Marcia A. Giambrone, Conductor/Music Director Buffalo Choral Arts Society
Robert Shaw, world renown choral conductor of the 20th century, often used as a rallying cry for his singers and orchestra members alike, 'The music comes first'.
Buffalo Choral Arts Society (BCAS) is a community chorus in the truest sense of the word, adopting this motto of Mr. Shaw, celebrating a membership which is representative of the talent, dedication, loyalty and commitment found in excellent musical organizations in Western New York.
Our season is dedicated to the singer and the enormous joy that is derived by performing great choral literature. In the 44 years since first established by founder Robert F. Schulz, BCAS has forged a reputation in the community for singing with choral excellence. The literature spans centuries and embraces all genres.
This present season began on October 25th with Cantemus in front of a full and enthusiastic audience at St. Gregory the Great RC Church in Williamsville, NY. Area soprano, Jill Masters, joined BCAS for a poignant concert of standard choral pieces representing Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th century literature.
The season continues on Friday, December,11th and Sunday, December, 13th, 7:30 PM at Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna NY, with Let the Angels Sing!, a Christmas concert which includes traditional as well as new choral works of the season. BCAS has sung in this magnificent church at Christmas time for almost 20 years. It is our holiday home.
Following into the new year, St. Joseph's University Church is the setting for A Choral Evensong on Sunday, February 28th, 4 pm. Please join us at one or all of our upcoming performances as BCAS continues to celebrate the singer.
A Message from the President
Daniel J. Reisdorf President
Each part of the name “Buffalo Choral Arts Society” has so much to say. Regardless of where in Western New York we hail from, we regard our identity as Buffalonian. Our members inhabit all areas of our region: from the city to the suburbs, northtowns to southtowns, yet we all belong to Buffalo. Each year it is a thrill to see people move to this beautiful part of the country and quietly let them in on some of the best kept secrets of Western New York.
Aside from our breathtaking landscape and modest winters, one of our gems is the healthy life of artistic choral music in Buffalo. Being a chorus teacher in the Pembroke Central School district, I sometimes worry about the cultural health of our young people. Organizations such as the Buffalo Choral Arts Society remind me of the vibrant, culturally aware region in which we live, and leave me feeling reassured. From time to time it is necessary to remind ourselves that experiencing live music benefits the soul and is essential to a healthy cultural diet.
While BCAS has a fulfilling role in the Western New York music scene, inside BCAS we come from all walks of life. From students, teachers and homemakers to doctors, scientists and accountants- engineers, electricians, and veterans to marketers, computer programmers and retirees, our members live and work in all areas of our community. However, our occupations do not define us. We are daughters, sons, spouses, brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that have the good fortune to make music together every week. I share the stage with my lovely wife, Tina- and her siblings and parents, the Dosches. Regardless of employment and relationships, we all have something very important in common, the love of music.
The Buffalo Choral Arts Society is looking forward to a wonderful concert series at Our Lady of Victory Basilica, in Lackawanna. Please join us as we share our musical celebration on December 11th and 13th.
Let the Angels Sing! Friday, December 11th, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 13th, 7:30 p.m. Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna NY
BCAS performs songs of the season, including familiar and new choral arrangements, in this historic church. OLV is the perfect location to see and hear choral music at its finest. Large audiences have raved each year as they experience the holiday choral season in this treasured venue.
A Choral Evensong Sunday, February 28th, 2010, 3:00 p.m. St. Joseph University Parish, Buffalo, NY
Sounds of Spring! Friday, April 30th, 2010, 7:30 PM Sunday, May 2nd, 2010, 5 PM Slee Concert Hall, North Campus, University at Buffalo
BCAS rolls up its collective sleeves and presents a lighter "pops" concert for a final pair of performances closing out the 44th season. BCAS members will have an opportunity to share toe-tapping tunes and choral medleys of well-known songs representing an eclectic range of music from pop to Broadway, spirituals to American classics.
BCAS performs a concert tour in Quebec City
Last summer, the Buffalo Choral Arts Society performed a four day concert tour at world renown venues throughout Quebec City.
To start the tour at a high point, on Friday, July 3rd, BCAS was humbled and grateful to have been asked to perform for the U.S. Consulate and guests during a reception honoring the U.S. Independence Day. The chorus sang before an assembled group of Quebec City dignitaries, which included the Mayor of Quebec City and the newly appointed Bishop of Quebec. Music selections included an arrangement of “The Star Spangled Banner” and a rendition of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
BCAS was also an integral part of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the church at Ste. Marie de Beauce on Sunday, July 5th, with a 9:30 a.m. pre-Mass concert followed by participation in the 10:00 a.m. mass service.The musical day continued with a special concert performance at the CHLSD, a long term care facility at St. Marie de Beauce, to honor Dorothy Adele Darisse and her fellow residents. Mrs. Darisse, the 99 year old mother of BCAS baritone Richard Darisse, was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (Class of 1932) in Rochester, NY, and music played a big part in her life. (Richard Darisse is eternally grateful to the Buffalo Choral Arts Society for having taken the time and effort to sing for his mother who was surrounded by her loving family. Mrs. Darisse passed away 3 months later at the facility.)
The tour came to an exciting close with performances held at the world renown pilgrim site of Sainte Anne de Beaupre Basilica and Shrine on Monday, July 6th and at the Notre Dame des Victoires Church, Tuesday, July 7th.
During their free time, the group of 63 had an opportunity to visit famous tourist sights and attractions such as the Chateau Frontenac, the Montmorency Falls, the Quartier Champlain where the founder of Quebec City in 1608 established the first settlement, the Plains of Abraham.
The trip was a celebration of the world’s language; music. It has left the group with beautiful memories and pictures along with an excitement for the next concert tour to Washington, D.C. in July of 2011!
A Musical Family Picnic
On September 13th, veteran and new members came together at ‘The Bluffs’ in Derby for the BCAS annual picnic to kick off the 2009-2010 concert season. Weeks of planning went into the event with final check-lists having been sent out by Special Events Coordinator, Gail Leary. Members and their families brought their favorite dishes to pass along with some outstanding games like Kan-Jam and BlongoBall. As an added highlight, tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff estate were given at a discounted rate. Laughs were in abundance, the weather was perfect and the food was first-rate. It was a perfect day.
BCAS Reaches Out to Buffalo’s Art Community and its Supporters
By Dr. Kevin Phalen, Bass 2
The Tenth Annual Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts took place this year on August 29th and 30th and the Buffalo Choral Arts Society was proud to participate once again. The weekend festival is a gathering of local artisans who line the “Elmwood Strip” with hundreds of tents offering items for sale from paintings and photography to pottery and jewelry. Along “Cultural Row” you’ll find local not-for-profit organizations offering information on the upcoming theatre, dance and concert seasons. Add to that mix three stages of continuous performances, roving troupes of an eclectic mix of street performers, and some of the best food Western New York has to offer, and you have the makings of a fun-filled weekend. A team of about twenty volunteers from BCAS helped staff our tent offering information on our 2009-2010 concert season, as well as a display of concert programs, fliers and photographs from previous performances. Fifteen prospective singers also registered to audition with the group. It’s always a pleasure to meet singers and audience members from all over Western New York. The weekend not only allows us an opportunity to promote our upcoming season and recruit new singers, but also increases our exposure in the Western New York community. We hope to see you there next year!
CANTEMUS!
A review of our October concert by Tina Reece, Soprano 2
Anticipation was in the air at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church. The date was October 25, 2009. It was the first concert of the new season. Approximately 18 new members waited for their first BCAS concert experience to begin while veterans awaited the start of the concert calmly. Weeks of hard work yielded a performance that was rich and joyous.
The first number on the program, ‘Sing unto God’ is a joyous anthem composed by George Frideric Handel for the wedding of Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1736. BCAS paid tribute to Mr. Handel in the 250th anniversary year of his death with a majestic and textured performance of this piece. The first half of the program also included excerpts from ‘Messiah’, including ‘And the Glory of the Lord’, ‘Thanks be to God’ and the audience pleasing ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ as a nod to the composer. In stark contrast to these complex choral pieces, BCAS presented Ralph Manuel’s ‘Alleluia’, a piece so stunning in its simplicity. This enchanting song drew the audience in with its building layers of intricate harmonies. I can sincerely say that this piece is as heavenly to perform as it is to hear.
On this occasion, the BCASingers, a small chamber ensemble group from within the BCAS membership, began their performance with ‘Ehre Sei Dir Christe’, composed by Heinrich Schutz for his master work The St. Matthew Passion. In honor of the bicentennial of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn, the second number – ‘Blessed are the Men Who Fear Him’-was performed with the appropriate sensitivity, ending with a glorious crescendo melting into pure calm. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the BCASingers wound up their performance with ‘Band of Angels’, a boisterous spiritual composed by contemporary composer Dr. André Thomas. This very capable ensemble welcomed the challenge of performing these radically different pieces for the very appreciative audience.
A major highlight of the concert was the participation of Jill Masters, one of Western New York’s premier soprano soloists and cantor at St. Gregory the Great RC Church. Jill joined BCAS soprano Christina Reisdorf and full chorus for a striking rendition of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Pié Jesu. The audience and chorus alike were entranced as the two soprano voices soared, both separately and together, to the rafters of the church. Ms. Masters also joined the BCASingers to treat the audience to selections from Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Mass’. Her pure tone lent the perfect touch to ‘Simple Songs’, and the BCASingers’ performance of ‘Prayer of the Congregation’ was a worthy partner. In the final portion of the concert, Ms. Masters sang the classic ‘Panis Angelicus’ and sealed the deal with this enamored audience.
BCAS showcased its versatility with pieces of contrasting tone and character for the concert’s finale. First, John Rutter’s ‘Gaelic Blessing’ was performed with lightness and grace. Then, the concert was brought to a close with a playful rendition of Byron J. Smith’s ‘Worthy to be Praised’.
Audience members Stu and Agnes Becker were first time BCAS concert goers and were pleasantly surprised to recognize Ms. Masters and her husband, BCAS Bass Christopher Neuhaus. All are Grand Island natives. “This concert combined the perfect songs, perfect voices and the perfect soloist,” said Agnes. “We will definitely be attending the BCAS Christmas concert at Our Lady of Victory Basilica!”
Indeed, as a member of BCAS for nine years, I can definitely say that this concert was as much of a pleasure to perform as it was to hear.
This newsletter is published by the Buffalo Choral Arts Society, P.O. Box 266, Buffalo, NY 14205 | (716) 812-1541
Robert Shaw, world renown choral conductor of the 20th century, often used as a rallying cry for his singers and orchestra members alike, 'The music comes first'.
