New sacred choral work to receive U.S. premiere in Wheaton Jan.19

Three sacred choral works commissioned by nonprofit Soli Deo Gloria, Inc. will be performed by a cappella choir Cor Cantiamo as part of a free concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 19, at College Church, 332 E. Seminary Ave., Wheaton, Ill.

Estonian-based composer Galina Grigorjeva's "Bless the Lord, o my soul" (Psalm 103), commissioned for Soli Deo Gloria's Psalms Project, will receive its U.S. premiere. Soli Deo Gloria describes the piece for a cappella mixed chorus as “a soulful work rooted in the Byzantine tradition.” It received its world premiere in 2013 in Wales.

Also from Soli Deo Gloria's Psalms Project are Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds's "Psalm 67" (“May God be gracious to us”) and English composer Peter Bannister's "Psalm 96" (“O sing to the Lord a new song”). Ešenvalds's work for a cappella mixed chorus and tenor soloist, which premiered in the U.S. in 2013, is “powerful, with moments of hushed intimacy,” the organization says. Bannister's "Psalm 96," commissioned in honor of Elsbeth Shannon and premiered in 2011, “incorporates African rhythms and tonality with percussion.”

The program, presented by College Church as part of its 2013–14 Sunday afternoon concert series, will include works by Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Germany's Heinrich Schütz, as well as contemporary spirituals. For concert information, contact College Church at (630) 668-0878. Its website is college-church.org.

Cor Cantiamo is ensemble in residence at Northern Illinois University. The accomplished, professional vocal ensemble is led by Eric A. Johnson, its 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.

Soli Deo Gloria's Psalms Project is intended to “to encourage the creation of smaller musical compositions that can enrich liturgy and can also function as independent concert works,” the organization says. The project, made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., is designed to be a collection of 15 contemporary musical works in the Western art-music tradition, written by the world's foremost composers.

Soli Deo Gloria: 20th Season of Sacred Music

Now in its 20th season, 2013–14, Soli Deo Gloria is dedicated to enhancing, promoting, and preserving classical sacred music in the biblical tradition at the highest level by sponsoring recordings and concerts and commissioning new works.

During its two decades, Soli Deo Gloria has commissioned more than 35 works of classical sacred music ranging in scale from Psalm settings for a cappella mixed chorus to oratorios. Among composers who have received Soli Deo Gloria commissions are Aaron Jay Kernis, James MacMillan, Christopher Rouse, and Augusta Read Thomas, to name a few.

Founded in 1993, Soli Deo Gloria takes its name from the Latin phrase that Bach inscribed on many of his composition, meaning “to God alone be the Glory.”

The organization's world headquarters is at 800 Roosevelt Road, Suite A100, Glen Ellyn, Ill. Phone (630) 984-4300. Website: www.sdgmusic.org.