eric Whitacre
Acts
Also Featuring:
Participating Groups
Special Guests
Artist's Name
Eric WhitacreArtist's Name
Stephen SchwartzParticipating Group Directors