Creating our own culture in the woods of New Hampshire

news & reviews





"Harvest and Home" NH MASTER CHORALE'S FALL CONCERT SERIES


Songs From Around the World and Premiere of Jonathan Santore's "Living with Squirrels"


MEREDITH, NH - The New Hampshire Master Chorale's (NHMC) upcoming concert series will celebrate songs of harvest and home from around the world - Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Romania, and America. Unveiled at the concerts will be originally set music based on poetry about New Hampshire by Jonathan Santore, the 2010 NH State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellow. Concerts will be held on November 20, 21, and 22 in Concord, NH; Norwich, VT; and Plymouth, NH respectively.


Santore has set to music three humorous and poignant poems about New Hampshire written by Liz Ahl, a Plymouth State University professor and nationally acclaimed poet. _ _"I'm so pleased to premiere these new pieces, setting text by a contemporary New Hampshire poet," said Santore. "I'd like to thank the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts for the fellowship, and the New Hampshire Master Chorale, whose encouragement, advocacy, and consummate artistry inspired me to create the body of work that won the award."


Tickets will be sold at each concert for $15 for seniors and students or $20 for all others. The concerts will be held on the following dates and times:


Friday, November 20, 8:00 PM, South Congregational Church, Concord, NH; Saturday, November 21, at 7:30pm, Norwich Congregational Church, Norwich, VT; and Sunday, November 22 at 4:00 PM, Plymouth Congregational Church, Plymouth, NH 3:30 PM pre-concert talk with Jonathan Santore and Liz Ahl



Dan Perkins, NHMC Music Director commented, "We welcome five wonderful new singers to the ensemble this season! Our program is one of comfort and warmth, focusing on the things most important and close to us - our families and our passions. We will sing a wide variety of familiar, as well as new works that celebrate these themes." The New Hampshire Master Chorale, a nonprofit choir in its seventh season, is dedicated to excellence in the art of choral music performance. Members of the group are singers auditioned from throughout New England who have performed as soloists and in choral ensembles throughout the world. For more information about the New Hampshire Master Chorale or concert tickets, visit www.nhmasterchorale.org or 603-536-2367.


###


For more information, contact:


Dan Perkins, Music Director: 603.535.2367 or


Michele Talwani, Publicity: 603.254.7841



Best Of NH designation in NH Magazine:


Musical History Program: A concert performed by the New Hampshire Master Chorale is one history lesson you won’t mind attending. The chorale, directed by Dan Perkins, has its own composer-in-residence who uses text from New Hampshire historians to compose music, creating a unique blend of Granite State history, music and art. Singers in the Master Chorale are auditioned annually and perform several incredible and emotional performances throughout the year.

NHPR Front Porch Interview with Dan Perkins May 2006
(listen to MP3)

Hippo Review of Concert at Brookside Church, Manchester, May 1, 2004
(view PDF)

Quotes from our fans:

"The New Hampshire Master Chorale is a brilliant jewel."

"Your concert was superb . . . your singers were masterful ... "

"At times I had my head in hands, wondering at the beauty of the music ..."

"Exciting, diverse, and creative programming!"

"[Perkins’] energy and consummate musicianship infuses the Master Chorale with life and joy.  The resulting tone and sense of ensemble is better than anything I’ve heard in this area and beyond.



 

March 25, 2010

For more information, contact:

Dan Perkins, Music Director: 603.535.2367 or

Michele Talwani, Publicity: 603.254.7841

NH MASTER CHORALE TO PERFORM MOZART “MASS IN C MINOR”

A Collaboration with NHMC Chamber Orchestra, Soloists,

and Plymouth State University’s Chamber Singers

MEREDITH, NH – Conducted by Dr. Daniel Perkins, the New Hampshire Master Chorale will collaborate with its professional chamber orchestra, four professional soloists, and the Plymouth State University Chamber Singers in two performances of Mozart’s “Great” Mass in C Minor on April 30 and May 1 in Concord and Plymouth, respectively. The concert is part of the Chorale’s ten-year plan to provide performances of new and innovative choral works as well as vibrant interpretations of choral masterpieces to audiences throughout New Hampshire.


The performances will be unique in that the 25-voice Master Chorale will seek to perform the work close to the manner in which Mozart may have conceived it, rather than imitating many modern performances, which incorporate very large choirs in a highly romanticized style. Left incomplete at his death, Mozart wrote the Mass as a peace offering to his father who didn’t support his son’s marriage and as a way for Mozart to honor his wife who sang the soprano solos at the premiere of the Mass in 1783 in Salzburg, Germany.  The soloists for the Master Chorale performances are Emily Jaworski – soprano, Tania Mandzy – mezzo-soprano, Matthew Anderson – tenor, and Steven Small – baritone.  


The concert will also feature the premiere of “Lucky Sevens,” an orchestral overture by Master Chorale’s composer-in-residence, Dr. Jonathan Santore.


“We seek to engage our strong and committed audience base, while expanding our target audience to include more university and public school students,” said Dr. Perkins.  “To this end, I invited the Chamber Singers from Plymouth State University to join with the Master Chorale in these performances.”

 

The concerts will be held on Friday, April 30 at St. Paul’s Church in Concord and Saturday, May 1 at Plymouth Congregational Church in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Both performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at www.nhmasterchorale.org, from singers and board members, and at the door prior to performances.  All tickets are $20.  For group rates, email info@nhmasterchorale.org.


The New Hampshire Master Chorale, a nonprofit choir in its seventh season, is dedicated to excellence in the art of choral music performance. Members of the group are singers auditioned from throughout New England who have performed as soloists and in choral ensembles throughout the world. For more information about the New Hampshire Master Chorale or concert tickets, visit www.nhmasterchorale.org or call 603-535-2367.

###