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Song/Play

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall

Acts

María Guinand, Guest Conductor
Alberto Grau: La Avispa Brava (WORLD PREMIERE)
Featuring Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Cristian Grases, Guest Conductor
Alberto Grau: La Doncella
Featuring Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Also Featuring:

Special Guests

Artist's Name

Ernest Pereira

Artist's Name

Cristian Grases

Artist's Name

María Guinand

Participating Groups

Traughber Junior High Choral Ensemble

Amazonia Vocal Ensemble

Ponca City High School Chorale

The Mississippi Girlchoir

Century Singers

St. Bonaventure Children's Chorale

Bishop Kearney High School Chorus

Benton Middle School Choirs

Presentation of Mary Academy Children's Choir

Purwa Caraka Music Studio Children Choir

Participating Group Directors

Amazonia Vocal Ensemble
Anaida Carquez-Soler
Anaida is a Venezuelan Choral Conductor and Vocal Coach with a Master’s Degree in Arts Management from Universidad de Salamanca. As Vocal Coach and Assistant Conductor of the renowned and awarded choirs “Cantoría Alberto Grau” and the “Schola Cantorum de Venezuela”, Anaida was part of multiple and successful concert tours performed in Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and USA. Also directed the Children’s Choir from “Colegio Emil Friedman”, the Girl’s Choir from “Colegio Mater Salvatoris” and one of the groups of “Pequeños Cantores" of the Program "Construir Cantando” from Schola Cantorum de Venezuela. Anaida was also a professor at “Música para Crecer Project”, a program that uses music as a tool of social action and integration that promoted by “Corporación Andina de Fomento – Banco de Desarrollo” in Latin-American countries. Anaida joined Amazonia Vocal Ensemble in 2016 as the choir's Musical Conductor.

The Amazonia Vocal Ensemble (AVE) was founded in 2007 by conductor/composer Dr. Cristian Grases. The ensemble boasts a diverse breadth of repertoire, though it specializes in contemporary Latin American Music as well as original arrangements of Latin American folk/popular songs in English, Spanish, Quechua, Portuguese, Papiamento among others. Based in Miami, the ensemble is comprised of volunteer amateur singers. AVE plays a prominent role in bringing the choral music of Latin America to the spotlight in the south Florida community and is part of a growing movement to introduce Latin American Choral Music into the mainstream. Nowadays, AVE is committed to expanding its horizons with the renewal of its repertoire, creating chamber groups, incorporation of new members, and most importantly, creating the Amazonia Children’s Choir.

Ponca City High School Chorale
Chad W. Keilman
Mr. Keilman has taught at Ponca City High School and East Middle School in Ponca City, Oklahoma for the past four years. Before coming to Ponca City, Mr. Keilman was the Director of Choirs at Blackwell Public Schools. Mr. Keilman earned his bachelors and masters degrees from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He studied voice with Mr. Guy Rothfuss and conducting with Dr. James Jordan. Mr. Keilman was a member of the renowned Westminster Choir under the direction of Dr. Joe Mille and performed around the United States and at the Spoleto Festival, USA in Charleston, South Carolina. Additionally, Mr. Keilman has performed with the Westminster Symphonic Choir in performances of major choral/orchestral works with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, and Dresden Staatskapelle. As a vocalist, Mr. Keilman has appeared in operatic roles for Opera MODO and has been a member of professional choirs, including CANTATICA based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

The Ponca City High School Chorale maintains a tradition of excellence in choral music. The Chorale is an advanced auditioned mixed choir that consistently earns Superior and Excellent ratings in contest performances. Recently, the Po-Hi Chorale collaborated with the Norther Oklahoma College band and choir in two performances of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

Century Singers
Joyce Brien
Miss Brien earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Idaho State University in 2008 and a Masters Degree in 2016. Miss Brien has sung in ISU Women's Choir under the direction of Professor Kathleen Lane and in ISU Concert and Chamber choirs under the direction of Dr. Scott Anderson. She has served as guest clinician or adjudicator for District V Solo & Ensemble Festival, Middle School and High School Honor Choirs and most recently, District IV Large Group Festival in Boise, ID. She has taught private voice lessons since 2006 and has had several students perform at the state level solo festival. She has taught choir at CHS since 2009, musical theater class since 2012, and a dual credit music appreciation class new this year. Miss Brien continues to strive to learn and grow as a musician and director herself in order to inspire her students to pursue their passion in life, using music and singing as a vehicle for self-discovery, connections with others, and development of musical knowledge and skills.

Century Singers is our advanced auditioned mixed choir at Century High School in Pocatello, Idaho. This choir meets daily before school to rehearse a wide range of musical styles and genres. Century Singers is our most frequently performing group, serving the school and community through music and song. Our goals include singing a variety of music styles with excellence, to perform and achieve high ratings at festivals, and most importantly, to develop lasting and meaningful relationships through singing quality music together.

Bishop Kearney High School Chorus
Anastasia Rege
Anastasia Rege received her Bachelor’s of Music degree at the University of Connecticut in 2012 and her Master’s of Music degree from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music in 2014. Anastasia is an active music educator and teaches at several academies in the greater New York area as well as directs the choral and instrumental ensembles at Bishop Kearney High School. In addition to her career as a music educator, Anastasia is also an active choral and operatic performer. She co-founded JACopera, a company whose mission is to make opera relevant, tangible, and accessible to a younger generation. JACopera has performed throughout the United States as well as Europe since their formation in 2014.

The Bishop Kearney Chorus is the premiere vocal ensemble at Bishop Kearney High School, an all girls Catholic school in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The chorus performs extensively in the community and at school liturgies. The chorus is composed of singers of all grade levels. The ensemble performs music from various time periods and styles and has an extensive repertoire of sacred music.