Distinguished Concerts International New York
Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director
Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder and Artistic Director
Concert for Peace
Celebrating the Spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr
Carnegie Hall January 17, 2010
Great Music, Fun Time
I was still cold from the weather outside when I meet
Rachael to get our press tickets. When we walk into the hall I notice a great
energy and vibe from the audience. It was a high level of music From the opening of Gloria (U.S. Premiere)
by CHARLOTTE DAW PAULSEN, Mezzo-soprano to my favorites Stabat Mater with
BELINDA SYKES,’ Ethnic’ Vocals and Mey CHARLOTTE DAW PAULSEN. The ending
Paradisi Gloria was great!
To say that the surroundings match the music for dramatic
impact is quite the understatement: if what’s going on inside the Carnegie Hall
is a little overwhelming, it seems that the massive choir may actually
outnumber the audience. The subtext couldn’t scream any louder than the music:
DCINY’s artistic director and principal conductor, Jonathan Griffith mastered
the art of a conducting a large group with great skill and the highest order of
talent.
It was a great professional performance by the
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) group. I encourage our
audience to run to their next concert. Here is there link http://www.dciny.org/2011-season/
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) put
together some of the best musical talent around today! Take a look at the
talent from last night’s concert:
Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal
Conductor
Karl Jenkins: Stabat Mater and Gloria (US Premiere)
Karl Jenkins, Composer-in-Residence
Belinda Sykes, ‘Ethnic’ Vocals and Mey
Charlotte Daw Paulsen, Mezzo-soprano
- James Andrew Style Music TV
Ensemble bios
B. Perrot
Kings Chorale (Canada)
Kings Chorale is a non-auditioned choir founded in 1982 by its current
director. The group performs a wide variety of music from the classical
repertoire through the popular realm and in several languages. The choir is
made up of people from all walks of life and all ages drawn from communities
throughout the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Canada. The only prerequisite
for membership in the group is the enjoyment of singing.
Graduating from Westminster Choir College in 1975, Bill Perrot been
active in the Nova Scotia Choral Federation and the Association of Canadian
Choral Communities. Bill is the founding conductor of Kings Chorale and
Artistic Director of Nova Voce, Nova Scotia’s premier men’s choir. He has
conducted the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir, Acadia University Chorus, Acadia
Vocal Ensemble. and has prepared choirs for performances by Symphony Nova
Scotia and the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. In May of 2008, Bill was given the
Alumni Merit Award from Westminster Choir College for his work with choirs,
particularly youth choirs, in Nova Scotia.
T. Howard
Kirk Choir of Pasadena Presbyterian Church (CA)
The music ministry at Pasadena Presbyterian Church includes eight choirs and
ensembles covering three language groups and involving well over 100 musicians
from kindergarten on up. Founded in 1940 by celebrated choral conductor Howard
Swan, the Kirk Choir serves as the church’s principal choir during Sunday
morning English-language worship services. Its diverse repertoire embraces the
breadth of traditional choral music, music written in our time, and music from
other cultures. The choir is seen weekly on the church’s cable television
broadcast and is featured at several concerts each season as part of the
church’s “Friends of Music” concert series.
Timothy Howard is Director of Music and Organist at Pasadena
Presbyterian Church where, among his other duties, he directs the church’s Kirk
Choir. In addition, he is Lecturer in Music at California State University,
Northridge and head of the school’s organ program. A graduate, with honors,
from the University of Southern California with a Doctor of Musical Arts
degree, Dr. Howard also holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and Biola
University. His organ scores to accompany the silent films “Nosferatu,” “From
the Manger to the Cross,” and “The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ” are widely
available.
R. McCartney
Methodist College Chapel Choir (Ireland)
The Chapel Choir concentrates mainly on liturgical music and has established
a strong reputation through frequent radio and television broadcasts. In recent
years the choir has sung in various Cathedrals in Ireland and England. In the
summer of 2008 the choir returned to Westminster Abbey for its ninth residence
in recent years.
In 2004 the Chapel Choir became Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the
Year and UTV Grammar School Choir of the Year. The choir regularly produces
choral and organ scholars for Cambridge Colleges and two recent past members
are recent organ scholars in Emmanuel College Cambridge, Corpus Christi College
Cambridge and Christchurch College Oxford.
Before coming to Methodist College Ruth McCartney, director, was Head
of Music at Markethill High School from 1988-1994. She is best known for her
work with the Choirs in Methody. Ruth has both sung in and conducted many
choirs over the years. In the early nineties she was one of two sopranos in the
six part choral group Kaleidoscope who broadcast regularly on television and
radio. She was a music critic for the Irish News and is an examiner and
moderator with CCEA. In the 2003 New Year’s honours list she was awarded an MBE
for her services to education. She was also awarded an honorary ABRSM from the
Royal School of Church Music in 2005.
J. Anderson
Ottawa University Concert Choir (KS)
Concert Choir, founded in 1938, is Ottawa University’s
premiere choral ensemble. Its membership is determined by audition and is open
to all students. Concert Choir’s history of excellence in choral music calls
upon its singers to maintain high levels of individual musicianship and
ensemble skills as they perform music spanning the history of all choral
traditions. Concert Choir is the major choral ensemble called upon to sing for
official University events and to appear on behalf of the University beyond the
campus. It performs frequently in area churches, in on-campus concerts, and
tours annually during the spring semester, both nationally and internationally.
Jeff Anderson, Visiting Professor of Music at
Ottawa University, directs Concert Choir and Jazz Singers. He holds degrees
from Southwestern College (BME), The Wichita State University (MME), and The
University of Missouri-Kansas City (DMA) where he studied choral conducting
under Eph Ely. Prior to his appointment at Ottawa University, Dr. Anderson’s
professional experience included teaching high school choral music and
directing church music. His choirs have performed at state, regional, and
national conventions of The National Association of Music Education and
American Choral Directors Association. He is active as a festival conductor,
adjudicator, and consultant in choral music education.
F. Woolston
Sine Nomine Singers (NC)
The Sine Nomine Singers is a chamber choir of professional
and professional caliber amateurs founded by Music Director Finley Woolston in
1998. The choir performs in Eastern North Carolina in support of numerous
charitable and public events. Membership is by invitation only and varies
depending on performance requirements. The ensemble has appeared on behalf of
The American Cancer Society, Foundation for Hospice, and Musicians for Missions
relief for Haiti. They were also recently invited to New York City to perform
for ceremonies honoring a disabled U.S. Marine wounded in Iraq.
Finley Woolston devotes himself to music after a
career in the Marine Corps and Navy. He was a student of Brock McHelheren of
the Crane School of Music and a cum laude vocal performance major at the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He sings with and was a past Music
Director of Schola Cantorum, the choir of the Episcopal Diocese of East
Carolina. He is Music Director of the Crystal Coast Choral Society and has
prepared members of that community chorus to perform major choral works in
Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. He is the founder and director of the Sine
Nomine Singers, a chamber choir of professional and amateur singers.
F. DeMiero
Sno-King Community Chorale (WA)
The 117-voice Sno-King Community Chorale calls Edmonds,
Washington home. Conducted by Frank DeMiero, the Chorale has been delighting
audiences since 2001. The Chorale’s guiding credo is to “sing with a smile on
your face and love in your heart”. Each concert is unique and reflects the
groups’ success in performing challenging and diverse choral literature;
sharing the stage with a variety of instrumentalists; and featuring music from
classical to jazz to Broadway. The Sno-King Community Chorale is made up of
community members who desire to experience the joy of singing as members of a
choral team.
Frank DeMiero’s career started with playing accordion. Thank God it
blossomed from there! Frank earned a BA in Education from Eastern Washington
University and a Masters in Conducting from Central Washington University. The
Frank DeMiero Jazz Camp has served over 6000 students during its 25 years.
Frank’s choral groups have received consistent international acclaim.
Recognized internationally for his innovations in all areas of music education,
Frank is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and
motivational speaker. He currently conducts the Seattle Jazz Singers and the
Sno-King Community Chorale. Frank is co-founder of Sound Music Publications.
R. Bouwer
University of Johannesburg Choir (South Africa)
The UJ Choir was formed in 2005. Although the choir
consists of mostly African singers, the aim is to excel in both Western and
African Music.
In 2006 they won a Gold Award at the 16th International Festival
of Advent and Christmas Music and a special jury prize for Multicultural
Achievement. In 2007 they performed The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace by Karl
Jenkins in the Johannesburg City Hall and Jenkins conducting.
The UJ Choir won the category for Traditional Music at two international
choir competitions in 2008 and was the only South African choir to perform at
the 8th World Choral Symposium in Denmark.
Renette Bouwer, director, graduated with a B.Mus. degree,
specialising in Composition (organ and piano as major instruments), from the
University of Pretoria in 1980. She received her B.Mus. (Hons.) degree from
UNISA in 1990 and her M.Mus. degree in Conducting through the University of
Stellenbosch in 2009.
She currently works with voices from different cultural backgrounds, proving
flexibility of the voice and adaptability of young singers to different styles
of music.
Apart from her involvement with choirs, she has performed as soprano soloist
in numerous oratoria in South Africa as well as in Europe. She has released
more than 11 CDs with choirs, ensembles and as soloist.
J. Chapin
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Concert Choir (NJ)
Concert Choir is an auditioned group of 102 singers in
grades 10-12. Concert Choir rehearses and performs challenging repertoire from
many genres. The Concert Choir performs extensively throughout the state of New
Jersey and abroad and has won numerous awards and superior ratings in
nationally adjudicated festivals. Carnegie Hall in New York City, Patriots
Theater in Trenton, and The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia are just a few venues
where the choir has performed. Last year the choir performed Carl Orff’s
Carmina Burana at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ under the direction
of Dr. Allen Crowell from the University of Georgia.
Janice Chapin has been Director of Choirs at West
Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for the past nine years. Her duties include
Directing the Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and Chorale, which all meet daily.
In addition, she directs two auditioned a-cappella choirs and is Vocal Director
for the school’s spring musical. Previously, Mrs. Chapin taught middle school
in Princeton, NJ, where she led her choirs to first place finishes and superior
ratings in national festivals as well as tours of the United States and Canada.
Janice shares the music ministry with her husband Paul at the First Baptist
Church in Bordentown, New Jersey where she acts as Assistant Choir Director.
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