The Collegiate Chorale

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Mission Statement • History • Discography • Premieres • Board of Directors

Mission Statement

The mission of The Collegiate Chorale is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble.

Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's belief that choral music is a compelling collaboration that creates a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages.

History

The Collegiate Chorale has acted as a prominent force in the cultural life of New York City for more than 60 years. Founded in 1941 by Robert Shaw and taking its name from its first rehearsal space, the Marble Collegiate Church, The Chorale rose to prominence when it performed Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. Subsequently, it performed with such conductors as Beecham, Bernstein, Koussevitzky, Maazel, Mehta, and Mitropoulos. Through the years The Chorale has established a national reputation through its commitment not only to the traditional choral repertoire but to American music, commissioning works from Barber, Bolcom, Britten, Copland, Dvorák, Hindemith, and Sessions. Under the leadership of current Music Director, Robert Bass, The Chorale has expanded its vision, to include operatic repertoire, multi-media productions and cross-discipline presentations.

Since his tenure began in 1980, Robert Bass has striven to present rarely performed operatic works in the New York community, premiering works by the great masters and contemporary composers. In 1982, The Chorale joined Juilliard's American Opera Center for the New York premiere of Montezuma by Roger Sessions. Other premiere concert performances of operas followed: 1984, the American premiere of Dvorák's Dmitri; 1987, the New York premiere of Respighi's La fiamma; 1989, the New York premiere of Strauss' previously unrecorded one-act opera, Friedenstag. In 1997 The Chorale gave the New York premiere of Schubert's Fierrabras. This marked the beginning of an important artistic partnership with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall: "Opera-in-Concert." Performances for the series include: 1998, Verdi's Nabucco; 1999, Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco; 2000, Ponchielli's La Gioconda; 2001, Verdi's Macbeth; 2002, Weber's Oberon; 2003, Verdi's La forza del destino; 2004, Verdi's Un ballo in maschera; and 2005, Puccini's Le Villi and Act III of Turandot with the New York premiere of the Luciano Berio ending. For the 2006-2007 Season, The Chorale will present Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans.

The addition of opera to The Chorale's repertoire expands upon the organization's vision: to present the full spectrum of the vocal arts, through the presentation of an array of musical works, including opera, choral classics, contemporary vocal pieces and multi-media staging. Recently, Robert Bass has reinvigorated The Chorale's dedication to this vision, working with acclaimed actor and the Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theater, Roger Rees. As The Chorale's Artistic Associate, Mr. Rees has collaborated with The Chorale on several varied music programs that investigate the relationship between music and text and the vocal language they create. Recent performances have included An Evening of American Operetta, An Evening of Kurt Weill, Shakespeare & Verdi; and Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. Critically acclaimed, this series proves valuable to both The Chorale and the audience by expanding the range of color that the choral sound encompasses.

The continued strength of classical music as an art form depends on retaining and revitalizing existing audiences as well as creating new ones, including among the next generation. The Chorale's education programs aim to extend its message of the full spectrum of vocal arts to students, audiences and the broader community. One of The Chorale's flagship programs is the Side-by-Side initiative. Launched by The Chorale in 2002, it provides an opportunity for musically advanced high school students to rehearse and perform with the chorus and "side-by-side" with the adult signers. The program enriches the school's vocal music curriculum and gives students valuable experience performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with professional musicians and world-class soloists.

The effort to diversify the vocal impact on classical music has garnered The Chorale growing accreditation in the artistic community. In 2005, The Chorale and Robert Bass received an invitation from Maestro James Levine to sing under his leadership at The Verbier Festival in Switzerland. The Chorale performed Verdi's Requiem in its festival debut, and returned in August 2006 to perform a broader program: Verdi's Simone Bocanegra and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" with Mr. Levine. Mr. Bass made his festival conducting debut with The Chorale on August 5th, presenting Schubert's Mirjams Siegesgesang. In July 2007, The Chorale will return to Verbier to perform Brahms's Requiem at the festival's opening concert and Mozart's Requiem, under the direction of Mr. Levine. The later will feature Renée Fleming as the soprano soloist. Also, Robert Bass will conduct The Chorale in Orff's Carmina Burana.

The Chorale's presence on the international music scene continues to expand. In July 2008, The Chorale will travel to Israel at the request of Zubin Metha and Avi Shoshani of the Israel Philharmonic to perform with the orchestra in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem.

The Chorale has performed on radio and television since its inception under Robert Shaw. Its first feature was a 1948 performance of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9" with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In recent years it has appeared in various educational programs and concert broadcasts. The Chorale sang in Pavarotti Plus!, of which all six programs were televised nationally on PBS, the latter as part of the Live From Lincoln Center series in 1990. MTV invited The Chorale to perform "O Fortuna," from Orff's Carmina Burana at the nationally broadcast "MTV Video Music Awards" in 1999. WFMT has carried The Chorale's "Opera-in-Concert" series since 2004, providing national carriage of acclaimed performances. In October 2006, Robert Bass participated in WNYC's "Beethoven Festival." Speaking on The Spirit is Willing: Beethoven's Vocal Music with George Preston, Maestro Bass discussed the challenges of the composer's few pieces for the voice. The program featured The Chorale's recordings of Beethoven's works, including the 2005 opera-in-concert of Fidelio with Deborah Voigt and the historical recording of Toscanini's "Symphony No. 9". The Chorale recordings include: Mahler's "Symphony No. 2" (Resurrection) under Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic for Sony; Dvorák's Discoveries from America for Music and Arts; Strauss' Friedenstag for Koch; Beethoven's Der glorreiche Augenblick and Cantata on the Elevation of Leopold II with Deborah Voigt and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's for Koch International.

The 2006-2007 Season will feature: Bach's A Christmas Oratorio; the New York premiere of Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans with Dolora Zajick; Philip Glass and Robert Moran's The Juniper Tree; Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Brahms's Liebeslieder Waltzes. The Chorale was engaged by Alan Seidler for the world premiere of his Mystic Trumpeter at Merkin Hall on October 10th. In November, The Chorale will perform with Angel Gil-Ordóñez and the Perspectives Ensemble at The Guggenheim Museums Works & Process, featuring the works of Renaissance composer, Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Highlights of recent seasons include: The New York premiere of the Luciano Berio ending to Puccini's Turandot; Scott Joplin's Treemonisha; The Chorale's performances of Leonard Bernstein's Mass-- its first New York performance in over 25 years; the 60th Anniversary tribute to Robert Shaw in 2002, featuring Shaw's signature piece, Brahms' Requiem and the world premiere of Ned Rorem's Now Voyager.

Among the many guest artists with whom The Chorale has performed in recent years include: Martina Arroyo, Kathleen Battle, Lauren Flanigan, Renee Fleming, Hei-Kyung Hong; Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Salvatore Licitra, Aprile Millo, Ewa Podles, and Deborah Voigt.

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Discography

Symphony No. 2, Gustav Mahler, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor (Sony)

St. Matthew Passion, J. S. Bach, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor (Sony)

Friedenstag, Richard Strauss, live performance at Carnegie Hall, November 1989, Robert Bass, conductor (Koch)

Der glorreiche Augenblick and Auf die Erhebung Leopold des Zwieten zur Kaiserwürde, Ludwig van Beethoven, live performance at Carnegie Hall, March 1994, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Robert Bass, conductor (Koch)

Un Ballo in Maschera, Giuseppe Verdi, Luciano Pavarotti, tenor, Anton Guadagno, conductor (London)

Dvorák Discoveries from America, Antonin Dvorák, James Richmond, conductor (Music & Arts)

Celluloid Copland, Eos Orchestra, Jonathan Sheffer, conductor (Telarc)

American Composers, live performance at Richard Tucker Gala Concert, Avery Fisher Hall, 1991, Met Opera Orchestra, James Conlon, conductor (BMG)

A Concert of American Music, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Conlon, conductor, Leontyne Price, Renee Flemming (RCA/BMG)

Pavarotti Plus, Live from Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, 1990, NYC Opera Orchestra, Anton Guadagno, conductor, selections from Tosca and Un ballo in maschera, Luciano Pavarotti, Leona Mitchell, Carol Vaness, Harolyn Blackwell

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Premieres

Adamo, Mark		Cantate Domino: Etude on Psalm 97 (NY premiere)
Avshalamov, Jacob		Tom O'Bedlam*
Bacon, Ernst		Five Fables
Barber, Samuel		A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map
Barnes, Edward		The Hiding Tree*
Bartók, Bela		The Enchanted Deer
Blitzstein, Mark		Airborne Symphony
Bolcom, William		Dancers* • Simple Stories*
Brahms, Johannes		Johannes Messe
Brant, Henry		December • The Children's Hour*
Britten, Benjamin		A Boy Was Born
Calabro, Louis		Metaphors • Motet in 40 Parts*
Copland, Aaron		The Lark • In the Beginning
Creston, Paul		Three Chorales from Tagore
Dello Joio, Norman		Western Star • The Mystic Trumpeter*
Delius, Frederick		Requiem
Diamond, David		A Secular Cantata*
Dvorák, Antonin		Dimitri**
Foss, Lukas		The Prairie
Getty, Gordon		Annabel Lee
Gordon, Ricky Ian		Suite from "Only Heaven"*
Hawley, William		Te Deum*
Hindemith, Paul		Madrigales • Apparebit repentina dies • Six Chansons When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd*
Hovhaness, Alan		Glory to God in the Highest*
Ives, Charles		Sixty-Seventh Psalm • Three Harvest Home Chorales
Janácek, Leos		Festival Mass
Laderman, Ezra		Thrive Upon the Rock*
Levy, Martin David		For the Time Being
Mason, Deborah		A Strange Courage*
McCartney, Paul		Liverpool Oratorio
Mennin, Peter		Symphony No. 4 (The Cycle)*
Meyerowitz, Jan		Music for Christmas
Milhaud, Darius		The Two Cities
Moore, Undine Smith		Scenes from the Life of a Martyr (NY premiere)
Persichetti, Vincent		Missa* • Stabat Mater*
Poulenc, Francis		Four Christmas Motets
Respighi, Ottorino		La Fiamma
Rochberg, George		Symphony No. 3
Rorem, Ned		Now Voyager
Schubert, Franz		Fierrabras** (NY premiere)
Schuman, William		Prelude for Voices
Schoenberg, Arnold		Friede auf Erden
Starer, Robert		On the Nature of Things
Strauss, Richard		Friedenstag** (NY premiere)
Suits, Paul		A Prodigal Voice*
Wertsch, Nancy		'Tis Not Too Late*

* Commissions ** Operas-in-Concert

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Board of Directors

Robert Bass, Music Director		Since 1980

Susan L. Baker, Chairman		Since 2000
Anna Murdoch Mann, Vice Chairman		Since 2001
William H. Mann, Vice Chairman		Since 2001
Susan Shine, Vice Chairman		Since 2000
Christie C. Salomon, Secretary		Since 2000
Lois Conway, Treasurer		Since 2000

Martina Arroyo		Since 2000
Page Ashley		Since 2006
Nancy D. Becker		Since 2000
Robert A. Becker		Since 2000
Ray J. Groves		Since 2005
George J. Grumbach, Jr.		Since 2003
Robert W. Gutman		Since 2000
Kenneth H. Hannan, Jr.		Since 2008
Deborah Innes		Since 2005
Steven Jacobson		Since 2003
Sandra S. Joys		Since 2000
Howard S. Kelberg		Since 2000
James S. Marcus		Since 2000
Ellen Nenner		Since 2005
Elaine Petschek		Since 2002
Deborah Stiles		Since 2007
Elizabeth Tunick		Since 2002
Georges Ugeux		Since 2006

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