News and Notices

Hello friends,

I posted a snippet of a looping and creativity masterclass I led during a residency in Montana several weeks ago, not realizing how many people would be interested in learning more. The response has been overwhelming and exciting, to say the least!

Here is an indexed full version of that masterclass. It integrates traditional work in a choral setting with thinking creatively about musical shapes and textures, all using just the voice. I intend to pursue this in many ways over the coming years, including offering masterclasses in creativity and technology as well as working with choirs on my Nonsense Variations concept.

If you’d like to have me in for this sort of masterclass, or would like to take part in the first phase of Nonsense Variations, let me know! The residency in Montana was with two different choral programs to limit cost, and I’ve found it to be a great way to make the most impact in a short amount of time. I’d love to work with you as these projects expand.

All the best friends!
Paul

PAUL JOHN RUDOI
Composer | Vocalist | Conductor | Entrepreneur
CEO, Consortio
pauljohnrudoi.com

Greetings! I am delighted to invite you to the World Premiere of my newest composition, River and Tree.

The piece was sung as a virtual choir project by singers from my two ensembles, Arcadian Chorale (NJ) and Richmond Choral Society (NYC), with piano accompaniment and audio editing by Ruslan Odintsov, and video editing by Linnet Westerwick.

I wrote this piece last spring on a delightful text by American poet Margaret Sangster. It celebrates the idea that, once we take the time to connect with another individual, even someone who on the surface seems quite different from ourselves, we may be surprised by our commonalities and mutual regard.

River and Tree is set to premiere on YouTube on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 8 PM EDT.

Here is the YouTube link for River and Tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMJiyeAJFeU

There will be a live chat during the premiere.

Note that, after the premiere, the video will become a regular public video on Arcadian Chorale’s YouTube channel.

If you would like to see a PDF of the score, please visit http://www.marinaalexander.com/secular-choral-works.html

Hoping you will tune in for the World Premiere, and that you will enjoy my music!

Marina Alexander

St. John’s Church in Savannah (Episcopal) seeks professional staff singers / choristers for all parts.
Pay ranges from $35 to $65 per call (two calls weekly from Labor Day through Trinity Sunday- with 3 extra calls preceding scheduled Evensongs; three calls for Christmas Eve/Day; 5 calls for Holy Week and three calls for Easter Day) (one call per week during summer months). Will consider relocation expense supplement. Contact organist & choirmaster Steven Branyon

As it prepares for its 2021-2022 concert season, The Cecilia Chorus of New York is proud to announce the launch of a new organizational logo. The 150-voice chorus has been a highly regarded fixture of the NYC choral scene for over a century, performing at Carnegie Hall and other venues. “In the last ten years, under the leadership of Music Director Mark Shapiro, the chorus has emerged with new energy, presenting distinctive interpretations of core repertoire along with premiering commissioned works from a diverse group of contemporary composers. The decision to change the public face of our organization is an exciting visual representation of that evolution,” said Katie Davis, President of The Cecilia Chorus of New York.

See the new logo at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=237009644457604.

The new logo marks the first time the chorus has added a graphic symbol to its name. The graphic indicates the double C’s of Cecilia Chorus in a stylized rendering of the music symbol for Common Time, using a kinetic series of overlapping lines. It is integrated into the word mark by a vertical Bar Line. In its totality, with its fresh fonts and fluid use of brand colors, the new logo is designed to reflect the energy, joy, and ambition that, along with a reverence for the music and a deep respect for one another, distinguish The Cecilia Chorus of New York.

The Cecilia Chorus of New York was founded in 1906 and has been singing, performing, learning, and evolving in excellence ever since. The past all-digital season included interviews with prominent performers and composers — such as Sidney Outlaw, Naomi O’Connell, Tom Cipullo, The Brothers Balliett, and more — in their You Heard Them First series and engaging explorations of choral cultures around the world in their Staycations series. Recent artistic partners have included Obie Award-winning actress Kathleen Chalfant, two-time Tony Award-winning actor Stephen Spinella, and many prominent vocal artists such as Julia Bullock and Ryan Speedo Green in their Carnegie Hall debuts.

Mark Shapiro was appointed the seventh Music Director of The Cecilia Chorus of New York in 2011. The New York Times has characterized his conducting as “insightful” and acknowledged its “virtuosity and assurance,” and “uncommon polish.” Under his baton, The Cecilia Chorus of New York won the ASCAP/Chorus America Alice Parker Award and has evolved into one of the finest avocational performing arts organizations in New York City.

For more information about CCNY, visit http://www.ceciliachorusny.org/ or call 646-638-2535.

The Hollow is an outdoor linear choral work assembled in collaboration with Chicago composer Matthew Recio and librettist Alejandra Villareal Martinez. “The Hollow” may evoke a variety of images—an internalized, spiritual chasm; an emotional blank slate; a wooded sanctuary. But ultimately, it’s a musical exploration of isolation, depression, emergence, and renewal. This immersive experience allows listeners to travel along a circuitous wooded path, dotted with consorts of singers who will perform the separate movements of the piece. Once an audience group enters the performance area, they will be shepherded through the piece, either pausing to listen to the performers or progressing through the natural soundscape of Linne Woods. Each performance will last approximately 40 minutes, and audience members will be on their feet the whole time, so please plan accordingly.

These performances are presented in partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

Cost: Admission is free.
Suggested Donation: $25.
Location: Linne Woods in Morton Grove (1 mile west of I-94 on Dempster St)
Dates: Saturday, June 5 & Sunday, June 6 Time: 1:30-4:00pm
Estimated Performance Time: 40 minutes
Registration: Audience members must register here for entry times in advance