User:Pulsiferpe/Chorus pro Musica

Chorus pro Musica is an adult mixed (SATB) chorus in Boston, Massachusetts that was founded in 1949 by the influential choral director Alfred Nash Patterson. It is known for innovative programming and high quality performances. With between 80 and 100 members, the chorus regularly sings a broad classical-based repertoire, both a capella and with accompaniment ranging from piano to full orchestra. From 1992 until 2009 the annual season usually included a concert opera performance sponsored by Concert Opera Boston that was led by Music Director Jeffrey Rink. Performances in recent years have included the Boston premieres of a Requiem by Roger Ames based on poetry of Anne Sexton, Jonathan Dove's Köthener Messe (a Mass in the style of J.S. Bach), and Giuseppi Verdi's opera Attila (concert performance). Chorus pro Musica has collaborated with such famed organizations as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Ballet, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

History

Under the leadership of founder Alfred Nash Patterson, the chorus immediately generated considerable excitement through accomplished performances of new and previously rarely-heard works, starting with the Boston premiere of Mozart's Mass in C minor before a capacity audience at Boston's Trinity Church on March 21, 1949. In 1950 the chorus sang the American premiere of Marcel Dupré's De Profundis and the Boston premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s Mass. These and other performances helped attract the attention of Serge Koussevitzky, which led to many later collaborations with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Chorus pro Musica first appeared with the Boston Symphony in December 1950 in Henri Barraud's La Mystère des Saints Innocents. Its next performance with the BSO was not until 1957, but from that time until the creation of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in 1969, Chorus pro Musica was the BSO’s chorus of choice. Notable performances included the Boston premiere of Igor Stravinsky's Canticum Sacrum (1957) and the world premiere of Francis Poulenc's Gloria (1961), both under Charles Munch. In July 1963, the chorus joined the BSO under Erich Leinsdorf's baton at Tanglewood to perform the American premiere of the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten, a performance that was released on DVD in 2008. The chorus appeared in four BSO recordings under Leinsdorf, including Grammy nominated recordings of the Mozart and Verdi Requiems in 1964 and a remarkable recording of Wagner's Lohengrin in 1965.

Leadership: Chorus pro Musica has had the following Music Directors since its founding: Bud Patterson (founder), 1949-1979; Donald Palumbo, 1979-1988; Donald Kendrick, 1988-1990 (single season); Jeffrey Rink, 1990-2008; Betsy Burleigh, 2009-present.

Discography

1. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 9. Benjamin Zander, conductor, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra; Dominique Labelle, soprano; D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano; Brad Cresswell, tenor; David Arnold, baritone. London: IMP Masters, p1992.
2. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 9. Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Jane Marsh, soprano; Josephine Veasey, mezzo-soprano; Placido Domingo, tenor; Sherrill Milnes, baritone; New England Conservatory Chorus. RCA Victrola, 1988.
3. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 9; Arnold Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw, op. 46. Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Sherrill Milnes, narrator (Schoenberg) & baritone (Beethoven); Jane Marsh, soprano; Josephine Veasey, mezzo-soprano; Placido Domingo, tenor; New England Conservatory Chorus; Chorus Pro Musica (Beethoven only). BMG Entertainment, 2000, p1969.
4. Aaron Copland: In the Beginning. Leonard Bernstein, conductor, New York Philharmonic; Martha Lipton. Recorded 1953 for Sony; released 1998.
5. W.A. Mozart: Requiem. Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live in 1963 by RCA.
6. Giuseppe Verdi: Requiem. Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Birgit Nilsson, Lili Chookasian, Carlo Bergonzi, Ezio Flagello. Recorded in 1964 by RCA.
7. Richard Wagner: Lohengrin Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Sandor Konya, Lucine Amara, William Dooley, Rita Gorr, Jerome Hines, Calvin Marsh. Recorded in 1964 by RCA.
8. Italian Choral Works Donald Palumbo, Music Director, Chorus pro Musica. Recorded in 1984-85 for AFKA.

External links

• official Website
• Biography of Chorus pro Musica by David Frieze, written for the 50th anniversary season.

Category:Culture_of_Boston | Category:Musical_groups_from_Boston | Category:American choirs | Category:Musical_groups_established_in_1949