The Well-Tempered Ear

The Madison Choral Project and Madison Youth Choirs will collaborate in a concert this Saturday night of choral music by Gabriel Faure, Josquin des Prez, Hildegard von Bingen and others.

By Jacob Stockinger

Our friends at the Madison Youth Choirs and the Madison Choral Project sent us the following announcement:

On this Saturday night, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave., two generations of Madison’s talented vocalists will come together for an ambitious concert that will bring over 900 years of choral tradition to life.

The two most advanced ensembles of the Madison Youth Choirs — Ragazzi and Cantabile (below), composed of singers ages 15-18 and conducted by Michael Ross — will perform two early music selections: Hildegard von Bingen‘s 12th-century “Sed Diabolus” and Josquin’s 15th-century “Ave Maria.”

The Madison Choral Project, a professional chamber choir directed by Albert Pinsonneault (below), will bring the concert into the 19th and 20th centuries with Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and James MacMillan‘s “Te Deum.”

Adds Pinsonneault:

Gabriel Faure‘s “Requiem” is gentle, yearning, sublime, and transcendent. We have worked so hard on crafting a fine sound and bringing nuanced phrasing to the fore. We are thrilled to present this work!

James MacMillan’s “Te Deum” is spacious, vibrant, at times meditative and at times intense. This virtuosic work demands the highest possible musicianship with its complex rhythms weaving together to form a larger tapestry of sound.

In the Faure and MacMillan, we join with guest organist Bruce Bengtson, who pulls amazing sounds from the great organ at First Congregational United Church of Christ.

The two choirs will also combine to sing Hans Leo Hassler‘s “Ach weh des Leiden” (you can hear them perform the work in a YouTube video at the bottom) and the American traditional “Down in the River to Pray,” used to memorable effect in the popular Coen brothers‘ film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?“

Tickets $20 in advance at http://themcp.org/tickets/ or $25 at the door

This project is supported in part by American Family Insurance, Madison Gas and Electric and WORT.

ABOUT THE MADISON CHORAL PROJECT

The Madison Choral Project is Wisconsin’s only professional chamber choir.  Our Project is to enrich lives in our community by giving voice to the great music of our diverse world; to express, to inspire, to heal; to garner joy in the experience of live music; and to educate and strengthen the next generation of singers and listeners.

The Madison Choral Project is not just a choir; it’s a movement to improve our human experience through music.

ABOUT THE MADISON YOUTH CHOIRS (MYC)

Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 500 young people, ages 7-18, in 11 single-gender choirs.

The singers explore the history, context and heart of the music, becoming “expert noticers,” using music as a lens to discover the world.

Through a variety of high-quality community outreach programs and performance opportunities, MYC strives to make the benefits of arts participation accessible to all.

For further information: Madison Youth Choirs, see info@madisonyouthchoirs.org, or call (608) 238-7464.