A Choral Perspective
by Antonio Gonzales, tenor - The Phoenix Symphony Chorus
For seven years now, the dedicated and hard-working members of The Phoenix Symphony Chorus (TPSC) have arrived at The Church of the Beatitudes on Monday evenings to prepare great orchestral/choral works. Founded under the helm of Robert Moody and Hermann Michael, TPSC has grown from a small handful of members to nearly 150 devoted souls who volunteer thousands of hours every year and drive from all parts of the Valley.
This year is no exception. Now in our second year under the direction of Dr. Greg Gentry, TPSC has achieved new levels of professional choral standards with recent performances such as Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Holst’s The Planets. These two performances were widely acclaimed and moved TPSC towards the next step in becoming one of the premier choral ensembles in the country.
For seven years now, the dedicated and hard-working members of The Phoenix Symphony Chorus (TPSC) have arrived at The Church of the Beatitudes on Monday evenings to prepare great orchestral/choral works. Founded under the helm of Robert Moody and Hermann Michael, TPSC has grown from a small handful of members to nearly 150 devoted souls who volunteer thousands of hours every year and drive from all parts of the Valley.
This year is no exception. Now in our second year under the direction of Dr. Greg Gentry, TPSC has achieved new levels of professional choral standards with recent performances such as Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Holst’s The Planets. These two performances were widely acclaimed and moved TPSC towards the next step in becoming one of the premier choral ensembles in the country.
The 2007-2008 season brings new challenges to TPSC. Music Director Michael Christie has selected many outstanding and challenging works this year for TPSC, beginning with the Brahms German Requiem. TPSC is already working hard on this magnificent piece of music. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, TPSC is again looking forward to the many performances that will take place. Handel’s Messiah is always a choral favorite for TPSC and The Holiday Pops is a huge fan favorite and an extremely fun time for all!
TPSC is also anxiously awaiting the preparation of The Navajo Oratorio, which will certainly prove to be an exciting and challenging piece, raising the bar yet another level as we become part of this world premier performance. The spring season will bring another challenge to a small ensemble of TPSC singers as they prepare their part for Ainadamar, the new opera by Osvaldo Golijov.
TPSC is also very excited once again to perform a stand-alone choral concert. We will be presenting an evening of some of the most dynamic and powerful pieces in the choral music repertoire. TPSC is very excited to have this opportunity to highlight the many talented vocalists in our group.
Assembled with a passion for choral music, TPSC remains a dedicated force of performing art. As a professional volunteer chorus we are excited to continue the traditions of The Phoenix Symphony and look forward to sharing our performances with the community. Dr. Gentry has had a profound impact on the professional development of TPSC and we look forward to having him lead TPSC for many years to come.
We would like to personally invite each and every one of you to all of our upcoming performances and please do not hesitate to share your ideas and thoughts with any member of TPSC.
TPSC is also anxiously awaiting the preparation of The Navajo Oratorio, which will certainly prove to be an exciting and challenging piece, raising the bar yet another level as we become part of this world premier performance. The spring season will bring another challenge to a small ensemble of TPSC singers as they prepare their part for Ainadamar, the new opera by Osvaldo Golijov.
TPSC is also very excited once again to perform a stand-alone choral concert. We will be presenting an evening of some of the most dynamic and powerful pieces in the choral music repertoire. TPSC is very excited to have this opportunity to highlight the many talented vocalists in our group.
Assembled with a passion for choral music, TPSC remains a dedicated force of performing art. As a professional volunteer chorus we are excited to continue the traditions of The Phoenix Symphony and look forward to sharing our performances with the community. Dr. Gentry has had a profound impact on the professional development of TPSC and we look forward to having him lead TPSC for many years to come.
We would like to personally invite each and every one of you to all of our upcoming performances and please do not hesitate to share your ideas and thoughts with any member of TPSC.
3 Comments:
Bigger does not necessarily mean better.
The Phoenix Symphony Chorus had reached an unbelievable height at the end of last season with the Beethoven. Precision and depth.
The growth to 150 members in the Brahms showed a lot of diversity, not in a good way. I heard many individual voices standing out. Balance within sections should have been worked out in rehearsals. This brought back memories of the old days when the enormous and bland ASU Choral Union covered up every masterpiece with sameness.
I am looking forward to a much smaller Choir singing the Messiah next month. And a large and well-oiled chorus for Mark Grey's Navajo Oratorio and Ravel's Daphis and Chloe.
Hey, We saw y'all on the main floor from our perch in the balcony. For all the humanity on the stage it would seem that there would have been more in the audience. Maybe 150 in the balcony. Couldn't see much of the main floor.
Performance was very good I thought. The chorus sounded great. The chorusmaster came up into the balcony and sat several rows in front of us until the 5th movement or so then had to get down to the stage for the curtain calls.
Balcony Cats.
Chorus rehearsal time was limited on this one, being relatively early in the season. We will have the same issue with the Navajo Oratorio. The music has not arrived and a good chunk of the chorus will be focusing on Messiah.
As for hearing the individual voices, my jaw dropped a few times during the performance. We clearly have some new divas in the chorus (and they aren't all women). I do wish this was addressed more aggressively.
Nevertheless, from my perspective, it was a rewarding concert. The small crowds don't bother me. And they were gracious and enthusiastic in there response.
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