University Singers & Chamber Singers present Bach’s Mass in B minor

April 17, 2010 - 8:00pm
  • Monday, April 19, 2010
  • St. Aloysius Church, Washington D.C.
  • 8:00pm
  • $15 general/$5 students

 

 

April 15: J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor – A Pre-concert Talk (Minor Hall Auditorium)

J.S. Bach wrote of it “to the glory of God alone.” Others have called it the greatest music ever written. By any measure, Bach’s Mass in B minor is one of the pinnacle achievements of Western music. The University of Virginia University Singers and Chamber Singers will perform the work with chamber orchestra on Saturday, April 17 at 8:00 pm in UVa’s Old Cabell Hall, and again on Monday, April 19 at 8:00 pm at St. Aloysius Church, 19 I St. NW in Washington DC. The performances will be led by UVa faculty conductor Michael Slon, and will feature soloists Lily Hsieh, Amanda Balestrieri, Barbara Hollinshead, Scott Mello, and Sumner Thompson.

This marks the first time in their history the University Singers will be performing the B minor Mass. Founded in 1957, the ensemble is the premier mixed-voice chorus at UVa, and has recently performed works ranging from Orff’s Carmina Burana, Duruflé’s Requiem, and Mozart's Mass in C minor to shorter a cappella pieces. Recent trips have taken the group to Atlanta, Buffalo, Charlotte, Charleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York City, Philadelphia, Virginia Beach, and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Other recent highlights have included collaborations with the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra, including the popular Family Holiday Concerts, a performance for Hillary Clinton, and commissioning projects with leading American composers Stephen Paulus and Eric Whitacre.

Founded in 2005 and conducted by Michael Slon, the UVa Chamber Singers is a select ensemble drawn from the University Singers, and performs a wide variety of music for chamber choir ranging from early music to contemporary compositions. Recent performances have included the Palestrina Missa Brevis, Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia, Bach's Cantata 150 and Cantata 61, Brahms' Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, and Orff's Carmina Burana with the University Singers and Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the group has performed popular standards by Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern, and new music by Meredith Monk (with the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble) and Eric Whitacre.

Michael Slon will be offering a free public lecture on the Mass in B minor, time and place TBA. The talk is co-sponsored by the Department of Music and German Studies.

Tickets for the concerts are $15 general/$5 students, and free for UVA Students who reserve in advance. Tickets are available at the UVa Arts Box Office in the Culbreth building, online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu or by calling (434) 924-3376. Tickets will also be available at the door – cash only in Washington DC.

At the University of Virginia limited free parking is available in the C1 lot off McCormick Rd. Handicap parking is available on McCormick Road or in the small parking lot adjacent to Bryan Hall. Pay parking is available in the Central Grounds Parking Garage, just a short stroll across grounds, as well as the privately owned parking lots on the corner. For maps and other parking options, please visit https://music.virginia.edu/directions-parking

For more information visit:
https://music.virginia.edu/usingers

https://music.virginia.edu/chamber-singers

 

Address

UVA Department of Music
112 Old Cabell Hall
P.O. Box 400176 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4176

Email: music@virginia.edu