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Dear Singer!
Over the
coming Winter and Spring Terms, you have the opportunity to
participate in an extraordinary community musical event.
In May 2010, the Cascade Chorale, together with the
Mastersingers and the Central Oregon Symphony, will perform
the Brahms Requiem. This work, composed, between
1865-1868, premiered in Leipzig, Germany in February, 1869.
This is Brahms' longest work with a massed chorus, soloists,
and full orchestra. We will have 200 musicians on
stage---120 singers from the Cascade Chorale and the
Mastersingers combined and 80 musicians from the Central
Oregon Symphony. The soloists will be Melissa Bagwell,
singing soprano, and myself, baritone. Michael Gesme
will conduct the Requiem in three performances, Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday May 15, 16, and 17 at Bend High School
Auditorium. This will be a wonderful community musical
event! There is nothing like performing a huge musical
masterpiece like this to a packed house!
I invite you to sing with us in this special event. We
will begin rehearsals on Tuesday, January 5th.
Rehearsals will run through to the performance in May.
Clyde Thompson will prepare the Mastersingers, I will
prepare the Cascade Chorale, and we will all come together
under Michael Gesme's baton for final rehearsals and
performance.
So, please take note: to perform the Brahms Requiem we ask
you to sing both the Winter and Spring terms with Cascade
Chorale. [Note: there is no separate March concert in 2010]
There is much music to learn and we will be singing the
Requiem in German. I plan to intersperse the
rehearsals for the Requiem with other music that we will
sing on an optional spring tour to Yakima, Washington on May
21-23. Also, Dr. Bruce Browne will be giving us a clinic on
Tuesday, February 9. This will be a special rehearsal
for us all.
We'll tell you more on the spring tour later, but for now,
please join us on Tuesday, January 5th for the first
rehearsal for the Brahms Requiem and the beginning of a
Winter/Spring Term musical odyssey that will be
unforgettable.
If you have any questions, please
email me right away. I
look forward to seeing you on January 5th!
Wishing you Happy Holidays,
James Knox
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