Phoenix Chorale Opens 60th Season DESERT & RIVERS

The Phoenix Chorale opens its milestone 60th Anniversary Season with Desert and Rivers, a lush concert filled with music inspired by the contrasting landscapes of our home state. The September concerts are the first of the ensemble's celebratory season, with each concert of the season celebrating a unique aspect of the Phoenix Chorale's roots, origins and history.

The 2018/19 Season first celebrates Arizona's awe-inspiring environment- its twisting rivers, canyons, vast starry skies and desert vistas, which we call home. Guest Conductor Jenny Wong, a finalist in Phoenix Chorale's Artistic Director Search, leads this program exploring desert-inspired themes of solitude and exile, to rushing flowing rivers conjuring images of healing, mystery and rebirth.

The program includes with music by Moira Smiley, Palestrina, C.P.E. Bach, John Adams, Ola Gjeilo, and more.

A native of Hong Kong, Jenny Wong is one of the youngest conductors to win two consecutive World Champion titles at the World Choir Games and the International Johannes Brahms Choral Competition. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California and is currently the Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC). In this position, she has prepared choruses for Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic, Susanna Mälkki, Eric Whitacre, and Grant Gershon. Last summer, Jenny conducted the LAMC in the world premiere of Moira Smiley's five-movement work, Time in Our Voices, in December she conducted the LAMC in the six Bach Motets, and she will lead them in Duruflé's Requiem in 2019.

Desert and Rivers will be the first opportunity for audiences to experience the Phoenix Chorale under the direction of an Artistic Director Search finalist. The Chorale invites audiences to meet each conductor, experience the special talents each finalist brings, discover the beauty and range of each of the 60th Anniversary's distinct concerts. After each concert, ticket holders will have the opportunity to complete a survey and share their concert experiences.

Phoenix Chorale has partnered with Audubon Arizona for a free lecture on September 11 at 6:00 pm. The public is invited to join Hailey Paul and Dr. George A. Martinez as they present "Our Desert Rivers: A Rich Legacy of Place and Sound" at the Audubon Arizona headquarters, 3131 S. Central Avenue.

?PHOENIX CHORALE
DESERT AND RIVERS
September 28-30, 2018

EAST VALLEY
Friday, September 28, 2018 at 7:30 PM
The Church of the Epiphany-Tempe
2222 S. Price Rd., Tempe

CENTRAL PHOENIX
Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 7:30 PM
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
100 W. Roosevelt St., Phoenix

PARADISE VALLEY
Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 3:00 PM
Camelback Bible Church
3900 E. Stanford Dr., Paradise Valley

TICKETS:
Tickets start at $35 for Adults, $30 for Senior & Military, $15 for Students.
www.phoenixchorale.org or 602-253-2224
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LECTURE:
Our Desert Rivers:
?A Rich Legacy of Place and Sound
September 11, 2018
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Audubon Arizona
3131 S. Central Ave, Phoenix
Lecturers: Hailey Paul and Dr. George A. Martinez

DESERT AND RIVERS
PROGRAM

Ginastera: Hieremiae Prophetae Lamentaciones

Carl Phillipe Emmanuel Bach: Chor der Israeliten

Handel: And the children of Israel Sighed

Adams: Chorus of Exiled Jews from The Death of Klinghoffer
Moira Smiley: Stand in that River

Barber: The Coolin'

Palestrina: Super Flumina Babylonis

Antognini: There Will Come Soft Rains

Edenroth: Water

Elder: The Heart's Reflection

Gjeilo: Across the Vast Eternal Sky

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PHOENIX CHORALE
60TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

The 60th Anniversary Season opens in September with Desert and Rivers, (Sept. 28-30, 2018); Mid-Century Modern (Oct. 26-28, 2018); A Chorale Christmas (Dec. 14-18, 2018); Pathways of Devotion (Feb. 22-24, 2019) and concludes in April with Reflections (Apr. 5-7, 2019).

Season subscriptions for the 2018/19 Season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 602-253-2224. Season subscriptions of 3, 4, and 5 concerts start at $115; single tickets start at $35, with discounts available for students, seniors and Military.

ABOUT THE SEARCH
The Artistic Director Search process began in the summer of 2017 and by November, fifty qualified individuals from across the United States and abroad had applied for the position. The Search Team reviewed the first round of materials: cover letters, resumes, and both audio and video files, narrowing the field to 11 Semifinalists. The Semifinalists submitted a second round of materials including additional video and audio files, sample concert programs, and each semifinalist was tasked with designing a concert program for the Chorale; interviews were held, and references were checked. At the end of that round, four finalists were identified and invited to continue in the Search process.Each finalist will come to Phoenix and lead the Chorale in rehearsals and concerts and will meet with the board, staff, singers, and the Phoenix community over the course of their concert series. The final selection for the Artistic Director position is expected in late spring of 2019, with the new Artistic Director taking the helm in the 2019/20 Season.

ABOUT THE PHOENIX CHORALE
The Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale is regarded as one of the finest choral ensembles in North America. The 28-voice chorus has developed this reputation through live performances across Arizona, the U.S., and in Canada, along with a series of recordings treasured by music lovers and played by radio stations around the world. The Phoenix Chorale began in 1958 as a small study group of singers performing music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras and quickly evolved into a performing ensemble. In 1992, the ensemble transitioned into a professional choir, and to this day, the ensemble's roster is made up of Arizona residents: highly educated and trained singers with a variety of careers, including teaching music. In 2004, the Phoenix Chorale became the first North American choir to record for the U.K.'s Chandos Records and since then, the Chorale's recordings have earned a total of eight Grammy nominations and two Grammy wins. In its 60-year history, conductors of the Chorale have included Millicent Wesley, Wallace Hornibrook, Dan Durand, Vance George, Anders Öhrwall, Jon Washburn, and Charles Bruffy. The Phoenix Chorale's vision is to be the preeminent model for American choral music by redefining standards of excellence and its mission is to enrich life through excellence and distinction in choral artistry. PhoenixChorale.org.

The Phoenix Chorale, ensemble-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Phoenix, is sponsored in part through grants, funding, and support from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Arizona Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

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