Cor Cantiamo to perform premiere of new sacred work Nov. 7 in Naperville
Chamber choir Cor Cantiamo, conducted by Eric A. Johnson, will perform the world premiere of Swiss-French composer Richard Dubugnon's "Psalm 10" in a choral concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 36 N. Ellsworth St., Naperville.
Completed earlier this year, Dubugnon's "Psalm 10" for unaccompanied, mixed-voice choir and soprano soloist was commissioned by nonprofit, classical sacred music foundation Soli Deo Gloria Inc. of Glen Ellyn for its Psalms Project, a collection of contemporary choral works based on the Book of Psalms.
"Psalm 10" opens with "Why, Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide yourself in times of trouble?"
Dubugnon graduated from the Paris Conservatory and London's Royal Academy of Music. His music has been performed by the Orchestre de Paris and the Berlin and New York Philharmonic orchestras.
The Nov. 7 program, titled "Inspirited," will launch the church's 2014-15 concerts at Saints Peter & Paul series. The concert "will explore composers' efforts to understand the divine and create beauty in the world," according to the church's website.
Two other Soli Deo Gloria-commissioned Psalm settings will be heard on the mostly contemporary music program: Gavin Bryars' "Psalm 141" ("I cry unto thee: make haste unto me!") and Daniel Kellogg's "Preserve Me, O God" (Psalm 16).
The concert will open with Timothy C. Takach's "A Worshipper and a Man," Abbie Betinis's "Carmina Mei Cordis" (Songs of My Heart), and Matthew Mariano's "Doxologia."
Next, Cor Cantiamo will sing the Bryars and Kellogg Psalms, paired with English Renaissance composer Thomas Weelkes' "When David Heard."
Following the premiere of Dubugnon's "Psalm 10" with soloist JoEllyn Caulfield, the choir will offer six songs based on poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, William Blake, William Shakespeare, and Finland's Jaako Mäntyjärvi and with music composed by Paul Hindemith, John Tavener, and Mäntyjärvi.
Concertgoers will hear three songs on the theme of flight in the natural world: Johannes Brahms' "Der Falke" (The Falcon), Op. 93a, No. 5; Charles Stanford's "The Blue Bird"; and Mia Makaroff's "The Butterfly." Stacy V. Gibbs' arrangement of "I Don' Feel No Ways Tired," a traditional spiritual, concludes the program.
Concert tickets are $15 general admission, $8 for students, and $45 for premiere seating in the front rows and a post-concert reception with the artists.
For tickets and information, call Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church at (630) 718-2206. Website is www.sspeterandpaul.net. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
Cor Cantiamo
Cor Cantiamo is a touring chamber choir in residence at Northern Illinois University. Its conductor, Eric A. Johnson, is the professional vocal ensemble's founding artistic director. Cor Cantiamo was formed in 2009 with the mission of performing contemporary choral music and fostering new composers for the art form. Its members are professional musicians from the greater Chicago area.
Psalms Project
Soli Deo Gloria's Psalms Project is a collection of 15 contemporary choral works based on the biblical Book of Psalms. The project, made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., has encouraged some of the Western world's foremost composers "to expand the musical reach of the Psalms as a source of inspiration and strength for our time," according to Soli Deo Gloria.
Soli Deo Gloria, Inc.
Soli Deo Gloria, Inc. was formed in 1993 as a nonprofit foundation devoted to the preservation, performance, and promotion of classical sacred music inspired by the Bible in the Christian and Jewish traditions. The organization takes its name from the Latin phrase meaning "to God alone be the Glory," which J.S. Bach inscribed on many of his compositions.
To date, Soli Deo Gloria has commissioned 37 original works of sacred music from 25 composers of nine nationalities. It also sponsors concerts and recordings on CD and DVD, including four critically praised DVDs of classical sacred masterworks led by Grammy Award-winning conductor John Nelson, Soli Deo Gloria's founding artistic director. The organization's concert activities include the annual Chicago Bach Project, which since 2011 has presented Nelson conducting one-night-only performances of J.S. Bach's monumental sacred masterworks with top-tier casts of international soloists, orchestral musicians, and choristers. The 2015 performance, the "St. John Passion," is scheduled for March 20 at Chicago's Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
Soli Deo Gloria's headquarters is at 800 Roosevelt Road, Suite A100, Glen Ellyn, Ill. Phone (630) 984-4300. Website: www.sdgmusic.org.