LA Children's Chorus to Present US Debut of Cuban Choir SINE NOMINE 2/15 in Pasadena

The famed Los AngeLes Children's Chorus (LACC) presents the highly anticipated US debut of Cuba's premiere men's choir Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine, led by eminent Cuban choral conductor Leonor Suárez Dulzaides, in a free concert on Saturday, February 15, 2014, 7:00 pm, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, launching the nine-member Havana-based choir's first state-side tour.

Noted for its unique configuration of tenor and bass voices augmented by countertenors (soprano and alto), the choir, applauded by critics and audiences alike, presents diverse repertoire ranging from early polyphony to contemporary Cuban works. Sine Nomine performs jointly and separately with LACC's Young Men's Ensemble, led by Dr. Steven Kronauer, for middle school- and high school-aged boys with changing or changed voices.

"It is an honor for Los AngeLes Children's Chorus to present this extraordinary choir and share with the Southland Sine Nomine's incredible artistry through this community concert," says LACC Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson. "This remarkable cultural exchange reflects LACC's mission of sharing the transformative power of music with people of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds. It also provides our Young Men's Ensemble with an opportunity to perform alongside one of the world's leading men's choirs."

Since its inception in 2003, Sine Nomine, which has become a vanguard among Cuban choirs, has won prizes in the prestigious CUBADISCO festival, released two CDs, "Portrait at Capella" (EGREM, 2007) and "Passio Domini Nostri Iesu Christi "(K617, 2005), toured to Spain and Mexico, and been featured on several film soundtracks. In addition to the choir's performance in Pasadena, its 16-day tour includes appearances in Long Beach, Palm Desert, San Francisco, Redwood City and Santa Barbara, where the choir is being featured at the annual American Choral Directors Association Western Regional conference. Sine Nomine's tour is sponsored in part by ACFEA Tour Consultants.

LACC's Young Men's Ensemble, one of only a few choirs in the country to serve young male vocalists with changing voices, is designed for boys who wish to pursue singing and the choral art throughout middle and high school. It offers quality vocal and choral training along with essential tools needed to bridge the gap between treble and young men's choral singing. Established in 2009, YME features a specially tailored musicianship course and individualized vocal coaching sessions that adhere to LACC's exceptionally high standards and rigor. Among numerous highlights, YME has toured to Germany, Austria and Italy and performed with the esteemed University of Michigan Men's Glee Club and Harvard Glee Club.

Admission is free (suggested donation is $10). For information, please call (626) 793-4231 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org. Pasadena Presbyterian Church is located at 585 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101.

LOS ANGELes ChildREN'S CHORUS - lauded as "one of the world's foremost children's choirs" (Pasadena Star News), and described by critics as "hauntingly beautiful" (Los Angeles Times), "astonishingly polished" (Performances Magazine), "extraordinary in its abilities" (Culture Spot LA), and "one heck of a talented group of kids" (LA Weekly) - is recognized throughout the country for its exceptional artistic quality and technical ability. Founded in 1986 and led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson since 1995, LACC's roster includes more than 375 children ages 6 to 18 from more than 50 communities across Los Angeles in six choirs and First Experiences in Singing program. LACC has toured North and South America, Africa, China, Australia and Europe. It appears on the Los Angeles Master Chorale's critically acclaimed Decca recording A Good Understanding, and Plácido Domingo's Deutsche Grammophon recording Amore Infinito ("Infinite Love"). The subject of a trilogy of documentaries by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock, LACC is featured in the Academy Award-nominated Sing!, about a year in the life of the choir; Sing Opera!, documenting the production of LACC's commissioned family opera Keepers of the Night; and Sing China!, chronicling its groundbreaking tour to China just prior to the Beijing Olympics. LACC has performed with John Mayer on NBC's "The Tonight Show" and was featured on Public Radio International's nationally syndicated show "From the Top," among other credits.

The all-male CAMARATA VOCALE SINE NOMINE was founded in 2003 by director Enrique Fililú O'Reilly, and has been led by Leonor Suárez Dulzaides since 2008. The chorus, which features countertenor voices (soprano and alto), as well as tenor and bass voices, is a vanguard of the current choral movement in Cuba. Its repertoire spans the ages, from early polyphony works to spirituals and contemporary Cuban music. The choir is featured on two CDs, both of which were CUBADISCO prize winners: "Portrait at Capella" (EGREM, 2007) and "Passio Domini Nostri Iesu Christi "(K617, 2005). The chorus has performed in the major concert halls of Cuba and has tour Mexico and Spain. In 2012, it won Best Ensemble and Best Vocal Arrangement in the international choral competition "Jalisco Canta," in Mexico. The choir is also featured on the soundtracks of the documentary film "In the Wrong Body," and the motion picture "Wedding Dress" directed by Marilyn Solaya. Critics and audiences have lauded the choir's performances of such works as Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, and Handel's Acis and Galatea and Messiah, under the respective batons Walter Reiter, Richard Bonynge and Teresa Paz. Sine Nomine recently recorded two new CDs, one dedicated to the work of the composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the other to the music of John Paris.

LEONOR SUÁREZ DULZAIDES, the Director of Camarata Vocale Sine Nomine, graduated from the National School of Arts and subsequently joined the Institute Superior Arts, where she studied choral conducting under Digna Guerra. A highly respected music educator, she has served on the National Working Committee, which plans and develops music curricula for elementary and middle schools in Cuba. She is also serves as a teaching artist with the Development Program of the National Choral Music Center Program, and has co-written several music teaching books. A composer as well, she has earned prizes for her works for mixed and female chorus. She has directed the Women Coral Amadeo Roldán Conservatory since 2000, and has led Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine since 2008. Among numerous credits, she has collaborated on various opera projects with violinist Walter Reiter and conductor Richard Bonynge; assembled and rehearsed choirs for a CD featuring the music of Juan Cayetano Pagueras, conducted by maestro José Antonio Méndez; and participated in numerous Early Music Festivals held in Havana and elsewhere. In addition, she has conducted choral workshops on Cuban music in San Francisco as well as at the recent ACDA Western Regional Conference in Reno, Nevada.

To post a comment, you must register and login.